HORACE 

THE    ODES   AND    EPODES 

C.   H.   MOORE 

THE    SATIRES    AND    EPISTLES 

E.   P.   MORRIS 


NEW    YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

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ilflorrts  anto  fHorgan'g  ILatt'n  Series 

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EDWARD   P.   MORRIS,   M.A., 

PROFESSOR  OF  LATIN    IN   YALE   UNIVERSITY 
AND 

MORRIS   H.   MORGAN,    PH.D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  CLASSICAL   PHILOLOGY   IN   HARVARD   UNIVERSITY 


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HORACE 


THE    ODES,    EPODES 


CARMEN    SAECULARE 


EDITED,  WITH  INTRODUCTION  AND  COMMENTARY, 
BY 

CLIFFORD    HERSCHEL   MOORE,  PH.D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  LATIN  IN  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1902,  BY 
EDWARD  P.    MORRIS  AND  MORRIS  H    MORGAN. 

ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL,  LONDON. 


MOORE,    HORACE. 
W.  P.     I 


SRU 
URL 


MEMORIAE   PATRIS 


PREFACE 

IN  preparing  this  edition  of  Horace's  lyrical  poems,  I 
have  had  in  mind  the  needs  of  freshmen  and  sophomores. 
The  introduction  is  intended  to  give  the  necessary  infor- 
mation as  to  the  poet's  life  and  writings.  The  text  is  the 
vulgate,  although  in  some  passages  I  have  preferred  the 
better  manuscript  tradition.  As  young  students  require 
no  little  help  if  they  are  to  understand  as  well  as  translate 
the  Epodes  and  Odes,  I  have  not  limited  my  commentary 
to  the  baldest  aids,  but  have  tried  to  give  such  assistance 
in  interpretation  as  may  help  students  to  some  apprecia- 
tion of  Horace's  art  and  charm.  The  best  illustrations 
naturally  are  furnished  by  the  poet's  own  works;  but  I 
have  endeavored  to  show  his  relations  to  his  Greek  models 
by  quoting  from  them  as  freely  as  my  space  and  judgment 
allowed.  To  all  the  more  difficult  Greek  passages  I  have 
appended  translations,  both  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
cannot  call  themselves  docti  sermones  iitriusque  linguae, 
and  in  the  hope  that  these  translations  may  secure  the 
originals  more  attention  than  students  generally  give  to 
them.  I  have  further  given  a  number  of  quotations  from 
the  later  Latin  poets  to  indicate  in  some  degree  the  ready 
acceptance  which  Horace's  skillful  phrases  found  among 
his  successors.  In  writing  my  notes  I  have  drawn  freely 
on  the  fund  of  illustrative  material  which  is  now  common 
property ;  like  every  other  editor,  I  am  indebted  to  Keller 

7 


8  PREFACE 

and  Holder's  first  volume ;  and  I  have  used  most  of  the 
important  foreign  annotated  editions,  especially  Orelli's 
fourth  edition,  and  those  of  Schiitz,  Kiessling,  and  Mueller. 
Although  for  obvious  reasons  I  have  avoided  consulting 
any  American  edition,  I  am  aware  that  my  debt  to  Pro- 
fessor Smith's  excellent  book,  which  I  have  used  in  my 
teaching  for  some  years,  must  be  greater  than  I  know.  In 
the  three  or  four  places  where  I  have  detected  direct  in- 
debtedness, I  have  acknowledged  it. 

The  notes  to  the  earlier  Epodes  are  rather  full,  as  I 
firmly  believe  that  at  least  Epodes  I,  2,  7,  9,  and  16  should 
be  read  before  the  Odes ;  but  since  many  teachers  do  not 
hold  this  view,  I  have  adapted  my  commentary  on  the  first 
book  to  meet  the  needs  of  beginners  there  also. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  many  for  criticism  and  help. 
My  thanks  are  especially  due  Miss  S.  H.  Ballou,  Instructor 
in  the  University  of  Chicago,  for  the  valuable  assistance 
she  gave  me  in  the  earlier  part  of  my  work ;  also  to  Pro- 
fessor Morris,  who  kindly  gave  me  the  benefit  of  his  criti- 
cisms on  my  notes  to  the  first  two  books  of  the  Odes ;  but 
above  all  to  Professor  Morgan,  whose  suggestions  and 
criticisms  have  been  of  the  greatest  value  at  every  stage. 
Notice  of  errors  and  suggestions  of  every  kind  will  be 
gratefully  received  by  me. 


CLIFFORD   HERSCHEL   MOORE. 


HARVARD  UNIVERSITY, 
June  i,  1902. 


CONTENTS 

MAPS :  PACK 

Central  Italy 10 

The  Valleys  of  the  Anio  and  the  Digentia     .         .         .  \    .  50 

INTRODUCTION: 

Horace's  Life,  Works,  and  Characteristics      .         .         .         .11 
Manuscripts,  Scholia,  and  Editions        .         .  .         -25 

Metres           .    - 35 

Syntax           . 45 

ODES,  BOOKS  1-3 51 

BOOK  4    .  .       .         .         .        ...        .         .         .  331 

CARMEN  SAECULAKE  .        .        *       *        .        .        .        .        .  388 

EPODES       .        .        .        .        .        ....        .        .        .  398 

INDEX  TO  FIRST  LINES      .        .        .     -  .      '  .        .        .        .  464 


10 


INTRODUCTION 

i.  Early  Life  and  Education.  —  Quintus  Horatius  Flaccus  was 
born  Dec.  8,  65  B.C.,  at  Venusia,  a  colony  founded  in  the  time  of 
the  Samnite  Wars,  on  the  borders  of  Apulia,  near  Lucania.  His 
father  had  been  a  slave,  but  was  free  at  the  time  of  Horace's 
birth,  so  that  the  son  was  ingenuus.  His  mother  is  never  men- 
tioned, and  it  is  probable  that  she  died  while  the  child  was  too 
young  to  remember  her.  His  father  was  by  profession  a  coacfor, 
a  collector  of  moneys  for  goods  sold  at  public  auctions,  who  by 
his  thrift  acquired  a  property  sufficient  to  provide  his  son  with  the 
best  education  obtainable  in  his  time.  In  later  years  Horace  paid 
a  most  sincere  tribute  of  gratitude  to  his  father's  devotion  and 
sagacity.  From  him  he  learned  a  rude  but  practical  code  of 
morals,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  to  his  influence  that  we  may  at- 
tribute the  poet's  marked  characteristics  of  moderation,  temper- 
ance, and  self-control ;  to  his  father's  training  was  also  due 
Horace's  habit  of  observing  men  and  manners,  which  bore  fruit 
in  the  shrewd  and  searching  comments  on  life  which  have  en- 
deared him  to  many  generations  of  men. 

Up  to  the  age  of  nine  or  ten  Horace  enjoyed  such  education 
as  the  local  school  in  Venusia  afforded.  Then  his  father,  whose 
sole  ambition  was  to  provide  his  son  with  the  best  education  that 
could  be  had,  unselfishly  gave  up  his  business  at  Venusia,  and 
took  the  boy  to  Rome.  Here  he  gave  him  proper  attendants, 
provided  him  with  suitable  dress  that  he  might  not  be  ashamed 
among  his  high-born  and  wealthy  schoolfellows,  and  with  rare 
devotion  attended  the  boy  himself  as  paedagogus. 

ii 


^^ 


§  I]  INTRODUCTION 

During  the  next  nine  or  ten  years  Horace  received  the  ordinary 
literary  and  rhetorical  training  ;  under  the  rod  of  the  schoolmaster 
Orbilius,  whom  he  has  immortalized  with  the  adjective  plagosus 
(Episf.  2,  i,  70),  he  studied  Latin  literature,  reading  the  works 
of  Livius  Andronicus  and  other  old  Roman  poets,  for  whom  he 
apparently  felt  little  admiration ;  his  studies  also  included  the 
Iliad  and  probably  other  Greek  classics,  and  we  can  hardly  doubt 
that  this  early  study  of  Greek  literature  roused  that  enthusiasm  for 
it  which  lasted  all  his  life. 

In  his  twentieth  year  Horace  went  to  Greece  to  finish  his 
studies  at  Athens,  which  had  become  a  kind  of  university  town 
to  which  it  was  the  fashion  for  young  men  of  his  generation  to 
resort.  Among  his  fellow  students  were  Cicero's  son,  Marcus,  and 
M.  Valerius  Messala.  During  the  next  two  years  he  heard  lectures 
by  the  leaders  of  the  various  philosophic  schools,  without  being 
seriously  attracted  by  any  one  system.  Speculative  thought  had 
little  interest  for  him,  or  indeed  for  his  fellow  countrymen  in 
general :  questions  relating  rather  to  conduct  interested  the  Roman 
mind,  and  while  Horace  never  gave  himself  up  to  any  system  of 
ethics,  Epicureanism  attracted  him  at  first ;  on  growing  older 
he  turned  more  and  more  to  the  teachings  of  the  Stoics,  as  the 
Stoic  maxims  and  paradoxes  in  his  odes  abundantly  testify ; 
yet  no  one  had  a  keener  sense  than  he  for  what  was  absurd  in 
Stoic  practice.  His  good  sense  always  tempered  his  philosophy, 
and  in  all  matters  of  conduct  he  steered  a  middle  course.  It 
is  also  most  probable  that  during  his  stay  in  Athens  he  continued 
his  study  of  the  Greek  poets,  particularly  of  Archilochus  and  the 
early  lyricists,  especially  Alcaeus  and  Sappho,  who  afterward  be- 
came his  chief  models.  At  this  time  he  was  ambitious  to  excel 
in  Greek  verse,  but  wisely  forsook  the  practice  later;  yet  his 
consummate  skill  in  handling  his  own  language  must  have  been 
due  to  his  early  exercises  in  Greek.  By  studying  in  Athens  he 
had  further  the  negative  advantage  of  escaping  the  influence  of 
Alexandrianism  which  prevailed  at  Rome  and  affected  all  con- 

12 


EARLY   LIFE   AND    EDUCATION  [§  I 

temporary  poets.  There,  too,  he  made  many  friendships  which 
lasted  him  through  life. 

In  the  autumn  of  44  H.C.  Brutus  came  to  Athens,  where  the 
people  received  him  with  enthusiasm  as  a  liberator.  The  young 
Roman  nobles  and  Horace  as  well  were  attracted  to  his  cause. 
Why  the  freedman's  son  was  given  the  office  of  military  tribune  in 
the  conspirators'  army  —  a  position  for  which  he  had  no  training- 
it  is  hard  to  say,  and  the  appointment  not  unnaturally  aroused 
envy  at  the  time.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  Horace  had 
already  made  some  reputation  among  his  fellow  students  as  a 
skillful  versifier,  and  Brutus'  love  of  literature  induced  him  to 
prefer  the  youth.  Of  Horace's  military  service  we  know  little  ; 
his  writings  show  a  familiarity  with  some  islands  of  the  Aegean 
and  the  famous  cities  of  Asia,  which  was  probably  gained  at  this 
time,  and  it  is  certain  that  he  shared  in  the  defeat  at  Philippi  in 
42  B.C.  No  doubt  he  gave  as  good  an  account  of  himself  during 
his  two  years  of  service  as  his  fellows ;  the  ironical  description  of 
his  flight  at  Philippi  ( C.  2,  7,  9  f.)  is  imitated  from  Archilochus 
and  Alcaeus,  and  is  not  to  be  taken  seriously. 

The  defeat  of  the  conspirators'  cause  brought  a  crisis  to  Horace's 
life,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  taught  him  the  meaning  of  the 
vicissitudes  of  fortune  ;  it  seems  also  to  have  cured  him  of  any 
political  or  social  ambitions  he  may  have  cherished.  He  gradually 
accepted  the  new  order  of  things,  at  first  despairing  of  the  state  ; 
but  later,  after  the  battle  of  Actium  had  freed  Rome  from  external 
dangers,  he  enthusiastically  proclaimed  the  permanence  of  the 
Empire  and  celebrated  the  beneficence  of  Augustus'  rule.  But 
his  entire  life  after  his  experience  at  Philippi  was  that  of  a  man  of 
letters,  who  mixed  much  with  men  rather  as  an  observer  than  as  a 
participant  in  their  life.  His  later  history  falls  into  three  periods 
of  about  ten  years  each  :  first,  from  his  return  to  Rome  to  29  B.C., 
the  period  during  which  he  published  his  two  books  of  Satires  and 
the  collection  of  Epodes ;  second,  29-19  B.C.,  the  period  of 
his  maturity,  in  which  his  genius  reached  its  height.  During 

13 


§§  i-2]  INTRODUCTION 

these  ten  years  he  published  the  first  three  books  of  Odes  (23  B.C.) 
and  the  first  book  of  the  Epistles  (20  B.C.)  .  Of  his  personal  history 
during  the  last  decennium  (19-8  B.C.)  we  know  but  little.  He 
was  less  productive  than  in  the  two  previous  periods,  publishing 
only  the  Carmen  Saeculare  (17  B.C.),  the  fourth  'book  of  Odes 
(after  13  B.C.),  and  the  two  literary  epistles,  which,  with  the  Ars 
Poetica,  form  a  second  book  of  Epistles. 

2.  Return  to  Rome. — The  general  amnesty  granted  by  Octa- 
vian  after  the  battle  of  Philippi  allowed  Horace  to  return  to  Italy. 
His  father  evidently  died  before  his  return,  and  he  came  back  to 
find  that  Venusia,  where  his  estate  was  situated,  had  been  in- 
cluded in  the  districts  assigned  to  the  veterans  of  the  victorious 
army,  so  that  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  His  means 
sufficed  to  buy  him  a  position  as  clerk  to  the  quaestors,  by  which 
his  support  was  secured.  In  his  leisure  he  turned  to  writing 
Latin  verses. 

Horace  had  now  at  the  age  of  twenty- four  acquired  consider- 
able experience  in  the  good  and  ill  fortunes  of  life,  and  had  lived 
through  some  important  national  crises.  During  his  school  days  in 
Rome  he  had  seen  the  rupture  between  Caesar  and  Pompey,  and 
was  old  enough  to  understand  something  of  the  serious  danger  to 
the  state  which  it  involved  ;  Caesar's  supreme  position  was  well 
established  before  he  went  to  Athens,  and  he  had  had  a  part  in 
the  final  struggle  between  the  would-be  '  liberators '  and  the  dic- 
tator's successors.  While  he  never  after  showed  any  desire  to 
have  a  share  in  politics,  it  is  most  probable  that  these  experi- 
ences of  his  early  manhood  caused  him  to  think  and  feel  earnestly 
on  matters  of  state,  so  that  in  later  life,  when  he  had  heartily 
accepted  the  new  regime,  he  expressed  himself  on  subjects 
touching  the  well-being  of  the  nation  with  a  warmth  which  no 
other  theme  except  personal  friendship  called  forth.  He  lived 
to  see  the  national  dangers  removed,  the  Empire  firmly  estab- 
lished, and  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  peace  under  the  rule  of 
Augustus. 

14 


THE   SATIRES   AND   EPODES  [§§  3-4 

3.  The  Satires.  —  As  has  been  said  above,  Horace  had  prac- 
ticed Greek  verses  in  the  courses  of  his  studies.      He  now  turned 
to  composition  in  his  native  language.     When  he  began  to  write, 
Varius  Rufus  was  the  epic  poet  of  the  day,  having  won  that  posi- 
tion by  his  epic  poem  on  the  death  of  Julius  Caesar,  published 
before  39  B.C.  ;  Asinius  Pollio  was  distinguished  in  tragedy  •  and 
Vergil  was  beginning  to  be  known  for  his  bucolic  poems.     The 
field  of  satire  as  practiced  by  Lucilius  (ca.  180-1036.0.),  com- 
ments in  verse  on  the  most  miscellaneous  topics,  appealed  to 
Horace,  and  in  the  leisure  which  his  official  duties  left  him  he 
began  to  write  in  hexameters  after  the  manner  of  his  model.     He 
understood  that  politics  could  no  longer  be  frankly  treated,  and, 
with  few  exceptions,  he  avoided  personal  attack ;    but  his  nature 
and  training  had  made  him  a  keen  observer  of  the  life  about  him. 
This  life  he  chose  for  his  subject,  and  handled  its  different  phases 
in  the  familiar  tone  of  a  man  of  the  world ;    he  always  speaks  as 
one  of  the  company  at  whose  weaknesses  he  laughs,  never  preach- 
ing or  setting  himself  up  as  superior  to  his  fellow-mortals.    Horace 
was  blessed  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor  as  well  as  clear  insight,  so 
that  these  sketches  have  always  been  held  in  high  esteem,  not 
only  for  their  cleverness  and  wit,  but  also  because  no  other  works 
in  Latin  literature  give  us  such  vivid  pictures  of  the  actual  life  in 
which  the  author  shared.     While  Horace  made  a  great  advance 
on  the  metrical  art  of  his  model,  he  never  called  his  satires  poetry. 
His  own  name  was  sermones,   '  familiar  talks,'  and  he  declared 
that  they  were  only  distinguished    from    prose    by   the  rhythm. 
They  were  written  at  various  times  during  the  decennium  follow- 
ing his  return,  and  many  were  undoubtedly  known  before  they 
were  gathered  together  into  books.      The  first  book  was  published 
before  33,    the  most   probable   date   is   35/34 ;   the   second   in 
30  B.C. 

4.  The  Epodes.  —  At  the  time  when  he  began  to  write  satire, 
Horace  also  attempted  to  introduce  into  Latin  a  new  form  of  verse, 
the  epodic  couplet,  consisting  of  two  verses,  the  second  of  which 

15 


§§  4-53  INTRODUCTION 

forms  a  refrain  (epodus,  eVwSd?)  to  the  first.  In  this  he  was  a 
conscious  imitator  of  Archilochus,  who,  in  the  seventh  century  B.C., 
had  perfected  this  form  in  iambic  measure,  and  used  it  as  the 
sharpest  weapon  of  personal  attack.  The  name  which  Horace, 
following  Archilochus,  gave  his  verses  —  iambi  —  can  apply  prop- 
erly to  only  the  first  ten  of  the  seventeen  in  the  present  collection. 
The  remaining  seven  are  in  different  measures,  but  only  one,  the 
seventeenth,  lacks  the  epodic  form ;  so  that  in  time  the  name 
Epodes  drove  out  Horace's  designation.  While  Horace  shows 
himself  equal  to  his  model  in  form,  he  exhibits  little  of  the  passion 
ascribed  to  Archilochus.  Eight  epodes  show  the  invective  spirit, 
two  exhibit  a  coarseness  of  thought  and  expression  which  does 
not  appear  later,  but  others  have  nothing  aggressive  in  them. 
The  first,  for  example,  is  a  plea  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  Mae- 
cenas to  Actium  ;  the  ninth  is  a  song  of  joy  over  the  victory  gained 
there  ;  the  seventh  and  sixteenth  deal  with  the  conditions  of  the 
state  ;  the  second  is  an  idyl  on  the  joys  of  country  life  ;  and  the 
others  have  little  of  the  invective  spirit.  They  were  written  at 
various  times  between  40  and  316.0.;  the  sixteenth  is  probably 
to  be  referred  to  the  earlier  date,  and  the  ninth  is  later  than  the 
battle  of  Actium,  Sept.  2,  31  B.C. 

5.  Horace  and  Maecenas.  —  Horace's  verses  brought  him  into 
notice  soon  after  his  return,  and  gained  him  the  friendship  of 
Vergil  and  Varius,  who  introduced  him  to  Maecenas,  apparently 
in  the  spring  of  388.0.  Nine  months  later,  in  the  winter  of 
38/378.0.,  Maecenas  invited  him  to  join  the  inner  circle  of  his 
friends.  From  this  time  Horace  was  free  from  material  cares ; 
and  about  the  year  33  B.C.  he  received  from  his  patron  a  farm  in 
the  valley  of  the  Digentia,  among  the  Sabine  hills,  which  was 
thereafter  his  favorite  home  and  constant  source  of  happiness. 
Maecenas  was  already  at  this  time  the  trusted  friend  and  adviser 
of  Octavian.  In  36  B.C.,  when  Octavian  set  out  from  Rome  for 
his  campaign  against  Sextus  Pompey,  and  in  31  B.C.,  during  the 
final  struggle  with  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  Maecenas  was  left 

16 


HORACE  AND   MAECENAS  [§  5 

as  his  representative  with  almost  complete  power ;  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  temporary  estrangement  in  23  B.C.,  when  he  indis- 
creetly betrayed  to  his  wife  Terentia  the  discovery  of  the  plot 
which  her  brother,  Licinius  Murena,  was  forming  against  Augustus, 
he  remained  the  emperor's  most  trusted  adviser.  Naturally,  when 
Augustus'  position  was  firmly  established,  Maecenas  was  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  displaced  by  the  members  of  the  imperial  family ;  but 
the  friendship  between  him  and  Augustus  continued  to  the  end. 
With  all  his  opportunity  and  power,  Maecenas  declined  politi- 
cal preferment,  and  remained  a  '  knight '  throughout  his  life.  He 
had  a  native  taste  for  literature,  was  a  master  of  the  Greek  lan- 
guage, and  wrote  some  mediocre  verses  himself;  but  it  was  by  his 
wise  patronage  of  men  of  letters  that  he  won  a  permanent  place 
in  the  grateful  memory  of  men.  He  had  no  doubt  a  political  pur- 
pose in  his  patronage  also,  for  he  saw  that  literature  might  be 
used  to  support  and  establish  the  new  regime.  Yet  he  imposed 
no  fettering  conditions  on  those  to  whom  he  gave  his  favor  :  we 
know  (Epod.  14)  that  he  urged  Horace  to  publish  his  Epodes ; 
that  Vergil  wrote  the  Georgics  at  his  suggestion  ;  that  he  advised 
Propertius  to  undertake  some  larger  themes ;  but  nowhere  is 
there  any  hint  that  he  ever  exacted  any  return  for  his  favor  which 
would  not  have  been  spontaneously  made.  Of  the  circle  he  gath- 
ered about  him,  Vergil,  Horace,  and  Propertius  achieved  most 
permanent  fame.  Others  were  L.  Varius  Rufus,  Plotius  Tucca, 
Quintilius  Varus,  Domitius  Marsus,  and  C.  Melissus.  Maecenas' 
favor  assured  Horace  the  friendship  of  these  and  many  others  be- 
sides that  of  Octavian,  so  that  after  37  B.C.  he  had  entrance  into 
the  best  society  of  his  time.  His  friendship  with  Maecenas  was 
commingled  with  gratitude  to  him  for  the  material  aid  he  had 
given  ;  but  the  relation  between  the  two  men  had  so  genuine  a 
basis  that  Horace  could  accept  Maecenas'  gifts  without  hesitancy, 
aware  that  his  friendship  was  a  full  return  in  Maecenas'  mind. 
His  acceptance,  too,  involved  no  loss  of  independence,  and  in 
many  passages  he  makes  it  clear  that  he  would  readily  resign  all 
HOR.  CAR.  —  2  17 


§§  5-6]  INTRODUCTION 

the  benefits  conferred  on  him  rather  than  lose  his  freedom  in  the 
slightest  degree. 

6.  The  Odes.  —  The  second  period  of  Horace's  literary  activity, 
29-19  B.C.,  was  devoted  chiefly  to  lyric  composition.  He  had 
long  been  a  student  of  Greek  poetry,  and  the  models  he  now  fol- 
lowed were  chiefly  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  (600  B.C.),  whose  measures 
he  adopted  as  his  own,  and  from  whose  works  he  drew  many  themes. 
While  these  two  poets  had  the  greatest  influence  on  him,  still,  as 
the  notes  to  the  odes  will  show,  we  find  evidence  of  the  influence 
of  Homer,  Pindar,  Bacchylides,  Anacreon,  Stesichorus,  and  the 
three  tragedians.  He  drew  also  from  the  Alexandrians,  but  chiefly 
from  Callimachus  and  Theocritus.  Yet  he  followed  no  model 
slavishly,  and  even  in  his  closest  studies  from  the  Greek,  he  made 
the  themes  his  own.  The  earliest  ode  to  which  a  date  can  be 
assigned  with  certainty  is  i,  37,  written  in  30  B.C.,  on  hearing  of 
the  death  of  Cleopatra.  A  few  may  have  been  written  before  this, 
but  not  many.  For  seven  years  Horace  gave  himself  almost  ex- 
clusively to  lyric  verse.  His  mastery  of  form  and  language  was 
now  complete,  and  his  developed  taste  set  a  high  standard  of  per- 
fection. The  eighty-eight  lyrics  which  belong  to  this  period  were 
never  equaled  in  variety  and  perfection  among  the  Romans,  and 
alone  would  entitle  their  author  to  the  immortality  he  has  enjoyed. 
Many  of  these  odes,  —  Horace  called  them  simply  carmina, — 
especially  those  addressed  to  friends,  were  privately  circulated 
before  they  were  collected  into  the  present  three  books ;  these 
were  published  in  23  B.C.,  as  is  clear  from  internal  evidence.1 

1  The  young  Marcellus  died  at  the  end  of  23  B.C.,  but  it  is  hardly  probable 
that  Horace  would  have  published  the  reference  to  him  in  I,  12,  45  f.  in  its 
present  form  after  his  death;  further,  in  2,  10  (and  possibly  3,  19),  Horace 
mentions  Licinius  Murena,  the  brother-in-law  of  Maecenas,  who  was  involved 
in  a  conspiracy  against  Augustus  in  the  latter  half  of  23  B.C.  The  publication 
must  have  been  earlier  than  the  discovery  of  this  plot.  The  latest  reference 
is  t.o  the  death  of  Quintilius  Varus  in  i,  24,  which  Hieronymus  records  in  23 
B.C.;  and  it  is  probable  that  I,  4,  in  which  L.  Sestius  is  addressed,  was  written 
about  July,  23  B.C.,  when  Sestius  entered  on  his  office  as  consul  suffectus. 

IS 


THE  ODES  PS  7 

LlJ    / 

7.  Arrangement  and  Character  of  the  Odes.  —  In  arranging  his 
lyrics  for  publication,  Horace  placed  at  the  beginning  eleven  odes, 
each  in  a  different  metre,  illustrating  all  the  measures  employed  by 
him  in  the  three  books  with  the  exception  of  the  unique  rhythms 
in  2,  18;  3,  I2.1  Within  this  group  certain  other  principles  of 
arrangement  can  be  detected.  The  first  word  is  Maecenas,  and 
the  opening  poem  virtually  dedicates  the  three  books  to  their 
author's  friend  and  patron,  to  whom  he  had  already  inscribed  his 
Satires  and  Epodes.  The  second  ode  celebrates  Octavian  as  the 
divine  restorer  of  order  in  the  state ;  the  third  is  a  farewell  poem 
to  Vergil ;  the  fourth  is  addressed  to  Sestius,  consul  in  the  year  of 
publication.  The  others  are  arranged  to  secure  variety  in  subject 
as  well  as  measure,  a  principle  that  is  observed  generally  through- 
out the  three  books,  so  that  grave  themes  are  relieved  by  light, 
and  a  succession  of  similar  metres  is  for  the  most  part  avoided. 
The  second  book  opens  with  an  ode  to  Asinius  Pollio,  celebrating 
his  literary  powers  and  touching  sadly  on  the  Civil  Wars  of  which 
Pollio  was  about  to  undertake  a  history.  In  the  first  six  odes  of 
the  third  book,  Horace  comes  forward  as  the  teacher  of  the  new 
generation,  and  deals  earnestly  with  the  problems  and  dangers  of 
the  state.  This  is  the  largest  group  of  odes  on  related  themes, 
and  the  Alcaic  metre  is  used  in  all ;  but,  as  if  to  avoid  wearying  his 
reader,  Horace  did  not  insert  another  ode  in  the  same  measure 
until  the  seventeenth.  He  had  also  some  regard  for  chronological 
sequence,  but  this  was  always  subordinate  to  the  principle  of 
variety.  Each  book,  too,  has  certain  characteristics.  In  the  first 
there  are  a  larger  number  of  studies  from  the  Greek  than  in  the 
other  two ;  about  half  the  odes  are  on  themes  of  love  and  wine  ; 
nowhere  is  any  serious  philosophy  of  life  presented  ;  and  only  five 
(2,  12,  14,  35,  37)  show  deep  concern  with  the  state.  As.  if  to 
emphasize  his  character  as  the  singer  of  light  themes,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  offset  the  serious  notes  in  odes  35  and  37,  Horace 

1  The  tenth  ode,  while  in  Sapphic  measure  like  the  second,  still  exhibits 
certain  metrical  peculiarities. 

19 


§§  7-9]  INTRODUCTION 

placed  at  the  end  of  his  book  the  dainty  verses,  Persicos  odi,  puer, 
apparafjts,  which  picture  him  at  ease  and  free  from  care. 

The  odes  of  the  second  book  show  more  reflection,  a  deeper 
sense  of  the  poet's  personal  relationship  to  his  friends,  a  more 
serious  and  a  graver  attitude  toward  life.  His  didactic  odes  here 
lay  stress  on  wise  conduct,  and  the  checking  of  untoward  desires, 
rather  than  on  the  means  of  securing  enjoyment.  The  twenty 
odes,  with  two  exceptions,  are  composed  in  the  Alcaic  and 
Sapphic  measures. 

In  the  third  book,  Horace  appears  as  the  poet  of  the  new  Rome 
established  by  Augustus.  He  shows  a  conscious  pride  in  his  posi- 
tion as  the  priest  of  the  Muses,  and  his  didactic  odes  have  a  graver 
and  severer  tone  ;  yet  he  relieves  his  serious  themes  here,  as  in  the 
other  books,  by  lighter  and  charming  verses  nowhere  excelled. 
The  unity  of  the  entire  collection  he  emphasized  by  the  form  of 
his  epilogue  in  which  he  repeats  the  lesser  Asclepiadic  measure 
used  in  the  opening  ode  of  the  first  book,  but  not  elsewhere  in 
the  first  three  books.  With  proud  assurance  he  claims  that  by  his 
verse  he  has  defeated  death  itself  and  won  immortal  fame. 

8.  The  First  Book  of  Epistles.  —  With  the  publication  of  his 
odes,  in  23  B.C.,  Horace  seems  to  have  felt  that  his  great  work  was 
done,  and  for  some  years  he  wrote  no  lyrics ;  he  did,  however,  re- 
turn to  his  earlier  habit  of  recording  in  verse  his  observations  on 
life  and  manners,  sermones,  which  he  now  presented  in  the  form  of 
epistles.    Jn  some  the  epistolary  form  is  only  a  cloak,  but  others 
are  genuine  letters,  one  a  letter  of  introduction.     Some  offer  a 
practical  philosophy  of  life,  others  give  rules  of  conduct,   still 
others  celebrate  the  delights  of  quiet  country  life,  one  is  in  praise 
of  wine.     The  opening  letter  is  to  Maecenas,  and  announces  Hor- 
ace's intention  to  abandon  poetry  and  devote  himself  to  philoso- 
phy.    The  collection,  twenty  epistles  in  all,  was  published  after 
the  middle  of  20  B.C. 

9.  The  Carmen  Saeculare  and  Fourth  Book  of  Odes.  —  Horace 
was  not  allowed  to  desert  the  lyric  muse.     The  death  of  Vergil  in 

20 


ODES   AND   EPISTLES  [§§  9-10 

19  B.C.  left  him  the  chief  poet  of  his  day,  and  even  those  who  had 
long  scoffed  at  the  freedman's  son  were  at  last  ready  to  acknowl- 
edge his  preeminence.  His  position  received  official  recognition 
in  1 7  B.C.  from  the  Emperor,  who  commissioned  him  to  write  a 
hymn  for  the  great  Secular  festival  of  that  year.  A  little  more 
than  two  years  later,  at  the  personal  request  of  Augustus,  he  cele- 
brated the  victories  of  the  young  Neros,  Tiberius  and  Claudius, 
over  the  Alpine  tribes ;  in  two  other  odes  he  sang  the  praises  of 
the  Emperor's  beneficent  rule.  With  these  he  joined  eleven  other 
lyrics,  mostly  reminiscent  of  his  earlier  themes  ;  two  of  them,  how- 
ever, hymn  the  power  of  poesy.  He  published  the  collection  in 
13  B.C.  It  was  not  dedicated  to  Maecenas,  as  all  his  earlier  publi- 
cations had  been ;  such  dedication  would  have  been  out  of  place 
in  a  book  the  most  important  odes  of  which  celebrated  the  imperial 
house.  The  significant  fact  is  that,  while  Horace  was  ready  to 
serve  Augustus  with  his  art,  he  did  not  dedicate  the  book  to  him. 
That  his  friendship  with  his  patron  was  unbroken  is  abundantly 
proved  by  the  eleventh  ode  in  honor  of  Maecenas"  birthday. 

10.  The  Second  Book  of  Epistles.  —  Soon  after  the  publication 
of  the  first  book  of  epistles,  a  young  friend  of  Horace,  Julius  Flo- 
rus,  asked  him  for  some  new  lyrics.  In  answer  Horace  wrote 
another  epistle,  in  which  he  says  that  he  has  renounced  lyric 
verse ;  he  is  too  old  for  it ;  the  distractions  of  the  city  prevent 
composition,  and  careful  work  is  no  longer  appreciated  ;  he  will 
therefore  devote  himself  to  philosophy,  and  seek  that  golden  mean 
which  alone  can  bring  happiness. 

We  hear  from  Suetonius  that  Augustus  chided  Horace  for  having 
failed  to  address  any  of  his  sermones  to  him.  This  reproach  Hor- 
ace could  not  neglect,  and  about  14  B.C.  he  wrote  an  epistle  to  the 
Emperor,  in  which  he  discussed  popular  taste  in  literary  matters, 
and  defended  the  modern  school  to  which  he  belonged  against 
those  who  had  a  blind  admiration  only  for  the  ancient  and  ruder 
literature.  These  two  epistles  he  united  with  a  third  addressed  to 
the  Pisones,  father  and  two  sons,  naturally  putting  the  letter  to 

21 


§§  io-i3]  INTRODUCTION 

Augustus  in  the  first  place,  and  published  the  three  about  13  B.C 
This  third  epistle  is  of  uncertain  date,  but  probably  written  about 
19-17  B.C.  It  is  a  didactic  treatise  on  the  art  of  poetry,  but  deals 
chiefly  with  dramatic  poetry,  and  with  the  qualifications  —  genius 
and  hard  work — essential  for  the  poet.  The  common  name,  Ars 
Poetica  (or  De  Arte  Poetica  Liber},  in  all  probability  was  not  given 
it  by  Horace,  but  became  attached  to  it  before  Quintilian's  day. 
By  Hadrian's  time  the  epistle  had  become  separated  from  the  two 
with  which  it  was  originally  published,  and  formed  the  tenth  book 
in  an  edition  of  which  the  four  books  of  Odes,  with  the  Carmen 
Saeculare,  the  Epodes,  the  two  books  of  Satires,  and  two  of  Epis- 
tles were  the  first  nine.  In  the  Mss.  it  regularly  follows  the  Odes ; 
H.  Stephanus  in  the  sixteenth  century  restored  it  to  its  original 
position. 

n.    Chronological  Table  of  Horace's  Works.  — 

Satires,  Book  i  35~34  B-C- 

Epodes  30 

Satires,  Book  2  30 

Odes,  Books  1-3  23 

Epistles,  Book  i  20 

Carmen  Saeculare  1 7 

Odes,  Book  4  ca.  13 

Epistles,  Book  2  ca.  13 

12.  Last  Years  and  Death.  —  Of  the  last  years  of  Horace's  life 
we  know  nothing.     Maecenas  died  in  the  spring  of  8  B.C.  ;  his 
dying  charge  to  the  Emperor,  Horati  Flacci  ut  met  esto  memor, 
bears  witness  to  the  unbroken  friendship  between  the  two  men. 
Horace  survived  his  patron  but  a  few  months,  dying  after  a  brief 
sickness  at  the  close  of  the  same  year.     He  was  buried  near  the 
tomb  of  Maecenas  on  the  Esquiline. 

13.  Personal  Characteristics.  —  Horace  has  left  us  at  the  close 
of  his  first  book  of  Epistles  an  interesting  description  of  himself 
at  the  age  of  forty- four  :  — 

22 


PERSONAL   CHARACTERISTICS  [§  13 

corporis  cxigui,  praecanum,  solibus  aptum, 
irasci  celerem,  tauten  ut  placabilis  essern. 

"  Short  in  stature,  prematurely  gray,  fond  of  the  sun,  quick  to 
take  offense,  but  readily  appeased."  This  agrees  with  the  account 
given  in  Suetonius'  life,  where  we  are  told  that  the  Emperor  joked 
the  poet  on  his  short,  stout  figure.  In  Horace's  later  years  his 
health  was  poor.  While  fond  of  mixing  with  society,  he  had  a 
greater  love  for  quiet  country  life,  and  against  the  protests  of  Mae- 
cenas spent  much  time  on  his  Sabine  farm  or  at  his  beloved  Tibur. 
Praeneste,  Baiae,  and  Tarentum  were  also  favorite  places  of  resi- 
dence. He  remained  a  bachelor,  and  was  never  deeply  moved  by 
love.  Of  all  his  flames  named  in  his  verses,  only  Cinara  was  cer- 
tainly a  creature  of  flesh  and  blood.  The  rest  existed  in  his  fancy 
only,  or  were  borrowed  from  some  Greek.1  While  he  can  sing  very 
prettily  of  love,  his  verses  have  none  of  Catullus'  fire  ;  they  were 
for  Horace  pretty  works  of  art,  but  did  not  spring  from  his  own 
passion.  Likewise  when  he  calls  his  friends  to  a  carouse,  we  may 
be  sure  that  temperance,  not  license,  was  the  chief  feature  of 
his  comissatio. 

The  subjects  of  his  verse,  whether  lyric  or  pedestris,  as  he  calls 
his  muse  in  a  passage  in  his  Satires,  were  of  the  most  varied  sort ; 
hardly  a  feature  of  the  life  about  him  was  left  untouched,  and 
more  proverbial  sayings  bearing  on  the  ways  and  weaknesses  of 
men  have  been  drawn  from  Horace's  works  than  from  those  of  any 
other  Latin  writer.  Certain  aspects  of  nature  appealed  to  him ; 
and  in  a  number  of  odes  he  shows  the  deepest  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  state.  While  he  frequently  shows  a  jovial  spirit, 
yet  there  is,  especially  in  the  Odes,  a  melancholy  that  constantly 
reappears  and  overshadows  his  merrier  moods.  Many  of  his 
lyrics  deal  with  death  and  the  cheerless  grave  ;  and  his  philosophy 
of  enjoyment  and  moderation  has  more  in  it  of  resignation  than 
of  eager  anticipation.  Horace  does  not  show  that  pathetic  melan- 

1  See  Gildersleeve  in  Am.  Jour,  of  Phil.,  18,  121  f. 
23 


§§  I3-H]  INTRODUCTION 

choly  which  characterizes  Vergil's  poetry  ;  his  melancholy  is  per- 
sonal, that  of  a  sensitive  individual,  who  has  learned  not  to  expect 
too  much  of  this  life,  and  has  no  hope  beyond.  Yet  Horace 
avoids  intruding  his  melancholy  on  his  audience,  as  he  shrinks 
from  preaching,  even  in  his  most  earnest  moods. 

The  highest  enthusiasms  and  deepest  feelings  were  not  given  to 
Horace  ;  but  this  very  fact  has  in  no  slight  degree  made  him  a  place 
in  the  affections  of  ordinary  men,  who  feel  that  he  is  one  of  them. 

14.  Fame.  —  While  Horace  never  gained  among  his  contempo- 
raries the  honor  enjoyed  by  Vergil,  whose  imperial  epic  appealed 
to  the  pride,  as  well  as  the  imagination,  of  the  Romans,  still  he 
lived  to  see  himself  pointed  out  by  the  passers  on  the  street  as 
the  lyric  poet  of  Rome,  a  fact  to  which  he  refers  in  C.  4,  3,  22  f., 
not  without  a  touch  of  pride.  Augustus'  requests  (cf.  §  9),  too, 
show  the  position  in  which  Horace  stood.  Many  lesser  poets 
honored  him  as  their  master  and  model,  but  their  verses  have  all 
disappeared  ;  also  the  spurious  works  which  Suetonius  says  were 
circulated  under  his  name.  His  poems  were  early  used  in  schools, 
certainly  before  Quintilian's  day ;  in  Juvenal's  time,  busts  of 
Vergil  and  Horace  adorned  schoolrooms  ;  so  that  for  nearly  nine- 
teen centuries  the  works  of  Horace  have  formed  part  of  liberal 
education  in  western  Europe.  Learned  criticism  and  interpreta- 
tion by  grammarians  began  at  least  as  early  as  Nero's  reign.  But 
the  best  proof  of  Horace's  influence  in  antiquity  is  to  be  seen  in 
the  numerous  reminiscences,  conscious  and  unconscious,  of  his 
verses  that  are  found  in  almost  every  Roman  writer  after  him.  In 
the  commentary  of  this  book  only  a  few  such  reminiscences  are 
quoted,  but  enough  to  suggest  how  constantly  his  phrases  reappear 
in  later  writers.  In  fact  no  other  Roman  poet  but  Vergil  influ- 
enced posterity  to  any  like  degree.  Even  in  the  period  of  re- 
adjustment, which  we  call  the  Middle  Ages,  the  works  of  Horace 
were  still  read  in  schools,  especially  the  Satires  and  Epistles,  and 
verses  of  moral  import  were  learned  by  heart ;  the  Odes  and 
Epodes  were  less  used,  and  the  Carmen  Saeculare  not  unnaturally 

24 


FAME,   MANUSCRIPTS,   ETC.  [§§  14-15 

was  almost  entirely  neglected.1  Yet  the  number  of  Mss.  earlier 
than  the  thirteenth  century  —  nearly  twenty  date  from  the  eighth, 
ninth,  and  tenth  —  attest  the  esteem  in  which  all  the  works  were 
held  in  mediaeval  cloisters. 

in  the  Renaissance  and  modern  times  Horace's  popularity  has 
been  great.  Over  seventy  editions,  partial  or  complete,  were 
printed  before  1500.  There  have  been  many  would-be  imitators 
of  Horace's  lyric  verse  in  the  last  four  centuries,  but  no  better 
proof  of  the  perfection  of  his  art  can  be  found  than  in  the  marked 
inferiority  of  all  attempts,  both  ancient  and  modern,  to  repeat  his 
measures.  It  is  not  exaggeration  to  say  that  no  one  since  Horace's 
day  has  written  Latin  Alcaics  or  Sapphics  that  deserve  to  be  com- 
pared with  their  models.  Naturally  Horace's  influence  on  modern 
writers  of  lyric  verse  has  been  marked.  To  illustrate  this  here  is  not 
possible,  but  there  is  hardly  a  lyricist  who  has  not  felt  his  spell. 
Among  contemporary  English  writers,  Austin  Dobson's  methods 
and  verses  remind  us  most  of  the  Roman  bard.  Yet  Horace's 
lasting  popularity  is  attested,  not  so  much  by  literature,  as  by  the 
regard  in  which  men  of  varied  pursuits  hold  him.  His  wisdom, 
his  moderation  and  good-humored  satire,  coined  into  perfect 
form,  have  won  him  an  unique  place  in  the  affections  of  mankind. 

15.  Manuscripts,  Scholia,  and  Editions,  (a)  Mss.  —  There 
are  more  good  manuscripts  of  Horace  preserved  than  of  any 
other  Latin  writer  except  Vergil ;  they  number  about  250,  dating 
from  the  eighth  (or  ninth)  to  the  fifteenth  century.  All  seem  to 
come  from  a  common  early  archetype,  but  the  cross  lines  of  tra- 
dition are  so  numerous  that  it  is  impossible  to  classify  them  satis- 
factorily. The  most  important  are  :  — 

(i)  Codex  Blaiidinius  Vetustissimus.  This  manuscript  was 
formerly  in  the  Abbaye  de  St.  Pierre  on  Mt.  Blandin,  near  Ghent, 
but  was  burned  when  the  Abbey  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1566. 
It  was  one  of  the  four  manuscripts  borrowed  from  the  monastery 

1  On  Horace  in  the  Middle  Ages,  see  the  interesting  monograph  by  M. 
Manitius,  Analekten  zur  Geschichte  des  Horaz  im  Mitielalter,  Gottingen,  1893, 

25 


§  15]  INTRODUCTION 

in  1565,  and  collated  for  his  edition  of  Horace  by  Cruquius 
(Jacques  de  Crusque),  professor  at  Bruges.  He  states  in  his 
edition  of  1578  that  this  manuscript  dated  from  the  seventh 
century,  and  the  readings  which  he  gives  from  it  show  that,  what- 
ever its  age,  it  was  of  prime  importance  for  the  text.  Keller  and 
Holder  deny  its  very  existence,  and  charge  Cruquius  with  false- 
hood, but  the  evidence  against  them  is  such  that  we  cannot  doubt 
the  existence  and  value  of  the  codex.  Cruquius  was  at  times 
careless,  but  his  account  can  in  the  main  be  accepted. 

(2)  Codex  Bernensis  363,  in  the  city  library  at  Bern,  Switzer- 
land ;  written  by  an  Irish  scribe  in  the  ninth  century.     The  best 
single  extant  manuscript  of  Horace.     Reproduced  in  photographic 
facsimile  under  the  direction  of  De  Vries,  1897. 

(3)  Codex  Sueco-Vaticanus  1703,  in  the  Vatican  Library,  writ- 
ten in  the  ninth  century. 

These  two  manuscripts  are  considered  by  Keller  to  be  the  most 
important ;  some  claim  high  rank  for  others,  especially  Parisinus 
7900  A,  s.  IX/X  ;  Parisini  7974  and  7971,  s.  X  ;  Parisinus  7972, 
s.  IX/X,  and  Leidensis  28,  s.  X  ;  but  in  establishing  the  text  the  read- 
ings of  Cruquius'  'Vetustissimus*  are  ordinarily  of  first  importance. 

For  a  description  of  the  other  manuscripts,  reference  may  be 
made  to  the  critical  edition  by  Keller  and  Holder,  2  vols.,  Leip- 
sic,  1864-1870;  vol.  i  in  2d  ed.,  1899. 

(£)  Scholia.  —  Comment  on  the  works  of  Horace  began  in 
the  first  century  of  our  era,  with  brief  introductory  notes,  giving 
in  each  case  the  name  of  the  person  addressed,  the  metre,  and  a 
brief  notice  of  the  contents  and  character  of  the  poem.  Under 
Nero,  M.  Valerius  Probus  prepared  a  critical  edition  of  Horace's 
works.  Among  early  commentators  were  also  Modestus  and 
Claranus,  who  flourished  apparently  in  Domitian's  reign  ;  to  the 
time  of  Hadrian  belong  the  Life,  by  Suetonius,  which  is  preserved 
in  a  fragmentary  condition,  and  the  edition  in  ten  books  (cf. 
p.  22),  by  Q.  Terentius  Scaurus.  Under  the  Antonines,  Helenius 
Aero  wrote  an  explanatory  commentary. 

26 


SCHOLIA   AND    EDITIONS  [§  15 

The  work  of  all  these  commentators  has  been  lost,  save  in  so 
far  as  it  is  incorporated  in  the  following  scholia :  — 

(1)  The  scholia  of  Pomponius  Porphyrio,  a  grammarian  of  the 
third  century  apparently,  who  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  gram- 
matical and  rhetorical  interpretation. 

(2)  The  scholia  which  bear  the  name  of  Aero.     This  collection 
was  drawn  from  many  sources,  one  of  which  was  Porphyrio,  from 
whom  much  was  taken.     Acre's  name  was  not  attached  to  these 
scholia  until  the  fifteenth  century. 

(3)  The  scholia  of  the  Commentator  Cruquianus.     These  aru 
the  comments  gathered  together  by  Cruquius  from  many  sources, 
and  are  of  slight  value. 

(c)  Editions.  —  The  place  and  date  of  the  editio  princeps  is 
unknown,  but  it  was  published  in  Italy  before  1471.  Bentley's  edi- 
tion in  1711  made  a  new  era  in  Horatian  criticism.  Of  the  modern 
critical  and  explanatory  editions,  the  following  are  important :  — 

Keller  and  Holder,  editio  maior,  2  vols.  Leipsic,  1864-1870; 
vol.  i  (Odes,  Epodes,  and  C.  S.)  in  2d  ed.  by  Keller,  Leipsic, 
1899;  editio  minor,  1878.  Keller,  Epilegomena  zu  Horaz,  Leip- 
sic, 1879-1880,  is  also  important  for  its  collection  of  variant 
readings  and  discussion  of  them. 

Orelli,  4th  ed.  by  Hirschfelder  and  Mewes,  2  vols.,  with  Latin 
commentary  and  complete  word  index,  Berlin,  1886,  1892. 

Kiessling,  2d  ed.,  3  vols.  Berlin,  1890-1897  ;  vol.  i  in  3d  ed., 
1898. 

Wickham,  Odes  and  Epodes,  3d  ed.  Oxford,  1896  ;  Satires 
and  Epistles,  1891. 

L.  Miiller,  Satires  and  Epistles,  Leipsic,  1891-1893.  Odes 
and  Epodes,  1900. 

The  scholia  are  not  yet  fully  available  in  good  editions.  A  be- 
ginning has  been  made  by  Keller  and  Holder,  Porfyrionis 
commentum  rec.  A.  Holder.  Innsbruck,  1894.  The  scholia  of 
the  Commentator  Cruquianus  are  now  best  printed  in  Keller  and 
Holder's  large  edition,  vol.  i,  2d  ed.,  pp.  343-370. 

27 


§§  1 6-1 7]  INTRODUCTION 

16.  Translations  and  Important  Books.  —  No  classical  author 
has  been  translated  more  often  than  Horace.     Among  the  better 
complete  translations  of  the  Odes  and  Epodes  into  English  are  the 
following  :  — 

SIR  THEODORE  MARTIN,  The  Odes  of  Horace  translated  into 
English  verse,  2(\  ed.,  London,  1861. 

JOHN  CONINGTON,  The  Odes  and  Carmen  Saeculare  of  Horace, 
3d  ed.,  London,  1865. 

LORD  LYTTON,  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace,  London,  1869. 

W.  E.  GLADSTONE,  The  Odes  of  Horace  translated  into  English, 
New  York,  1894. 

C.  W.  COOPER,  Horace's  Odes  Englished  and  Imitated  by  Vari- 
ous Hands,  London,  1880. 

Among  books  useful  for  criticism,  interpretation,  and  illustra- 
tion, the  following  may  be  named  :  — 

W.  Y.  SELLAR,  Horace  and  the  Elegiac  Poets,  Oxford,  1892. 

This  is  the  most  important  single  book  in  English  on  Horace. 

J.  W.  MACKAIL,  Latin  Literature,  pp.  106-119,  New  York, 
1900. 

This  is  a  work  of  real  genius,  the  best  short  history  of  Latin 
literature. 

ANDREW  LANG,  Letters  to  Dead  Authors,  pp.  223-234,  London, 
1886. 

GASTON  BOISSIER,  The  Country  of  Horace  and  Vergil;  trans- 
lated by  I).  H.  Fisher,  Ix>ndon,  1896. 

SCHREIBER-ANDERSON,  Atlas  of  Classical  Antiquities,  London, 
1895. 

BAUMEISTER,  Dcnkmaler  des  klassischen  Altertums,  3  vols.,  Mu- 
nich, 1889. 

17.  Language  and  Style.  —  Horace  was  well  aware   that  his 
poetic  genius  was  not  great ;  but  he  possessed  a  highly  cultivated 
sense  for  poetic  form  and  fitting  expression,  and  a  fondness  for 
his  art,  which  led  him  to  take  infinite  pains  in  the  elaboration  of 
his  verses.     With  wise  judgment  he  therefore  chose  commonplace 

28 


LANGUAGE  AND   STYLE  [§§  17-18 

themes  and  treated  them  with  all  the  grace  his  taste  and  skill 
could  give.  He  shows  little  deep  thought  or  intense  feeling ;  his 
verses  are  either  exercises  suggested  by  Greek  lyrics,  common- 
places of  philosophy,  Stoic  or  Epicurean,  pretty  but  passionless 
treatment  of  themes  of  love,  and  society  verse.  Some  tributes  to 
friends  show  greater  feeling,  as  do  certain  odes  dealing  with  inter- 
ests of  state ;  yet  in  this  latter  class  some  seem  like  perfunctory 
verses  written  to  please.  In  his  later  odes,  in  which  he  celebrates 
Augustus  as  the  restorer  of  peace  and  prosperity,  he  exhibits  a 
warmth  of  sentiment  that  he  does  not  show  elsewhere  in  the  poems 
which  concern  the  imperial  house.  Yet  if  his  themes  are  com- 
monplace, his  treatment  of  them  is  so  unapproachably  felicitous 
that  his  phrases  have  become  part  of  the  world's  vocabulary. 
Horace,  therefore,  deserves  the  high  place  he  occupies  in  men's 
regard,  not  for  his  poetic  inspiration,  but  because  he  has  given 
beautiful  and  permanent  expression  to  ordinary  truths,  which  are 
of  universal  concern. 

His  vocabulary  is  not  large,  partly  because  the  Latin  language 
in  comparison  with  the  Greek  is  poor  in  words,  partly  because  he 
chose  to  be  restrained  and  moderate  in  statement ;  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  using  the  Alcaic  and  Sapphic  measures  in  Latin  doubtless 
•restricted  the  range  of  expression.  He  occasionally  repeats  a 
happy  phrase,  either  exactly  or  with  slight  variation.  His  admira- 
tion for  the  Greeks  never  led  him  to  violate  the  genius  of  his  own 
language ;  he  did  not  attempt  long  compounds,  avoided  Greek 
words  for  the  most  part,  and  seldom  used  a  construction  that  was 
foreign  to  the  Latin  idiom. 

The  study  of  Horace's  style,   therefore,  is  chiefly  concerned 

with  the  art  with  which  he  formed  his  phrases  and  fitted  them  to 

his  measures.     The  following   paragraphs  deal    briefly  with   the 

^f  Order  of  Words,  Prosody,  Metres,  and  Syntax. 

/  \  18.   Order  of  Words. — An  inflected  language   admits  greater 

/    freedom  in  the  arrangement  of  words  than  is  possible  in  one  which 

is  uninflected,  so  that  an  idea  is  often  held  in  suspense  until  it  has 

29 


§§  18-20]  INTRODUCTION 

been  brought  into  relation  with  associated  ideas.  It  is  therefore 
necessary  for  the  student  to  learn  to  carry  in  his  mind  incomplete 
ideas  through  groups  of  words  of  varying  length.  Such  groups  are 
common  to  both  prose  and  poetry  ;  but  in  prose  they  are  usually 
brief,  combinations  of  three  words  being  most  frequent,  e.g.  ab 
exiguis  profecta  initiis,  although  larger  groups  are  not  unknown. 
But  in  poetry  the  arrangement  and  grouping  of  words  is  much 
more  highly  developed.  The  following  examples  illustrate  the 
more  common  arrangements  in  Horace's  lyrics,  which  the  student 
must  train  himself  to  grasp  as  units. 

19.  Groups  of  three  words  :  — 

I,  I,  I  a t 'avis  edite  regibus 
I,  15,  8  regntim  Priami  vetits 

1,  22,  22  terra  domibus  negata 

2,  5,  12  purpur eo  varius  color e 
2,  7,  2  Bruto  militiae  duce 

It  should  be  noticed  that  in  these  groups  the  first  and  third 
words  agree  grammatically  and  inclose  the  word  they  modify ; 
and  that  the  places  of  adjective  and  noun  are  varied  at  pleasure.  In 
the  following  larger  groups  the  relation  of  the  words  is  shown  by 
varying  type  so  far  as  possible. 

20.  Groups  of  four  words  may  have  the  following  great  variety 
of  arrangement :  — 

2»  3»  9  pinus  ingens  albaque  populus 

2,  6,  5    Tibur  Argeo  positum  colono 
i,  24,  9  multis  ille  bomsfa&itis 

I,  19,  II  f.   versis  animosum  equis  |  Parthum 
2,8,  ii  f.   gelidaque  di-'os  \  morte  carentis 
i,  i,  22  ad  aquae  lent-  caput  sacrae 
I,  12,  22  f.   saevis  inimica  virgo  \  beluis 

3,  8,  13  f.  cyathos  amid  \  sospitis  centum 

4,  i,  4  f.    dulcium  |  mater  saeva  Cupidinum 

(«)  Often  a  verb  or  verbs  form  part  of  the  group,  e.g. :  — 
i,  i,  34   Lesboum  refugit  tender  e  barbiton 
I,  5,  9   te  fruitur  cretiulus  aurea 
3° 


ORDER  OF  WORDS  [§§  21-24 

21.  Larger  groups  show  more  complicated  structure  :  — 

I,  14,  14  f.    nil  pictis  timidus  navita  puppibus  |  tidit 

I,  14,  19  f.    interfusa  nitentis  |  vites  aequora  Cycladas 

I,  22,  ijf.   pigris  ul)i  nulla  campis  |  arbor  aestiva  recreatur  aura 

1,  28.  19  f.    nullum  |  saera  caput  Proserpina  fugit 

2,  3,  II  f.   quid  obliquo  laborat  |  lympha  fugax  trepidare  tivo  ? 
2,  4,  II  f.   tradidit  fessis  leviora  tolli  |  Pergama  Grais. 

2,  II,  II  f.    quid  aeternis  minorem  \  consiliis  animum  fatigas  ? 

2,  1 2,  2  f.    nee  Siculurn  mare  \  Poeno  purpureum  sanguine 

3,  i,  5  f.   regum  timendorum  in  proprios  greges  |  reges  in  ipsos  im- 

perium  est  lovis 
3,  1, 1 6  omne  capax  movet  urna  nomen 

3,  5,  21  f.   vidi  ego  civium  \  retorta  tergo  bracchia  libero 

i,  9,  21  is  an  unusually  complex  group  :  — 

latentis  proditor  intimo  |  gratus  puellae  risus  ab  angulo. 

Horace  frequently  employs  position  and  arrangement  to  secure 
emphasis  or  other  rhetorical  effect. 

22.  Emphasis  is  obtained  by  placing  the  word  to  be  emphasized 
at  the  beginning  of  a  strophe  or  a  verse,  or  before  a  caesura  :  — 

I,  18,  3   siccis  omnia  nam  dura  deus  proposuit 

1,  34,  i  pare  its  deorum  cultor  et  infrequens 

2,  9,  9  f.   /«  semper  urges  flebilibus  modis  |  Mysten  ademptum 

23.  Often  the  word  in  this  position  comes  at  or  near  the  end  of 
its  sentence  :  — 

I,  28,  5  f.   animoque  rotundum  |  percurisse  polum  morituro 
2»  9>  '5  ft-    nec   impubem  parentes  |  Troilon  aut  Phrygiae  sorores  | 
flevere  semper 

4,  9,  25  f.   vixere  fortes  ante  Agamemnona  |  multi 

24.  Often  the  words  which  agree  grammatically  are  widely 
separated,  gaining  emphasis  from  their  positions,  and  at  the  same 
time  binding  the  sentence  to  which  they  belong  into  a  single  word 
group :  — 

I,  I,  14   Myrtoum  pavidus  nauta  secet  mare 
I,  2,  39  f.   acer  et  Marsi  peditis  cruentum  \  voltus  in  hostem 
31 


§§  24-28]  INTRODUCTION 

Also  3,  4,  9-12. 

me  fabulosae  Volturc  in  Apulo 
nutricis  extra  limina  I'ulliac 
ludo  fatigatumque  somno 

fronde  nova  puerum  palumbes 

Observe  that  the  entire  strophe  is  bound  into  a  single  group  by 
the  two  initial  and  final  words. 

25.  Occasionally  a  number  of  emphatic  positions  are  employed 
in  a  single  strophe  or  other  closely  connected  group  :  — 

2,  10,  9  ff.   saepius  ventis  agitatur  ingens 
pinus  et  celsae  \graviore  casu 
decidunt  turres  feriuntque  summos 
fulgura  mentis 

26.  Emphasis  is  also  secured  by  placing  contrasted  words  in 

juxtaposition :  — 

I,  6,  9       tenues grandia 

I,  3,  IO       qui  fragiltm  truci  commisit  pelago  ratem 

27.  Also  by  placing  words  in  similar  or  opposite   positions  in 
the  verse  or  strophe  :  — 

I,   I,  9  f.   ilium  si  proprio  ||  condidit  horreo  \  quicquid  cle  Libycis  ||  ver- 
ritur  areis 

1,  26,  2f.   tradam  protervis  ||  in  mare  Creticum  |  portare  ventis  || 

2,  2,  23      quisquis  ingentis  ||  oculo  inretorto  |  spectat  acervos. 

2,  3,   I  f.   aequam    memento  rebus  in  arduis  \  servare    mentem,  non 

secus  in  bonis 
2,  10,  13  sperat  infestis  ||  metuit  secundis 

Also  in  i,  10,  where  the  initial  te,  te,  tii  of  the  second,  third,  and 
fifth  strophe  emphatically  repeat  the  Mercuri  of  the  first  strophe. 
Cf.  likewise  2,  9,  1.9.13.17  non  semper,  tu  semper,  at  non,  flevere 
semper. 

28.  Emphasis  is  further  secured  :  — 

(a)  By  immediate  repetition  in  the  same  clause :  — 

2,  17,  10   ilrim us  ibinnts,  utcumque  praecedes. 
Epod.  4,  20  hoc  hoc  tribuno  militum. 

32 


POSITION   OF   PRONOUNS,   PREPOSITIONS,    ETC.     [§§  28-31 

(<*)   By  immediate  repetition  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  clause 
(anadiplosis)  :  — 

3,  16,  isff.  subruit  aemulos 

reges  muneribus  ;  ||  munera  navium 
sacvos  inlaqueant  duces. 

(f)  By  repetition  at  the  beginning  of  successive  clauses  (an- 
aphora),  often  with  the  added  emphasis  of  position:  — 

1,  2,  4ft.        terruit  urhem, 

terruit  gentis,  grave  ne  rediret 
saeculum  Pyrrhae 

2,  4,  3  ff.   serva  Briseis  niveo  colore 

movit  Achillem; 
movit  Aiacem  Telamone  natum 


resurgat  murus  aeneus 
auctore  Phoebo,  ter  pereat  meis 
excisus  Argivis,  ter  uxor 

capta  virum  puerosque  ploret 

Cf.  also  i,  10,  1.5.9.17;  i,  12,  53.57-59;  1,35,5.6.9.17.21; 
2,  9,  1.9.13.17. 

29.  Often  the  anaphora  serves  as  a  connective  :  — 

*»  5»  9f-   yui  nunc  te  fruitur  credulus  aurea, 
qui  semper  vacuam 

POSITION  OF   PRONOUNS,  PREPOSITIONS,   ETC. 

30.  Horace  often  makes  his  point  by  a  reference  to  himself  or 
his  own  experience,  and  introduces  his  concrete  examples  by  me, 
etc.,  in  an  emphatic  position  :  — 

I,  I,  29  f.    me  doctarum  hederae  praemia  fontium 
dis  miscent  superis,  me  gelidum  nemus 
I,  5,  13  f.    me  tabula  sacer  |  votiva  paries  indicat 
I,  22,  9      namque  me  silva  lupus  in  Sabina 

31.  An  important  word  or  words  may  displace  a  relative  or 
interrogative  pronoun  or  a  particle  at  the  beginning  of  a  clause  :  — 

HOR.  CAR.  —  3  33 


§§  3'-37J  INTRODUCTION 

,  2,  7  omne  cum  Proteus  pecus  egit 

,2,  1 8  f.  vagus  et  sinistra  |  labitur  ripa 

,  7,  15  albus  ut .  .  .  deterget  nubila  .  .  .  Notus 

,22,  17  pigris  u/>i  nulla  campis  |  arbor  aestiva  recreatur  aura 

,  1 8,  3  siccis  omnia  nam  dura  deus 

2,  6,  6  sit  meae  sedes  utinam  senectae 

3,  I,  17  f.  destrictus  ensis  cut  super  impia  |  cervice  pendet 

Likewise  -que  may  be  forced  from  its  natural  position  by  the 
requirements  of  the  metre  :  — 

2,  19,  32     ore  pedes  teligHt/ut  crura 

32.  A  dissyllabic  preposition  sometimes  follows  its  noun  :  — 

3,  3,  1 1       quos  inter  Augustus  recumbens 

33.  Sometimes  the  preposition  is  placed  next  the  verb :  — 

2,  1 6,  33     te  greges  centum  Siculaeque  circum  \  mugiunt  vaccae 

3,  27,  51  f.  utinam  inter  errem  |  nuda  leones 

PROSODY 

The  following  points  in  the  prosody  of  Horace's  lyrics  should  be 
noted  :  — 

34.  The  prosody  of  certain  proper  names  varies  :  Etrusco  i,  2, 
14;  3,  29,  35,  Etrusca  Epod.  16,  4  and  40;  ^Dianam   i,  21,   i, 
Diana  3,  4,  71  ;  Proserpina  i,  28,  20,  Proserpina  2,  13,  21  ;   Ori- 
onis  i,  28,  21,  Orion  Epod.  15,  7  ;  Italos  3,  30,  13,  ftalo  2,  7,  4 ; 
Apuliae  Epod.  3,  16,  Apuli  2,  42  and  usually. 

35.  The  final  syllable  of  the  present  and  perfect  indicative  act- 
ive in  the  thesis  occasionally  retains  its  archaic  long  quantity  in 
Books  1-3  :  perrupit  i,  3,  36  ;    mariet  i,  13,  6  ;  ridet  2,  6,  14  ; 
titriet  2,  13,  16;    arat  3,  16,  26;  figit  3,  24,  5.     It  is  once  long 
in  the  arsis  before  the  caesura  3,  5,  17  periret  ||  immiserabilis. 

36.  In  Epod.  9,  1 7  verteritnt  occurs,  but  elsewhere  in  the  lyrics 
the  third  person  plural  of  the  perfect  indicative  always  ends  in 
-~erunt. 

37.  A  final  syllable  ending  in  a  short  vowel  is  not  made  long  by 
two  consonants  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  word. 

•  34 


PROSODY  AND  METRES  [§§  38-44 

38.  Synizesis  occurs  in  anteit    i,  35,  17;  antehac    i,  37,   5; 
Pompei  2,  7,  5  ;  vie/is  Epod.  12,  7;  dehinc  Epod.  16,65  >  prob- 
ably also  vcipiieris  2,  18,  34  (cf.  §  56)  ;  laqueb  Epod.  2,  35  (cf.  §  58) ; 
inferius  5,  79;  mulierculum  n,  23  (cf.  §  58). 

39.  Hardening  of  vocalic  i  to  a  consonant  is  found  in  consilium 
3,  4,  41  and  principium  3,  6,  6.    In  both  these  cases  the  final  syl- 
lable is  elided. 

40.  Syncope  occurs  frequently  in  the  perfect  indicative  forms. 
Also  in  puertiae  i,  36,  8 ;  lamnae  2,  2,  2  ;  periclo  3,  20,  i  ;    sur- 
puerat  4,  13,  20;  repostum  Epod.  9,  i  ;  vincla  9,  9   and  17,  72. 
Possibly  m  pav(i)dum  Epod.  2,  35  and#0s(t)/0s  2,  65  (cf.  §  58). 

41.  Dialysis  occurs  only  in  siluae  i,  23,  4  and  Epod.  13,  2. 

42.  Elision  is  confined  chiefly  to  short  syllables  ;  in  his  earliest 
lyrics  Horace  apparently  tried  to  avoid  it  altogether,  but  later  he 
was  less  careful.     There  is  no  elision  in  the  Second  Archilochian 
Strophe  of  Epod.  13  or  in  the  hexameters  of  Epod.  16.     With  the 
exception  of  me,  te,  and  a  single  case  of  tarn,  Epod.  17,  i,  mono- 
syllables are  never  elided. 

43.  Hiatus  is  found  after  the  monosyllabic  interjections  o  and  a, 
which  naturally  cannot  be  elided.     Also  in  capiti  inhumato  i,  28, 
24,  Esquilinae  alites  Epod.  5,  100,  Threicio  Aquilone  13,  3;  and 
between  the  cola  of  Dactylo-Trochaic  verses  (cf.  §  64  ff.).    Also  in 
male  ominatis  3,  14,  u,  if  the  reading  be  correct. 

METRES 

44.  Logaoedic  Verses.  —  The  greater  number  of  the  Odes  are 
in   logaoedic   rhythms,  consisting  of  trochees   (—  ^),  irrational 
spondees  (—  >),  and  cyclic  dactyls  (-«-<  ^  or  —  ^w).1     The  mu- 

1  Elementary  Latin  prosody  and  the  lyric  metres  of  Horace  are  satisfacto- 
rily treated  in  the  school  grammars  commonly  used.  A  brief  account  is  given 
here  solely  for  convenience,  and  no  attempt  is  made  to  provide  the  elemen- 
tary knowledge  which  must  be  gained  from  the  grammars.  One  point,  how- 
ever, may  be  noted.  The  common  method  of  marking  an  irrational  spondee 
( — >)  leads  pupils  to  think  that  it  is  not  to  be  distinguished  from  a  trochee, 

35 


§§  44-48]  INTRODUCTION 

sical  time  is  f.  While  Horace  adopted  his  measures  from  the 
Greeks,  he  is  more  strict  than  his  models  in  certain  points.  He 
always  uses  an  irrational  spondee  in  place  of  a  trochee  before  the 
first  cyclic  dactyl  (—  >  |  ~^  w,  and  not  —  w  |  —  ^  w)  ;  and  if  an 
apparent  choriambus  —  ^  w  1  1_  l  is  followed  by  a  second  apparent 
choriambus  in  the  same  verse,  the  caesura  regularly  separates  the 
two. 

The  following  logaoedic  verses  are  used  by  Horace  : 

45.  The  Adonic: 

~\j  ^  I  —  w 

terruit  |  urbem 

(This  may  also  be  read  A^  \j  |  ^  I  —  A) 

46.  The  Aristophanic  : 


I-  > 

Lydia  \  die  per  \  omnes 

(This  may  also  be  read  -^  w  |  ^-  w  |  id  |  ^  A) 


47.  The  Pherecratic  (read  as  a  syncopated  tetrapody  catalectic)  ; 

48.  The  Glyconic: 


/  ^  i      /  l  !/j  /  A 

—  ^       v^    I         —  A 

grata  |  Pyrrha  sub  |  an  fro 


|  diva  po  fens  Cy\fri 

i.e.  that  both  equal  J  *  ;  whereas  the  irrational  spondee  must  be  represented 
in  musical  notation  by  *•«••  Furthermore  the  musical  equivalent  of  the 
cyclic  dactyl,  as  commonly  expressed,  —  v  w  =  t,Q  4,  is  hardly  correct; 

it  should  rather  be  «•£•£••  In  the  schemes  as  here  given  the  form  —  w  w 
is  used  when  the  caesura  does  not  fall  within  the  foot  or  falls  between  the  two 
short  syllables,  —  ^  ||  \j  ;  when  the  caesura  occurs  after  the  long  syllable  the 
foot  is  written  —  ||  \^w. 

1  This  combination  was  regarded  by  the  later  Roman  writers  as  a  choriam- 
bus, —  w  w  —  ,  and  many  still  give  the  name  '  choriambic  '  to  metres  in  which 
this  succession  of  syllables  occurs. 

36 


METRES  [§§  49-53 

49.  The  Lesser  (decasyllabic)  Alcaic  : 

•*0  w    I  —  ^    ^1  —    ^-M  —  ^ 
flumina  \  constite\rint  a  culo 

50.  The  Greater  (hendecasyllabic)  Alcaic: 

di-w  I—  >  II  A,w  I—  ^lwA 

per\mitte  \  divis  II  «/<?ra  |  ijui  si\ntul 

In  Books  1-3  the  anacrusis  is  usually  long  ;  in  Book  4  always  so. 
In  1,37,  T4  >  4>  T4>  T7  diaeresis  is  neglected  ;  caesura  occurs  after 
a  prefix  in  i,  16,  21  ex^ercitus  ;  i,  37,  5  de\\promere  ;  2,  17,  21 


51.   The  Lesser  Sapphic  : 


iam  sa\tis  ter\ris  ||  MIVIJ  |  atque  \  dirae 

In  Books  1-3  the  masculine  caesura  is  regularly  used  ;  in  the 
Carmen  Saeculare  and  Book  4  the  feminine  caesura  is  more  fre- 
quently allowed,  e.g.  : 

/  I     /  ^^!         '  II         1    /  /  "**~ 

—    w    I  —  >|      —  \J        II    wt  —      \j  —  > 

Phoebe  \  silva  riimque  II  po\tens  Di\anae 

52.  The  Greater  Sapphic  : 

/         i  /  ^.  i  /    |i          1  1/     |i  |   /        i    X    ^ 

-    Suf|  -  ->!  -    II  «^V/|'  -     II     -        VA^    I  -  \_i\   -    J> 

te  de  os    o  ro  Syba\rin  II  t«r  prope\res  a  mando. 

Or  we  may  write  the  second  half  of  the  verse  as  a  syncopated 
tetrapody  catalectic  : 

MX  I       /  I      I  /      I     V> 

II  Ay  w  I  —  w  I   "—  I  -  A 

It  should  be  observed  that  this  corresponds  with  the  Aristo- 
phanic  verse  (cf.  46). 

53.  The  Lesser  Asclepiadic  : 


Maece  nas  ata\vis  ||  edite  \   regi\bus 
C.  i,  i  ;  3,  30;  4,  8. 

In  4,  8,  17,  caesura  is  disregarded,  but  the  text  is  in  doubt;  in 
2,  12,  25  caesura  occurs  after  the  prefix  in  de  \torquet. 

37 


§§  54-S6]  INTRODUCTION 

54.  The  Greater  Asclcpiadic  : 

-    >    I    Ay    wi1^   II  Ay    vy    '-II  Ay  vy  I  -vy|  6  A 
Nullam  |  Fartf  ja|mz  ||  t/*V*  /rt  «J  ||  severis  \  arbo\rem. 

C.  i,  ii,  18  ;  4,  10. 

It  should  be  observed  that  this  differs  from  the  preceding  rhythm 
(53)  in  having  a  syncopated  dipody  ||  A/  vy  I  "-^  I  inserted  between 
the  two  tripodies.  In  i,  18,  16,  caesura  occurs  after  the  prefix  in 

per\\lucidior. 

Iambic  and  Trochaic  Verses.  —  The  following  iambic  and  trochaic 
verses  are  used  by  Horace  : 

55.  The  Iambic  Dimeter: 

y^w^-IV-^w-2. 

>/  s        \ 

vy  vy  vy  vy  w  I 

Or  in  anacrustic  form  :  a 

y:    /         '    vy  I    /         ' 
:  —  vy  —  5   I—  vy—  A 

The  irrational  spondee  may  be  substituted  in  the  first  and  third 
feet.  Resolution  of  the  thesis  is  found  in  four  verses  (Epod.  2,  62  ; 
3,  8  ;  5,  48;  15,  24),  and  then  is  limited  to  the  first  foot  for  the 
apparent  dactyl,  >  w  w  ;  while  tribrachs  may  be  used  in  the  first 
two  feet,  e.g.  : 

>/     /  i   *s^  ii  y      f 
—  vy  —  |    >   II  —  vy  vy 

Oblivio  |  nem  sensibus  Efod.  14,  2. 

/  l  ^  / 

\j  —  vy  vy  vy|   ^  —   vy    vy 

•videre  prope\rantis  domum  Epod.  2,  62. 

^>  /          —I  *>  II  —     — 

ast  ego  vicis\sim    riser  o  Epod.  15,  24. 

56.  The  Iambic  Trimeter  Catalectic  : 

'-  vy  -qy  ||^  ^  z.|w^_A 

trahuntque  sic  cas  ||  machinae  \  farinas. 
Or  with  anacrusis  : 


1  Whenever  iambic  verses  occur  in  logaoedic  or  composite  rhythms,  they 
are  to  be  written  with  anacrusis. 

38 


METRES  [§§  56-58 

In  C.  2,  1 8,  34  possibly  resolution  occurs  in  the  second  foot 
regumque  pueris,  >  •  —  ^  w  v^— ,  unless,  as  is  probable,  we 
should  re^d  by  synizesis,  pueris  (cf.  38). 

57.   The  Pure  Iambic  Trimeter:  — 


suis  et  ip\$a\Roma  vi\ribus  ruit 
58.   The  Iambic  Trimeter  (with  substitutions  and  resolutions) 


> 


Epod.  17.  The  caesura  occurs  after  the  prefix  in  im\\plumibus, 
Epod.  i,  19  ;  and  in  |j  aestuet,  Epod.  11,15.  The  irrational  spondee 
is  not  infrequently  substituted  in  the  first,  third,  and  fifth  feet  ; 
the  tribrach  is  used  chiefly  in  the  second  and  third  feet,  rarely  in 
the  first  and  fourth  ;  the  dactyl  is  found  in  the  first  foot,  rarely  in 
the  third  ;  and  the  anapaest  is  possibly  to  be  read  in  the  first  foot 
twice  (Epod.  2,  35  pavidum,  65  positcs)  and  three  times  in  the 
fifth  (Epod.  2,  35  laqueo,  5,  79  inferius,  u,  23  mulierculunt)  ; 
yet  some  of  these  cases  may  be  read  by  synizesis  as  iambs  (cf.  38). 
Examples  of  trimeters  with  various  substitutions  :  — 
/  'i^n/  '  i  / 

w    —  w  —  I  .>   ||  —      \j   —  \\j    —  v^w 
per  et  Dia\nae  ||  non  moven\da  numina 

>  —  w    Ow'>i|  —      \j  \j  \j\">  —  wO 
vectabor  hume\ris  ||  tune  ego  ini\micis  eques. 

~s^X  'III/  '        I       '  ---          /  ' 

^*\j\j^j  —  |wll  —  w  —  |    ->   —    w  — 
Canidia  par\ce  ||  vocibus  \  tandem  sacris 

>/  '   \   *~^    \\    S  '   \^~^/  r 

—  v^  —  I  .>  II  wwvy   —  |  j>  —  w  O 

optat  quie\tem  ||  Pelopis  in\fidi  pater. 

/  I  II     /  /       I  /  * 

w    w  —    wvyw]          w||  —  ^  —    |w  w  —    w  O 
pavidwnque  lepo\rem  et  ||  advenam  \  laqueo  gruemt 

w        —  w  — 

wt  pav(f)dumqite,  laqueo  (cf.  38,  40). 
39" 


§§  59-65]  INTRODUCTION 

59.  The  Euripidean  :  — 

/        /      \      /       f 

—  \j  v/  A 

no  it  ebur  ne  que  aurewn 

60.  The  Nine-syllable  Alcaic  :  — 

w  :-  x       i  /   -^i  /      i  / 
5  :  —  vj  —  >|  —  \j\  —  \j 

sil'.vae  la\boran\tes  ge  luque 

This  consists  of  two  trochaic  dipodies  with  anacrusis.    The  second 
foot  is  always  irrational. 

Dactylic  Verses. 

61.  The  Lesser  Archilochian  :  — 

/        i  /  i  / 

—  \j\j\  —  w  w|  —  A 
arbori^busque  co\mae 

62.  The  Dactylic  Tetrameter  catalectic  :  — 

/   -  1  /    —  i  /  i  / 

-  v/  \J  |  —  w  w  |  —  w  \j  |  —  \j  A 
saeva  ca  put  Pro\serpina  \  fugit 

In  C.  i,  28,  2    a  spondee  is  found  in  the  third  foot. 

63.  The  Dactylic  Hexameter  :  — 


The  feminine  caesura  in  the  third  foot  is  occasionally  found,  and 
the  masculine  caesura  sometimes  falls  in  the  fourth  or  second  foot. 
The  four  cases  of  spondees  in  the  fifth  foot  are  due  to  proper 
names  (  C.  i,  28,  21  ;  Epod.  13,  9  ;  16,  17  and  29). 

Dactylo-trochaic  Verses. 

64.  In  these  the  cola,  rhythmical  sentences,  are  separate  ;  so 
that  the  verses  are  compound,  having  a  change  of  time  (  J  to  f,  or 
vice  versa}  within  them.     Syllaba  anceps  is  allowed  at  the  end  of 
the  first  colon  in  the  hmbclegus  and  Elegiamhus. 

65.  The  Greater  Archilochian  (a  dactylic  tetrameter  acatalec- 
tic  +  a  trochaic  tripody)  :  — 

/     -    I     /      -  '    /"     II    -  1  It     /  I     /  I  /  -s. 

—  \j\j  I  —   v^w;  —  II  \j  w!  —  \j\j  II  —  v->  I  —  ^1  —  ^ 
solvitur  |  ticris  hi*ttns\\gra    tn  vice  II  verts  \  et  Favoni. 
40 


METRES  [§§  66-68 

The  caesura  is  found  regularly  after  the  third  thesis,  and  a  diaere- 
sis after  the  dactylic  colon.     The  fourth  foot  is  always  a  dactyl. 

66.  The  lambelegus  (a  trochaic  dimeter  catalectic  with  anacru- 
sis +  a  lesser  archilochian)  :  — 

y-^-v,  I  -      y|^  w|6||-^w  |-  w   W|^A 
tu\vina  \   Torqua\to  mo\ve  ||  consule  \pressa  me\o. 

No  substitutions  but  those  indicated  are  allowed  in  the  first  colon  ; 
and  spondees  are  not  allowed  in  the  second. 

67.  The  Elcgiambits  (the  cola  of  the  lambelegus  reversed)  :.— 

—  \j\j\ — Ty-Hyi — w  |  —  w  I — A 

scribere  \  versiculos     II  a\more  \percus\sum  gra\vi. 


STROPHES 

Most  of  the  Odes  are  arranged  in  stanzas  or  strophes  of  four  verses 
each  ;  in  a  few  the  distich  or  the  single  verse  is  the  metrical  unit. 
In  the  Epodes,  with  the  exception  of  the  seventeenth,  which  is 
written  in  iambic  trimeters,  the  epodic  distich  (cf.  4)  is  the  unit. 

The  lyric  strophes  used  by  Horace  are  these :  — 

68.  The  Alcaic  Strophe  —  two  Greater  Alcaics  (50),  one  Nine- 
syllable  Alcaic  (60),  and  a  Lesser  Alcaic  (49)  :  — 

y-  —  vy|— >IIA^|  —  w  I   w  A      1-2 

y;^w  |^>|  ^  w  i^-y  3 

</w  IA,W  |  --  ^  |  Ay  4 

This  strophe  is  the  most  frequent;  found  in  C.  i,  9.  16.  17.  26. 

27-  29-  3'-  34-  35-  37  >  2,  i.  3-  5-  7-  9-  "•  *3-  M-  '5-  17-  19-  2°5 
3,  1-6.  17.  21.  23.  26.  29  ;  4,  4.  9.  14.  15.  In  2,  3,  27  and  3, 
29,  35  there  is  elision  at  the  end  of  the  third  verse. 


§§  69-70  INTRODUCTION 

69.  The  Sapphic  Strophe  —  three  Lesser  Sapphics  (51),  and  an 
Adonic  (45  )  :  — 

-v/i-  >i^Hv~i-^wi^y  1-3 
-^w  i-y  4 

After  the  Alcaic  the  most  frequent  strophe  ;  found  in  C.  i,  2.  10. 
12.  20.  22.  25.  30.  32.  38  ;  2,  2.  4.  6.  8.  10.  16;  3,  8.  1  1.  14.  18. 
20.  22.  27  ;  4,  2.  6.  ii  ;  C.  6".  The  feminine  caesura  is  found  in 
a  few  cases  (cf.  51).  In  a  number  of  strophes  Horace  follows 
Sappho  in  treating  the  third  and  fourth  verses  as  one,  so  that  in 
three  places  (C.  i,  2,  19;  i,  25,  n  ;  2,  16,  7)  words  run  over 
from  one  verse  to  the  next  as  now  printed  ;  elision  at  the  end  of 
the  third  verse  is  found,  4,  2,  23  and  C.  S.  47  ;  hiatus  between 
the  verses  occurs  but  four  times  (C.  i,  2,  47  ;  i,  12,  7  and  31  ; 
i,  22,  15);  and  in  most  cases  the  dactyl  of  the  fourth  verse  is 
preceded  by  a  spondee  at  the  close  of  the  third. 

Elision  occurs  three  times  also  at  the  end  of  the  second  verse 
(C.  2,  2,  18;  2,  16,  34;  4,  2,  22). 

70.  The  Greater  Sapphic  Strophe  —  an  Aristophanic  verse  (46) 
followed  by  a  Greater  Sapphic  (52)  :  — 


C.  i,  8. 

71.   The  First  Asclepiadic  Strophe  —  a  Glyconic  (48)  followed 
by  a  Lesser  Asclepiadic  (53)  :  — 


C.    i,  3.  13.  19.  36  ;  3,  9.  15.  19.  24.  25.  28  ;  4,  1.3.     Elision  at 
the  end  of  the  Glyconic  is  found  4,  i,  35. 

42 


METRES  [§§  72-77 

72.  The  Second  Asclepiadic  Strophe — three  Lesser  Asclepia- 
dics  followed  by  a  Glyconic  :  — 

C.    i,  6.  15.  24.  33 ;  2,  12  ;  3,  10.  16 ;  4,  5.  12. 

73.  The  Third  Asclepiadic  Strophe  —  two  Lesser  Asclepiadics, 
a  Pherecratic  (47),  and  a  Glyconic  :  — 

C.   1,5.  14.  21.  23;  3,  7.  13;  4,  13. 

74.  The  Iambic  Strophe  —  an  Iambic  Trimeter  (58)  followed 
by  an  Iambic  Dimeter  (55)  :  — 

Epod.  i-io. 

75.  The   First  Pythiambic  Strophe  —  a   Dactylic   Hexameter 
(63)  followed  by  an  Iambic  Dimeter  (55)  :  — 

Epod.  14  and  15. 

76.  The  Second  Pythiambic  Strophe  —  a  Dactylic  Hexameter 
followed  by  a  Pure  Iambic  Trimeter  :  — 

_£ I  _/_ i  _/_  II i  /_ I  _/  I  —  j^ 

_/_      _,_  i      _£      _*_  i      _/_      <j_ 

Epod.  1 6. 

77.  The  Alcmanian  Strophe  —  a  Dactylic  Hexameter  followed 
by  a  Dactylic  Tetrameter  (62)  :  — 

/ i  /  i  /          i  /  w 

—  ww  I  —  wv/|  —  \>/wl  — 

C.    i,  7.  28;  Epod.  12. 

43 


§5  78-83]  INTRODUCTION 

78.  The  First  Archilochian  Strophe  —  a  Dactylic    Hexameter 
followed  by  a  Lesser  Archilochian  (61)  :  — 

/  —  I  /  —  i  /  ii  —  i  /  —  i  /          i  /  \.j 

—  ww  |  —  \J\J  |  —  II  w  ^  I  —  \J\J  I  —  \J  \J  I  —  ** 

r  -  Wwl   -  WW    I    —  X 

C.    4,  7- 

79.  The  Second  Archilochian  Strophe  —  a  Dactylic  Hexameter 
followed  by  an  lambelegus  (66)  :  — 

/  -  i  /  —  i  /  ii  -  i  /  -  i  /  i  /  w 

—  ww  I  —  w  w  I  —  II  ^  v->  I  —  ww  I  —  ww  I  —  ~ 

y:   /         i/wi/        I  fit  I~i  ^  I    ^  I  ^ 

:  —  wl  —  >  I  —  \j  \  —  A  »  —  wwl  —  wwl  —  Tf 

Epod.  13. 

80.  The   Third  Archilochian    Strophe  —  an    Iambic   Trimeter 
followed  by  an  Elegiambus  (67)  :  — 

y^z.|  y|'      .£_|  y^^^ 

-wwl-wwI^AllVi-wl-Vl-wl^A 
Epod.  ii. 

81.  The  Fourth  Archilochian  Strophe  —  a  Greater  Archilochian 
(65)  followed  by  an  Iambic  Trimeter  Catalectic  (56)  :  — 


C.    1,4. 

82.  The  Trochaic  Strophe  —  a  Euripidean  (59)  followed  by  an 
Iambic  Trimeter  Cataleclic  :  — 

'  '  I      /  <J      A 

—  w   —  vy    I   —  w  -  A 

y-^-w-yii-w-^I^^A 

C.    2,  18. 

83.  The   Ionic  System  —  pure   lonici  a   minore,  ^  \j  --  ,  in 
verses  of  ten  feet  :  — 

//i  /  /  i  //i  /xi  // 

ww  —         Iww  —   ~lww  —    —  \  \j  \J  —    ~  I   w  \J  — 

//I  /xl  //I  /xl  x/ 

\^/V^  —    —   I    \j   \j  —  —     Iv^v^/  —    —  lv^W~  Iv^vy 

C.    3,  12.     Diaeresis  occurs  at  the  end  of  most  feet. 

44 


SYNTAX  [§§  84-88 

SYNTAX 

The  following  paragraphs  deal  briefly  with  the  constructions  in 
the  lyrics  of  Horace,  which  depart  most  from  prose  usage. 

THE  ACCUSATIVE 

84.  The  perfect  passive  participle  is  used  as  a  middle  with  a 
direct  object,  sometimes  accompanied  by  an  instrumental  abla- 
tive :    i,  i,  21  membra  .  .  .  stratus,  'stretching   his  limbs.'     r, 
2,  31  nube   candentis  umeros   amictus,    'wrapping   thy   shining 
shoulders  in  a  cloud.'     3,  8,  5  doctus  sermones,  '  learned  in  the 
lore.' 

85.  The  common  prose  use  of  the  accusative  neuter  of  ad- 
jectives of  number   or   amount  is  extended  to  other   adjectives 
which  express  the  manner  of  the  action  :   i,  22,  23  dulce  ridentem, 
duke  loquentem,  'sweetly  smiling,    sweetly  prattling.' 

86.  The  object  accusative  is  used  with  many  verbs  which  were 
ordinarily  intransitive  before  Horace's  time  :   2,  13,  26  ff.  sonantem 
.  .  .  plectra  dura  navis,  dura  fugae  mala,  dura  belli,  '  sounding 
with  his  plectrum  the  hardships  of  the  sea,  the  cruel  hardships  of 
exile,  the  hardships  of  war.'     4,  12,  5  Ityn  flebiliter gemens,  'sadly 
mourning  Itys.'     4,  13,  19  spirabat  amores,  '  breathed  forth  love.' 
Epod.  14,  1 1  flevit  amorem,  '  wept  his  love.' 

THE   DATIVE 

87.  The  dative  of  agent  is  used  with  the  perfect  participle : 
i,  32,  5  barbite  Lesbio  modulate  rivi,  'lyre  tuned  by  Lesbian  citi- 
zen.'    Also  with  verbs  expressing  feeling  or  perception  :   i,  i,  24  f. 
bella  matribus  detestata,   'wars    which    mothers    hate.'      Rarely 
with  present  passives:  as  3,  25,  3f.  quibus  antris  audiar?  'by 
what  grottoes  shall  I  be  heard  ? ' 

88.  The  dative  of  place,  as  well  as  of  person,  is  used  to  denote 
the  direction  of  motion  :  4,  4,  69  f.  Carthaginiiam  nonego  nuntios 

45 


§§  88-94]  INTRODUCTION 

mittam  superbos,  '  no  longer  shall  I  send  proud  messengers  to 
Carthage.'  Cf.  i,  24,  15  num.  vanae  redeat  sanguis  imagini  ? 
'  would  the  blood  return  to  the  empty  shade  ? ' 

89.  The  dative  is  also  used  with  verbs  expressing  union,  com- 
parison, difference,  etc. :      i,    i,   15   luctantem   Icariis  fluctibus 
Africum,  'the   Afric   struggling  with   the   Icarian  waves.'     i,  i, 
30  me  .  .  .  dis  miscent  superis,  '  make  me  one  with  the  gods 
above.'   i,  24,  18  nigro  compulerit gregi, '  has  gathered  to  his  dark 
flock.' 

THE  GENITIVE 

90.  An  adjective  is  often  modified  by  a  partitive  genitive :  i, 
10,  19  superis  deorum,  equivalent  to  superis  dels  in  prose,     i,  9. 
14  quern  fors  dierum  cumque  dabit,  equivalent  to  quemcumque 
diem. 

91.  In  imitation  of  a  Greek  construction,  a  genitive  is  used 
modifying  a  neuter  plural  adjective :  2,  i,  23  cuncta  terrarum, 
'  all  the  world.1 

92.  The  objective  genitive  is  used  with  a  larger  number  of 
adjectives  than  in  prose  :  i,  3,  i  diva  potens  Cypri,  'goddess  that 
ruleth  Cyprus.'     i,  34,  2  f.  insanientis  sapientiae  consultus,  'adept 
in  a  mad  philosophy.'     2,  6,  7  lasso  marts  et  viarum,  '  weary  of 
journeys  by  sea  and  land.'     3,  27,  10  imbrium  divina  avis,  'bird 
prophetic  of  storms.'      4,  6,  43  docilis   modorum,  '  taught   the 
strains  of.' 

93.  In  a  few  cases  the  genitive  of  '  specification '  is  used  :  2, 
22,  i  integer  vitae,  'pure  in  life.'     3,  5,  42  capitis  minor,  'inferior 
as  an  individual '  =  '  deprived  of  civil  rights.'     And  once  2,  2,  6 
the  genitive  is  almost  causal :  notus  animi  paterni,  '  known  for  his 
paternal  spirit.' 

94.  The  objective  genitive  is  used  with  verbs  of  ceasing,  want- 
ing, etc.,  in  imitation  of  the  Greek  construction  :  2,  9,  18  desine 
quercllarum,  'cease  thy  plaints.'     3,  17,  \6famutis  operum  solutis, 

46 


SYNTAX  [§§  94-99 

'the  servants  freed  from  toil.'     3,  27,  69  abstincto  irarum,  'give 
up  thy  wrath.' 

THE  ABLATIVE 

The  simple  ablative,  without  a  preposition,  is  used  somewhat 
more  freely  than  in  prose. 

95.  The  simple  ablative  is  used  to  express  the  place  where  an 
action  occurs  :   i,  2,  9  sitmma  haesit  ulmo,  '  clung  in  the  top  of 
the  elm.'      i,  9,  10  f.  ventos  aequore  fervido  deproeliantis,  'winds 
struggling  over  the  yeasty  deep.'     i,  32,  8  religarat  litore  navim, 
'  anchored  his  ships  off  the  shore,'  also  belongs  here. 

96.  Once  in  the  Odes  the  ablative  of  agent  is  used  without  a 
preposition  :   i,  6,  i  f.  scriberis  Vario  .  .  .  Maeonii  carminis  alite, 
'  thou  shall  be  sung  by  Varius,  that  bird   of  Maeonian   song.' 
With  this  we  may  compare  Epist.  j,  19,  2  carmina,  quae  scribun- 
tur  aquae  potoribus,  'verses  written  by  teetotalers,'  although  most 
editors  and  grammarians  regard  potoribus  as   dative   of  agent. 
While  the  phrase  Vario  .  .  .  alite  approaches  the  ablative  abso- 
lute, the  difference  between  it  and  such  cases  as  6".  2,  i,  84  iudice 
laudatiis  Caesare  must  not  be  overlooked. 

97.  The  instrumental  ablative  is  found  once  with  a  verbal  noun  : 
3,  4,  55  truncis  iaculator,  '  he  who  threw  trunks  of  trees.' 

98.  With  muto  and  a  direct  object  the  ablative  is  used  to  denote 
both  that  which  is  given  and  that  which  is  received  in  exchange ; 
the  context  alone  shows  the  relation  :   i,  17,  i  f.  Lucretilem  mufat 
Lycaeo,  'exchanges  Lycaeus  for  Lucretilis.'     The  opposite  i,  16, 
25  f.  ego  mitibus  mutare  quaero  tristia,  '  I  seek  to  substitute  kind 
feelings  for  bitterness.' 

'TRANSFERRED'  ADJECTIVES 

99.  An  adjective  which  naturally  expresses  some  quality  of  a 
person  or  thing  is  sometimes  transferred  to  an  object  or  action 
which  is  associated  with  that  person  or  thing:   i,  3,  38 ff.  neque  \ 
per  nostrum  patimur  scelus  \  iracunda  loi>em  ponere  fulmina ; 
i,  15,  33  f.  iracunda  .  .  .  classis  Achillei. 

47 


§§  loo-ios]  INTRODUCTION 

THE  dijro  KOivov  CONSTRUCTION 

100.  Occasionally  a  word  is  so  placed  with  reference  lo  two 
other  words  that  it  may  grammatically  be  connected  with  either, 
while  logically  it  is  necessarily  so  connected:  2,  n,  nf.  quid 
aeternis  minorem  \  consiliis  animum  fatigas  ?  In  this  consiliis 
belongs  equally  to  minorem  and  to  fatigas. 

THE   VERB 

ioz.  A  singular  verb  is  frequently  used  with  two  or  more  sub- 
jects :  3,  1 6,  29  ff.  rivus  aquae  silvaque  .  .  .  segetis  certa  fides 
.  .  .  fallit. 

102.  The  future  indicative  is  occasionally  used  with  permissive 
or   hortatory    force :      i,    7,    i    laudabunt   alii  c  la  ram   Rfwdon, 
'others  may  praise,'   etc.;    i,    12,   57  ff.   te   minor  latttm    reget 
aequus  orbem,  etc.,  '  let  him  rule,'  etc. 

103.  The  perfect  is  used  like  the  Greek  gnomic  aorist,  to  ex- 
press'what  has  always  been  true  or  customary,  i.e.  a  general  truth 
or  customary  action  :     i,  28,  20  nullum  saera  caput  Proserpina 
fugit,  'cruel  Proserpina  never  passes  by  (i.e.  never  has,  and  there- 
fore, by  implication,  never  does  pass)  a  mortal.' 

PROHIBITIONS 

104.  Horace  occasionally  employs  the  archaic  form  of  prohi- 
bition, consisting  of  the  imperative  with  ne :    i,  28,  23  ne  farce 
harenae,  '  spare  not  the  sand.' 

Occasionally  a  circumlocution  is  employed  :  i,  9,  \$fuge  qitae- 
rere,  '  avoid  asking ' ;  i,  38,  3  mitte  sectari,  '  give  up  hunting." 

INFINITIVE 

105.  The  'historical'  infinitive  is  found  but  once  in  the  Epodes, 
not  in  the  Odes :    Epod.  5,  84  piter  iam  non  .  .  .  lenire  verbis 

S) '  the  boy  no  longer  tries  to  move  the  wretches  by  words.1 
48 


SYNTAX  [§§  106-1 10 

106.  The  '  exclamatory '  infinitive  is  found  but  twice  in   the 
Epodes,  not  in  the  Odes :  Epod.  8,  i  rogare  fe,  etc.,  '  the  idea  of 
your  asking  ! '    1 1,  1 1  f.  contrane  lucnim  nil  valere  candidum  \  pan- 
peris  ingenium  ?   '  to  think  that  against  mere  gold  the  purity  of  a 
poor  man's  character  has  no  power  ! ' 

107.  The  infinitive  of  purpose  is  found  occasionally  :    i,  2,  7  f. 
pec  us  egit  altos  \  visere  montis,  '  he  drove  the  flock  to  visit  the  high 
mountains';    i,  12,  2  quern  sumis  celebrare ?   'whom  dost  thou 
take  to  celebrate  in  song?  '    i,  26,  i  ff.  tristitiam  et  mctus  \  tmdam 
protervis  in  mare  Creticum  \  portare  ventis,  '  gloom  and  fear  will  I 
give  to  the  bold  winds  to  carry  to  the  Cretan  sea' ;  Epod.  16,  16 
malis  carere  quacriiis  laboribus,  '  you  seek  to  escape,'  etc. 

108.  The  infinitive  is  used  with  a  large  variety  of  adjectives  to 
complete  their  meaning:    i,  3,   25    audax  omnia  perpcti,  'with 
courage  to  endure  all';    i,  10,  7  callidnm  .  .  .  condere,  'skilled 
to  hide';    i,  15,   18  celerem  sequi,  'swift  in  pursuit';    i,  35,  2 
praesens  .  .  .  tollerc,    'with  power  to  raise';    3,  21,  22  segues 
nod  it  in  sotvere,  'slow  to  undo  the  knot';   4,  12,  19  spes  donare 
novas  largus,  '  generous  in  giving  new  hope  ' ;  etc. 

109.  The  passive  infinitive  is  also  used  as  a  verbal  noun  in  the 
ablative:    i,   19,  8  lubricus  adspici,  •'  dazzling ;'    4,  2,  59  niveus 
videri,  'white  in  appearance.' 

THE   PARTICIPLE 

no.  The  future  active  participle  is  often  used  to  express  pur- 
pose, readiness  or  ability,  and  prophecy,  being  equivalent  to  a 
clause:  i,  35,  29  iturum  Caesarem,  'Caesar,  who  proposes  to 
go';  2,  6,  i  Septimi,  Gadis  aditure  mecum,  '  Septimius,  thou  who 
art  ready,'  etc. ;  4,  3,  20  O  mutis  quoque  piscibits  donatura  cycni 
.  .  .  sonum,  '  O  thou  who  couldst  give,'  etc. ;  2,  3,  4  moriture 
Delli,  '  Dellius,  who  art  doomed  to  die.' 


HOR.  CAR.  —  4  49 


THE  VALLEYS  OF  THE 
ANIO  AND  THE  DIGENTIA 

SCALE  Or  MILES 


50 


HORATI    CARMINA 

LIBER    PRIMVS 

I 

This  ode  forms  the  prologue  to  the  three  books  of  lyrics  published 
by  Horace  in  23  B.C.  After  the  first  two  lines  addressed  to  Maecenas, 
which  virtually  dedicate  the  whole  collection  to  him,  Horace  rehearses 
the  various  interests  of  men,  that  at  the  end  he  may  present  his  own 
ambition.  '  Some  men  seek  fame  in  athletic  games  or  in  politics  (3-8), 
others  have  lower  aims — riches,  ease,  war,  or  hunting  (9-28)  ;  but  as 
for  me,  I  have  the  loftiest  aim  of  all,  Maecenas  —  to  wear  the  ivy  wreath 
and  be  the  Muse's  dear  companion  (29-34).'  The  ode  was  clearly 
written  after  the  collection  was  fairly  complete ;  that  is,  not  long  before 
the  actual  publication.  Metre,  53. 

Maecenas  atavis  edite  regibus, 

o  et  praesidium  et  dulce  decus  meum  : 

i.   Maecenas:     for    Maecenas'  and  note ;  3,  29, 1  Tyrrhena  regum 

position   at    Rome   and   Horace's  progenies;  S.  i,  6,  iff. ;  Prop.  4, 

relations   with    him,   see    Intr.   5.  9,  i   Maecenas,  eqnes  EXrusco  de 

—  atavis:  ancestors,  in  a  general  sanguine  regum.      This  habit   is 
sense,  in  apposition  with  regibus.  referred  to  by  Martial  12,  4,  i  f. 

—  edite   regibus :    Maecenas    was  quod  Flacco   Varioque  fuit   sum- 
descended  from  an   ancient   line  moque  Maroni  \  Maecenas  atavis 
of  princes  of  the  Etruscan  city  of  regibus  ortus  eques. 

Arretium.      Horace  and  his  con-  2.  o  et :    monosyllabic  interjec- 

ternporaries    emphasize   the   con-  tions  are    ordinarily   not    elided, 

trast  between  their  patron's  noble  Intr.  42. — praesidium  .  .  .  decus: 

birth  and  the  equestrian  rank  he  not  merely  a  formal  compliment, 

preferred  to  keep  at  Rome.      Cf.  for  there  is  a  warmth  in  the  second 

3,  1 6,  20  Maecenas,  equitum  decus  half  of  the  expression  that  is  com- 

51 


HORATI 


Sunt  quos  curriculo  pulverem  Olympicum 
collegisse  iuvat  metaque  fervidis 
evitata  rotis,  palmaque  nobilis 
terrarum  dominos  evehit  ad  deos ; 
hunc,  si  mobilium  turba  Quiritium 


parable  to  the  feeling  expressed  in 
Kpod.  \.  Cf.  the  more  formal 
phrase  2,  17,  3f.  Maecenas,  mea- 
rnm  \  grande  decus  coluinenqiie 
rernin ;  also  Epist.  i ,  i ,  1 03  rerutn 
tittela  mearnm.  Vergil  makes  a 
similar  acknowledgment  of  his 
obligation,  G.  2,  40  f.  o  decus, 
o  famae  merito  pars  maxuma 
nostrae,  \  Maecenas.  Horace's 
phrase  proved  a  striking  one  and 
is  frequently  adopted  by  later 
writers. 

3  ff.  Note  how  Horace  secures 
variety  in  the  expressions  by  which 
he  designates  the  various  classes  : 
sunt  quos.  hunc,  ilium,  etc.  He 
has  also  arranged  his  typical  ex- 
amples with  care,  contrasting  one 
aim  in  life  with  the  other,  and  in 
each  case  bringing  out  the  point 
which  would  be  criticised  by  one 
not  interested  in  that  particular 
pursuit. 

—  sunt  quos  .  .  .  iuvat :  equiva- 
lent to  aliquos  iuvat.  Cf.  v.  19  est 
qui.  The  indicative  with  this 
phrase  defines  the  class,  rather 
than  gives  its  characteristics.  — 
curriculo  :  from  curricnhis,  chariot. 

Olympicum :  i.e.  at  the  great 
games  held  every  four  years  at 
Olympia  in  Elis.  Yet  Horace 
probably  uses  the  adjective  simply 


to  make  his  statement  concrete. 
Cf.  note  to  v.  13.  He  is  speaking 
here  of  athletic  contests  in  general. 

4.  collegisse :    to  have  raised 
in  a  cloud.     Cf.  S.   i,  4,  31  pul- 
•vis  collectus  turbine.  —  meta :  the 
turning  post   at   the  end  of  the 
spina.  which  was  the  barrier  that 
ran  through  the  middle  of  the  cir- 
cus, and  roui.d  which  the  horses 
raced.     See  Schreiber-Anderson's 
Atlas,  pi.  31,  i  and  2.  for  illustra- 
tions of  the  race  course. 

5.  evitata  :  just  grazed.     The 
skill  of  the  charioteer  was  shown  in 
making  as  close  a  turn  as  possible 
about  the  meta  without  meeting 
disaster.  —  palmaque;    equivalent 
to    quosque   palma.      The   palm, 
which  was    the   regular  prize  for 
the  Olympic  victor  from  the  time 
of  Alexander,  was  adopted  by  the 
Romans  about  293  B.C.     Livy  10, 
47,  3  translate)  e   Graecia   more. 
—  nobilis:    with  active    meaning, 
modifying  palma.  the  ennobling. 

6.  dominos  :  in  apposition  with 
deos.     The  victory  exalts  the  vic- 
tors to  heaven,  where  dwell  the 
rulers  of  the  world.     Cf.  4,  2.  17  f. 
quos  Elea  doiniim  reducit  \  palma 
caelestis. 

yff.  Political  ambition.  —  hunc: 
so.  iuvat. — mobilium:  fickle;  cf. 


CAKMINA 


[',  ', 


IO 


certat  tergeminis  tollere  honoribus  ; 
ilium,  si  proprio  condidit  horreo 
quicquid  de  Libycis  verritur  areis. 
Gaudentem  patrios  findere  sarculo 
agros  Attalicis  Condicionibus 
numquam  demoveas,  ut  trabe  Cypria 
Myrtoum  pavidus  nauta  secet  mare; 


Epist.  i,  19,  37  ventosa  plebs.— 
tergeminis :  the  three  necessary 
steps  in  the  republican  cursus 
honor  urn,  the  curule  aedileship, 
praetorship,  and  consulship. 

gf.  proprio:  with  quicquid,  re- 
ferring to  the  avarice  which  is 
frequently  connected  with  great 
wealth.  For  the  expression,  cf. 
3,  1 6,  26  f.  si  quicquid  arat  im- 
piger  Apulus  \  occultare  meis  di- 
cerer  horreis.  —  Libycis :  Africa, 
especially  the  fertile  district  of 
Byzadum  about  Utica  and  Ha- 
drumetum,  was  at  this  time  the 
granary  of  Rome ;  later,  Egypt 
became  the  most  important  source 
of  supply. 

i  iff.  A  modest  establishment, 
in  contrast  to  a  great  estate  in 
Africa. — patrios :  in  this  word  there 
is  a  suggestion  of  contentment  and 
calm  security,  as  in  Epod.  2.  3  pa- 
terna  rura.  This  security  is  again 
contrasted  with  the  vicissitudes 
and  perils  of  the  sailor.  —  sarculo: 
a  hoe  used  for  stirring  and  loosen- 
ing the  soil.  It  suggests  the  small 
farm  that  Horace  has  in  mind,  too 
small  to  make  it  worth  while  to 
use  a  plow.  —  Attalicis  condicion- 
ibus :  with  the  terms  a  prince  could 


offer;  regiis  opibus,  says  Porphy- 
rio.  The  Attali,  kings  of  Perga- 
mon,  were  famous  for  their  wealth. 
In  133  B.C.  King  Attalus  III,  at  his 
death,  bequeathed  his  kingdom, 
with  his  treasures,  to  the  Romans. 
This  lent  to  his  name  the  glamour 
of  wealth  which  we  associate  with 
the  name  of  Croesus. 

13.  demoveas:    potential  subj., 
— you  could  never  allure.  —  trabe : 
bark.     The  part   is  used  for  the 
whole.      Cf.  Verg.  A.  3,  191  vela 
damns  vastumque  cava  trabe  cur- 
rinms  aequor ;  Catull.  4,  3  natantis 
impetum   trabis.  —  Cypria :    Hor- 
ace regularly  employs  a  particular 
rather  than  a   general    adjective, 
thereby    making    his    expressions 
more   concrete   and    his    pictures 
more  vivid  —  a  device  learned  from 
the  Alexandrine  poets.    So  we  have 
in  the   following  verse   Myrtoum. 
15  Icariis.   19  Massici,  28  Marsus  ; 
and  often. 

14.  pavidus :  especially  applica- 
ble to  the  landsman  turned  sailor. 
—  secet  mare:    a  common   figure 
from    Homer's   day.      Cf.    Od.   3, 
I73ff.  UVTU/J  o  y    Tf/juv  |  Setfe,  KUI 
r/i'ojyci  TreAuyos 

TffJLVUV. 


53 


'.  i.  '5] 


HORATI 


15  luctantem  Icariis  fluctibus  Africum 

mercator  metuens  otium  et  oppidi 
laudat  rura  sui :  mox  reficit  ratis 
quassas,  indocilis  pauperiem  pati. 
Est  qui  nee  veteris  pocula  Massici 

20    •          nee  partem  solido  demere  de  die 

spernit,  nunc  viridi  membra  sub  arbuto 
stratus,  nunc  ad  aquae  lene  caput  sacrae. 
Multos.castra  iuvant  et  lituo  tubae 
permixtus  sonitus  bellaque  matribus 

25  detestata.     Manet  sub  love  frigido 


15  ff.  Against  the  struggles  of 
the  sea,  the  trader  sets  the  peaceful 
quiet  of  his  native  country  town;  yet 
it  has  this  roseate  hue  for  him  only 
when  he  is  in  the  midst  of  danger. 

16  f .  oppidi  rura:  'the  country 
districts  surrounding  the  village  in 
which   he  was  born.1  —  mox:    his 
fear  quickly  passes,  and  he  returns 
to  his  old  pursuit  of  money  getting. 

18.  pauperiem:  a  life  of  small 
estate;  not  to  be  confused  with 
cgestas  or  inopia.  Cf.  I,  12,  43  f. 
saeva  paupertas  et  avitus  apto  \ 
cum  lore  fundus,  also  Sen.  Epist. 
87, 40  non  video  quidaliud  sit  pau- 
pertas quam  parvi  possessio.  — 
pati:  with  indocilis.  Intr.  108. 

igff.  Between  the  merchant  (15- 
18)  and  the  soldier  (23-25)  is  in- 
serted an  example  of  the  man  who 
gives  himself  over  to  a  life  of  ease 
and  enjoyment,  to  cups  of  good 
old  wine  and  the  noonday  siesta. 
—  Massici:  a  choice  wine  from  Mt. 
Massicus,  on  the  southern  border 


of  Latium.  —  solido  .  .  .  die:  unin- 
terrupted, unbroken ;  t'.e.  for  such 
strenuous  men  as  the  merchant  or 
the  soldier,  who  give  their  days  to 
trade  or  arms.  Cf.  Sen.  Epist.  83, 
3  hodiernus  dies  solidus  est :  nemo 
ex  illo  quicquam  mihi  eripuit. 

21 1.  stratus:  a  middle  parti- 
ciple,—  stretching  his  limbs,  etc. 
Intr.  84.  —  sacrae:  for  the  foun- 
tain heads  of  streams  were  the 
homes  of  the  water  divinities.  Cf. 
Sen.  Epist.  41, 3,  magnorum  flunti- 
num  capita  veneramur,  .  .  .  colun- 
tur  aquarum  calentium  fontes. 

24 ff.  matribus:  dat.  with  detes- 
tata; abhorred.  Cf.  Epod.  16,  8 
parentibusque  abominatus  Hanni- 
bal. —  manet :  equivalent  to  per- 
noctat.  —  sub  love  :  under  the  skv. 
Jupiter  is  often  used  by  the  poets 
for  the  phenomena  of  the  sky.  Cf. 
Enn.  Epich.  Frg.  6  M.  fstic  est  is 
/I'ipiter  qtiein  die/  ;  quern  Graft  i 
-,'ocant  |  derem,  qui  irfntus  est  et 
nubes,  imbcr  p6stea  \  dtqueeximbre 


54 


CARMINA 


IX  i,  36 


3° 


35 


venator  tenerae  coniugis  immemor, 
seu  visa  est  catulis  cerva  fidelibus, 
seu  rupit  teretis  Marsus  aper  plagas. 
Me  doctarum  hederae  praemia  frontium 
dis  miscent  superis ;  me  gelidum  nemus 
Nympharumque  leves  cum  Satyris  chori 
secernunt  populo,  si  neque  tibias        | 
Euterpe  cohibet  nee  Polyhymnia 
Lesboum  refugit  tendere  barbiton. 
Quod  si  me  lyricis  vatibus  inseres, 
sublimi  feriam  sidera  vertice. 


frigus,  ventus  pdst  fit,  aer  denuo. 
— tenerae:  young. 

28.  teretis:  stout,  close  twisted. 

29.  me:  note  the  emphatic  po- 
sition of  this  word  here  and  in  the 
following  verse.    Against  the  back- 
ground of  other  men's  aims,  Horace 
now  places  his  own  ambition. — 
doctarum . . .  frontium :  i.e.  of  poets, 
the   (To<f>ol   detSoi,    taught   by  the 
Muses.  —  hederae :    sacred  to  Bac- 
chus, on  whose  protection  and  favor 
the  poets  depend.   Cf.  Epist.  \ ,  3, 25 
prima  feres  hederae  victricis  prae- 
mia, and  Verg.  E.  7,  25  pastores, 
hedera  nascentem  ornate  poetam. 

30.  miscent:  make  me  one  with. 
Cf.  Find.  Isth.  2,  28  f.  ' 

A 10?  |  aAcros  •    Iv    aOavdrois 
criSa/AOu  |  TrcuSes  ev  Ti/u,ats 

32  f .  secernunt :  set  apart.  The 
poet  must  rise  superior  to  common 
folk  and  common  things  to  fulfill 
his  sacred  office.  —  Euterpe  .  .  . 
Polyhymnia  :  Horace  follows  the 
Greeks  of  the  classical  period  in  not 


ascribing  to  each  muse  a  special  de- 
partment of  literature  or  learning. 

34.  Lesboum:  Lesbos  was  the 
home  of  Alcaeus  and  Sappho,  Hor- 
ace's chief  models  among  the  ear- 
lier Greek  lyricists. 

35  f .  vatibus :  applied  to  poets 
as  inspired  bards.  Horace  may 
mean  specifically  the  nine  great 
lyric  poets  of  Greece,  vates  was 
the  earliest  word  for  poet  among  the 
Romans,  but  was  displaced  by  the 
Greek  poeta  until  the  Augustan 
period.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  662  quique 
pit  vates  et  Phoebo  digna  locuti. 
— sublimi  feriam,  etc.:  a  prover- 
bial expression  from  the  Greek  rfj 
K£<£aAj7  leaven/  TOV  ovpavov.  Cf. 
Ovid  Met.  7.  61  vertice  sidera  tan- 
gam,  and  Ausonius'  imitation  of 
Horace,  3. 5. 52  P.  tune  tangam  ver- 
tice caelnm.  Also  Herrick's  'knock 
at  a  star  with  my  exalted  head,'  and 
Tennyson's  lines.  Epilogue,  'Old 
Horace  ?  "  I  will  strike,"  said  he, 
I  "The  stars  with  head  sublime.'" 


55 


i,  2]  HORATI 


'We  have  been  terrified  enough  with  snow  and  hail,  with  lightning 
and  with  flood,  portents  that  show  Heaven's  wrath  and  threaten  ruin 
to  our  impious  state.  What  god  will  come  and  save  us?  Apollo? 
Venus?  Mars?  or  Mercury?  Aye,  thou  art  already  here.  Remain 
long  among  us,  enjoy  triumphs,  the  name  of  father  and  of  chief:  check 
and  punish  the  Medes,  divine  leader  Caesar.1 

While  the  first  ode  of  the  collection  dedicates  the  poems  to  Maece- 
nas, the  second  is  a  declaration  of  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  emperor. 
The  first  six  strophes  review  the  portents  that  followed  on  the  murder 
of  Julius  Caesar.  Cf.  Porphyrio's  comment  on  the  opening  words,  — 
post  occisum  C.  Caesarem,  quern  Cassias  et  Brutus  aliique  coniurati 
inter fecer  tint,  miilta  portenta  sitnt  visa.  Haec  autem  omnia  vult  irideri 
in  ultionetn  occisi  principis  facta  et  poenam  eorum,  qiii  bella  civilia 
agere  non  desinebant.  With  v.  25  Horace  turns  from  the  sins  of  the 
Romans  to  the  means  of  help.  The  following  three  strophes  call  on 
Apollo,  Venus,  and  Mars  in  turn  to  save  their  people.  Finally,  v.  41  ff., 
Horace  appeals  to  Mercury,  who  has  taken  on  an  earthly  form,  that  of 
the  emperor.  The  ode  culminates  with  v.  49  ff.,  the  direct  appeal  to 
Octavian ;  but  the  identification  of  Octavian  with  Mercury  is  not  fully 
announced  until  the  last  word  of  the  ode. 

The  choice  of  the  gods  invoked  was  undoubtedly  determined  by  the 
subject  of  the  ode.  Apollo  was  the  patron  divinity  of  the  Julian  gens  ; 
his  first  and  only  temple  at  Rome  to  the  time  of  the  one  built  by  Augus- 
tus was  dedicated  in  431  B.C.,  by  Cn.  Julius  ( Livy  4, 29)  ;  the  members  of 
the  gens  sacrificed  to  him  at  Bovillae,  according  to  an  ancient  rite,  lege 
Albana  (C.I.L.  I,  807),  and  Octavian  believed  that  the  god  had  espe- 
cially favored  him  at  the  buttle  of  Actium.  Cf.  Prop.  5,  6,  27  ff.,  cum 
Phoebus  linquens  stantem  se  vindice  Delon  \  .  .  .  adstitit  August  i  pup- 
piin  super  et  nova  flamina  \  luxit  in  obliqnain  ter  sinuato  facetn.  Verg. 
A.  8,  704,  Actius  haec  cernens  arcum  intendebat  Apollo.  Venus,  mater 
Aeneadum.  as  genetrix  was  the  especial  protectress  of  Julius  Caesar. 
Augustus  is  himself  called  (C.  S.  50),  darns  Ancliisae  Venerisqite 
sangnis.  Mars  is  naturally  appealed  to  as  the  father  of  Romulus'  people. 
The  final  identification  of  the  emperor  is  especially  interesting,  for  it 
bears  on  the  social  and  economic  relations  of  the  times.  Under  Octavian, 
with  the  restoration  of  peace,  trade  improved  and  prosperity  returned, 
so  that  nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  to  regard  the  man  who 
was  bringing  this  about  as  the  incarnation  of  the  god  of  trade. 

The  Pompeian  dedicatory  inscriptions  quoted  by  Kiessling  admirably 

56 


CARMINA  [i,  2,  6 

illustrate  the  growth  of  this  identification,  at  least  in  the  Campanian 
city.  In  three  of  these  records  (C.I.L.  10,  885-887),  Jie  first  two  of 
which  can  be  dated  14  B.r.,  the  persons  attached  lo  the  cult  of  Mer- 
cury are  called  tninistri  Mercitrii  Maiae ;  then  no.  888,  of  uncertain 
date,  has  ministri  Aiigitsti  Mercnri  Maine',  and  finally  nos.  890- 
910.  beginning  with  2  B.C.,  have  only  ministri  Aiignsli.  Later,  the 
conception  of  Augustus  as  identical  with  Apollo  prevailed. 

The  date  of  composition  falls  between  the  return  of  Octavian  from 
the  East  in  29  B.C.  (cf.  v.  49,  inagnos — trimnphos)  and  Jan.  I3th,  27  B  C., 
when  his  imperium  was  renewed,  and  he  received  the  new  title,  Augus- 
tus. The  most  probable  date  is  late  in  28  B.C.,  when  Octavian's 
suggestion  of  giving  up  his  power  (Dio  C.  53,  4,  9)  may  well  have 
awakened  fears  of  the  return  of  civil  strife.  Metre,  60,. 

lam  satis  terris  nivis  atque  dirae 
grandinis  misit  pater,  et  rubente 
dextera  sacras  iaculatus  arcis 
terruit  urbem, 

5  terruit  gentis,  grave  ne  rediret 

saeculum  Pyrrhae  nova  monstra  questae, 

i  ft.  the  repetition  of  -is  is  strik-  3.  iaculatus  :  transitive,  strik- 
ing and  may  suggest  the  hiss  of  the  ing  at.  —  arcis  :  specifically  the 
storm.  Cf.  //.  21,  239,  KpuTTTtovev  two  heights  of  the  Capitoline  hill, 
Sivrpri  fta6eLr)(nv  /icyaAr/o'i.  Snow  on  the  northern  one  of  which  was 
and  hail  are  not  unknown  at  Rome  the  arx  proper,  on  the  southern 
in  winter,  but  an  especially  severe  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus; 
storm  might  well  pass  for  a  portent.  hence  sacras.  However,  Horace 

—  dirae:    portentous,    with    both  may  mean  in  general  the  summits 
nivis  and  grandinis,  marking  them  of  Rome's  seven  hills.     Cf.  Verg. 
as  prodigia.     The  word  is  espe-  G.  2,  535  septemqiteunasibimuro 
dally  used  of  things  of  bad  omen.  circumdedit  arces. 

—  pater :  used  absolutely,  the  all-  4  f .    terruit  .  .  .  terruit :    note 
father.     Cf.  3,  29,  43  ff.  eras  vel  -the  anaphora  by  which  the  sen- 
atra  \  nnbe  polnm  pater  occnpato  tences  are  connected.      Cf.  2,  4, 
j  vel   sole   puro.  —  rubente    dex-  3  ff.  serva  Briseis  niveo  color  e  \ 
tera :    his   red    right    hand;    i.e.  movit  Achillem ;  \  movit  Aiacem. 
glowing    with     the     thunderbolt.  Intr.  29.  —  gentis:  mankind. 

Cf.  Find.  O.  9,  6  AMI  .  .   .  <f>oivi-  6.  saeculum  Pyrrhae :    i.e.  the 

deluge   from   which    Pyrrha   with 

57 


i.  2»  7] 


HORATI 


omne  cum  Proteus  pecus  egit  altos 
visere  mentis, 

piscium  et  summa  genus  haesit  ulmo, 
10  nota  quae  sedes  fuerat  columbis, 

et  superiecto  pavidae  natarunt 
aequore  dammae. 

Vidimus  flavum  Tiberim  retortis 
litore  Etrusco  violenter  undis 


her  husband  Deucalion  alone  es- 
caped to  repeople  the  earth.  For 
the  story  see  Ovid  Met.  I,  260  ff.  — 
nova  :  new,  and  therefore  strange. 

7.  omne:  of  every  sort.  —  Pro- 
teus :    the  shepherd   of   the    sea 
who  tends  Neptune's  flocks.     Cf. 
Verg.  G.  4,  395  artnenta  et  turpis 
pascit  sub  gurgite  phocas. 

8.  visere:  infinitive  of  purpose. 
-Intr.  107.    Cf.  I,  26,  I  ff.  tristitiam 
et  metus  \  tradam  protervis   in 
mare  Creticum  \  port  are  ventis. 

9.  summa  ulmo  :  cf.  Ovid  Met. 
I,  2<)6Azc  summa  piscem  deprendit 
in  ulmo.      The  description   may 
have   been  suggested    by  Archi- 
lochus  Frg.    74,   6  ff.   /x^Sei?   Iff1 
vfjuav    ticropuiv    ftttyxa^eVw,   |   ^778' 
orav  8cA<£uTt  6f)pt<; 

vop.6v  |  evaXiov  /cat 


yevrrrtu,  '  No  one  among  you 
should  ever  be  surprised  at  what 
he  sees,  not  even  when  the  wild 
beasts  take  from  the  dolphins  a 
home  in  the  sea  and  the  echoing 
waves  of  the  deep  become  clearer 
to  them  than  the  firm  mainland/ 


ii  f.  superiecto:  sc.  t err  is;  the 

whelming  flood . 

13  f.  vidimus :  i.e.  with  our 
own  eyes,  in  the  period  between 
Caesar's  murder  and  the  date  of 
writing.  —  flavum  :  the  fixed  epi- 
thet of  the  Tiber.  Cf.  I,  8,  8 
cur  timet  flavum  Tiberim  tangere, 
and  2,  3,  18  villaque,  flavtis  quam 
Tiber  is  lavit ;  also  Verg.  A.  7,  31 
multa  flavus  arena.  It  has  been 
adopted  by  the  modern  poets.— 
retortis  .  .  .  undis :  a  glance  at 
the  map  of  Rome  will  show  that 
the  bend  in  the  river  above  the 
island  would  naturally  throw  the 
Tiber's  stream,  in  time  of  flood, 
over  the  Velabrum  between  the 
Capitol  and  Palatine,  and  thence 
into  the  Forum  proper.  —  litore: 
abl.  of  separation,  litus  is  fre- 
quently equivalent  to  ripa ;  e.g. 
Virg.  A.  8,  83  viridique  in  litore 
conspicitur  sits.  The  popular  be- 
lief, however,  seems  to  have  been, 
that  such  floods  were  caused  by 
waves  or  tides  driving  back  the 
waters  of  the  river.  Cf.  Ovid 
Fast.  6,  401  f.  hoc,  ubi  nunc  fora 


CARMINA 


[I,  2,  2C 


ire  deiectum  monumenta  regis 
templaque  Vestae, 


Iliae  dum  se  nimium  querenti 
iactat  ultorem,  vagus  et  sinistra 
labitur  ripa  love  non  probante  u- 
xorius  amnis. 


sunt,  udae  tenuere  pahides,  \  a  nine 
redundatis  fossa  madebat  aquis. 

15  f.  deiectum:  supine  of  pur- 
pose. —  monumenta  regis  :  the  Re- 
gia,  the  official  residence  of  the 
pontifex  maximus,  built  according 
to  tradition  by  Numa.  Cf.  Ovid 
Fasti  6,  263  f.  hie  locus  exiguus, 
qui  siistinet  atria  Vestae,  \  tune 
erat  intonsi  regia  magna  Numae, 
and  Plut.  Numa  14,  fbtifjuiro 
irXrjviov  TOV  TT/S  'Eortas  tcpov  rrjv 
Ka\ovfj.evr)v  Prryiav.  —  templaque 
Vestae:  at  the  foot  of  the  Pala- 
tine. For  an  account  of  the  tem- 
ple and  of  the  house  of  the  Vestal 
Virgins,  the  atrium  Vestae,  see 
Lanciani,  '  Ancient  Rome  in  the 
Light  of  Recent  Discoveries,'  p. 
134  ff.  The  foundations  of  this 
temple  are  only  twenty-six  feet 
above  the  mean  level  of  the  Tiber. 
That  the  ancient  accounts  of  the 
flooding  of  the  Forum  are  not  ex- 
aggerated was  shown  by  the  flood 
of  December,  1900,  which  rose 
quite  as  high  as  the  one  Horace 
describes.  There  is  an  especial 
significance  in  the  mention  of  the 
Regia  and  the  temple  of  Vesta,  for 
they  were  both  connected  with  the 
most  ancient  and  sacred  traditions 


of  the  Romans.  Within  the  temple 
of  Vesta  were  the  pignora  imperil 
on  whose  preservation,  it  was  be- 
lieved, the  Roman  empire's  exist- 
ence depended.  With  the  plurals 
monumenta  and  templa,  cf.  3,  27, 
75  tita  nomina  for  nomen. 

17.  Iliae:  the  mother  of  the 
twins  Romulus  and  Remus.  Hor- 
ace here,  as  in  3,  3,  32,  according 
to  Porphyrio,  follows  the  older 
tradition  represented  by  Ennius. 
This  made  Ilia  the  daughter  of 
Aeneas  and  sister  of  lulus,  from 
whom  the  Julii  derived  their  line. 
After  the  birth  of  the  twins  she 
was  thrown  into  the  Tiber  in  pun- 
ishment for  her  infidelity  to  her 
Vestal  vows,  but  was  saved  by  the 
river  god  and  became  his  wife.  — 
nimium :  with  ultorem ;  the  river 
is  over  eager  to  avenge  his  bride's 
complaints.  Cf.  uxorius,  below. 

19  f .  ripa  :  ablative  denoting 
the  route  taken,  over  the  bank. 
But  cf.  Epod.  2,  25  ripis,  between 
the  banks.  —  u||xorius  :  Intr.  69. 
Horace  here  follows  the  example 
of  Sappho,  who  frequently  treated 
the  third  and  fourth  verses  of  this 
strophe  as  one,  e.g.  Frg.  2,  3f. 
aSv  (JMavtv  ||  <ras  ircm/covei ;  1 1  f . 


59 


»f  2,  21] 


HORAT1 


Audiet  civis  acuisse  ferrum, 
quo  graves  Persae  melius  perirent, 
audiet  pugnas  vitio  parentum 
rara  iuventus. 

Quern  vocet  divum  populus  ruentis 
imperi  rebus  ?     Prece  qua  fatigent 
virgines  sanctae  minus  audientem 
carmina  Vestam  ? 


/?«<ri  8'  O.KOVO.I.  Other 
examples  in  Horace  are  I,  25,  il 
inter  ||  Itinta;  2,  16,  7  ve  ||  nale. 
In  the  third  and  fourth  books 
this  is  avoided.  For  the  careful 
arrangement  of  the  words  in  18-20, 
see  Intr.  21. 

21-24.  Civil  strife  with  its  dis- 
astrous results  :  '  the  second  gen- 
eration will  hear  with  wonder  the 
story  of  their  fathers1  wanton 
wickedness.11  Notice  that  the 
strophe  forms  a  single  group  of 
words  that  must  be  understood 
as  a  whole.  Intr.  24.  By  the 
suspension  of  the  subject  of  the 
principal  verbs  until  the  end, 
Horace  produces  a  highly  dramatic 
effect. 

—  civis :  in  the  sense  of  fellow 
citizens,  '  that  citizens  sharpened 
sword  against  citizens.'  —  graves 
Persae :  the  troublesome  enemies 
of  the  Romans.  Crassus'  disaster 
at  Carrhae  was  still  unavenged, 
and  the  Roman  standards  had  not 
yet  been  returned.  —  perirent : 
imperfect  subj.  of  unfulfilled  obli- 
gation, ought  rut  her  to  have  per- 
ished. 


23  f .  vitio  parentum  rara  iu- 
ventus: the  civil  wars  of  48-31 
B.C.  cost  so  many  lives  that  Italy 
did  not  recover  its  population  for 
many  generations,  if  indeed  it 
ever  did.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  I,  507  f. 
squalent  abduct  is  arva  colon  is  \  et 
curvae  rigidum  falces  conflanlur 
in  ensam;  also  Lucan  7,  398!. 
crimen  civile  vidimus  \  tot  vacua* 
urbes,  and  535  ff.  A  modern 
parallel  is  the  depopulation  of 
France  by  the  Napoleonic  wars. 

25  ff.  Horace  now  turns  from 
the  portents  sent  by  the  gods,  out- 
raged at  the  nation's  crime,  to  seek 
for  some  divine  aid ;  for  against 
divine  wrath  human  resources  are 
of  no  avail.  —  ruentis  :  rushing  to 
ruin.  This  strong  word  is  a 
favorite  with  Horace.  Cf.  Epod. 
7,  I  quo,  quo  scelesti  r  nit  is  and  n. 
—  rebus :  dat.  with  vocet,  call  to 
aid.  —  fatigent :  importune. 

27.  minus  audientem :  a  eu- 
phemistic phrase.  Vesta  turns  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  supplicating  pray- 
ers (carmina)  of  the  Y'irgins,  for 
she  is  offended  at  the  murder  of 
Caesar,  the  pontifex  maximus,  who 


60 


CAKM1NA 


[i,  2,  40 


35 


40 


Cui  dabit  partis  scelus  expiandi 
luppiter?     Tandem  venias,  precamur, 
nube  candentis  umeros  amictus, 
augur  Apollo  ; 

sive  tu  mavis,  Erycina  ridens, 
quam  locus  circum  volat  et  Cupido; 
sive  neglectum  genus  et  nepotes 
respicis,  auctor, 

heu  nimis  longo  satiate  ludo, 
quern  iuvat  clamor  galeaeque  leves 
acer  et  Marsi  peditis  cruentum 
voltus  in  hostem; 


had  charge  of  her  worship.  Cf. 
Ovid  Fast.  3,  698  f.  tneus  fait 
tile  sacerdos.  \  sacrilegae  telis  me 
petiere  manus.  With  minus  inti- 
mating a  negative,  cf.  Epod.  5, 61  f. 
minus  \  venena  Medea  valent ; 
and  the  similar  use  of  male  i,  9, 
24  male  pertinaci. 

29.  partis  :  equivalent  to  munus, 
a  technical  word  corresponding  to 
our   '  part '  in  play,  '  role,1  etc.  — 
scelus :    the  sin  of  fratricide. 

30.  tandem  :     'since    prayers 
have   so   long  been  of  no  avail.1 
Cf.  neglectum  genus,  v.  35  below. 
— precamur  :  parenthetical :  venias 
is  grammatically  independent  of 
it. 

31  f.  nube  .  .  .  numeros  amic- 
tus: the  Homeric  ve<£e'A»7  ciAu- 
/Aepos  W/AOUS,  //.  5,  1 86;  for  the 
construction  of  a  middle  participle 
with  the  ace.,  cf.  i.  22  stratus. 
Intr.  84. — Apollo:  for  the  sig- 


61 


nificance  of  Apollo  here,  see  intro- 
ductory note  to  this  ode. 

33  f.  sive  tu  mavis :  sc.  ve- 
nias. —  Erycina  ridens  :  laughing 
(<£<Ao/x/A£t'<!>77?)  queen  of  Eryx. — 
locus :  Mirth,  the  Greek  KOJ/U.O?, 
with  Cupido  the  regular  companion 
of  Venus.  Cf.  Plaut.  Bacch.  113 
Amdr,  Volnptas,  Venus,  Venustas, 
Gaudium,  focus,  Ludus.  — circum  : 
postpositive.  Intr.  33. 

35  f.  neglectum:  cf.  n.  to  v.  30. 
—  auctor:  the  appeal  is  to  Mars  as 
the  author  of  the  Roman  race. 

37.  ludo : '  the  cruel  sport  of  war.1 
Cf.  2,  I,  3  litdumque  Fortunae. 

38  ff.  For  the  skillful  arrange- 
ment of  the  words,  see  Intr.  21, 
24. — clamor:  the  battle  shout. — 
leves:  smooth.  —  Marsi :  the  Marsi 
were  a  mountain  folk  living  in  cen- 
tral Italy,  east  of  Rome.  They  were 
noted  for  their  bravery.  Cf.  Verg. 
G.  2,  167  genus  acre  virum, 


1,2,41] 


HORATI 


45 


5° 


sive  mutata  iuvenem  figura 
ales  in  terris  imitaris  alrnae 
filius  Maiae,  patiens  vocari 
Caesaris  ultor, 

serus  in  caelum  redeas  diuque 
laetus  intersis  populo  Quirini, 
neve  te  nostris  vitiis  iniquum 
ocior  aura 

tollat;  hie  magnos  potius  triumphos, 
hie  ames  dici  pater  atque  princeps, 


Mar  sos.  Appian,  B.  C.  i,  46 
has  the  proverb  ovre  Kara  Ma/j- 
<ru)v  OUTC  avev  Mapawv 


41.  mutata   .    .    .   figura:    i.e. 
'putting  off  the  divine  for  a  hu- 
man figure.1  —  iuvenem  :  this  word 
gives   the  first   hint  of  the  point 
toward   which    Horace   has   been 
working,  that  is,  that  Octavian  is  a 
god  come  down  to  save  the  state. 

42.  imitaris*:   dost  take  on  the 
form  of. 

43  f.  vocari:  dependent  on  pa- 
tiens. Intr.  1  08.  —  Caesaris  ultor  : 
Octavian  declared  his  chief  object 
in  life  to  be  the  punishment  of 
Caesar's  murderers.  Suet.  Aug.  10 
nihil  convenient  ins  ducens  quani 
necem  avunculi  vindicare.  Mon. 
Anc.  1  ,  9  qui  parent  em  menin  in- 
terfecerunt*  eos  in  exilium  expuli 
iudiciis  legit  i  mis  nit  us  eoruin  f  aci- 
nus et  postea  bellum  inferentis  rei 
publicae  vici  bis  acie,  and  also  Ovid 
Fast.  3,  709  f.  hoc  opus,  haec  pietas, 


62 


haecprimaelenientafnerunt  \  Cae- 
saris, ulcisei  iusta  per  arina  pa- 
trem. 

45  f .  This  possibly  gained  es- 
pecial significance  from  Octavian's 
sickness  in  28  B.C.  Some  years 
later  Ovid  offered  a  similar  prayer, 
Met.  15,  868  ff.  tar  da  sit  ilia  dies 
et  nostro  serior  aevo,  \  qua  caput 
August  lint)  quern  temperat,  orbe 
relicto  \  accedat  caelo. 

47.  vitiis:  modifying  iniquum. 

49.  triumphos:     i.e.    new    and 
greater  triumphs  than   the   three 
celebrated  in  29  B.C.      Cf.  Suet. 
Aug.  22  triumphos  tris  egit,  Del- 
maticum,    Actiacum,    Alexandri- 
nutn,  continuo  triduo  omnes.     A 
triumph  over  the  troublesome  Ori- 
entals  (v.   51)   was  at  this  time 
especially  desired. 

50.  pater  atque  princeps:    not 
official  designations,  but  titles  of 
reverence  and  loyalty,  —  pater  as 
divine  protector,  cf.  i,  18,  6  Kacche 
pater;  princeps  as  the  first  citizen. 


CARMINA  [i,  3 

neu  sinas  Medos  equitare  inultos 
te  duce,  Caesar. 

Augustus  was  officially  named  pa-  52.  The  last  line  contains  the 

ter  patriae  in  2  B.  c.  climax  of  the  ode.     It  is  Caesar  who 

51.  Medos:    the   Orientals   are  divinely  leads  and  protects  the  state. 

Persae  (v.  22).  Medi,  or  Parthi  in-  With  the  position  of  the  last  two 

differently  in   Horace. — equitare:  words  cf.  4,6,  43  f.  reddidi carmen 

ride  on  their  raids.  docilis  modorum  \  vatis  Horati. 


A  propempticon,  or  farewell  poem,  to  Vergil.  '  Ship  that  bearest  Ver- 
gil to  Greece,  deliver  him  safe,  I  pray.  ( i  -8. )  That  mortal  was  overbold 
who  first  dared  tempt  the  sea  (9-24) ;  of  old  man  stole  fire  from  Heaven 
and  by  that  act  brought  on  himself  disease  and  early  death  (25-33)  ; 
he  essays  the  air  itself  and  does  not  shrink  to  pass  the  very  bars  of 
Acheron  (34-36).  Nothing  is  safe  from  him;  through  pride  and  sin 
he  still  calls  down  the  wrath  of  Jove.'  Cf.  with  this  the  ill-natured 
propempticon  to  Mevius,  Epod.  10. 

Vergil's  only  voyage  to  Greece,  so  far  as  we  know,  was  in  19  B.C., 
four  years  after  the  first  three  books  of  the  Odes  were  published. 
Therefore  we  must  believe  that  a  visit  to  Athens  was  at  least  planned 
by  him  before  23  B.C.  or  that  Horace  is  here  addressing  another 
Vergil  than  the  poet.  The  second  alternative  can  be  rejected. 
No  other  Vergil  could  have  been  ciJled  by  Horace  animae  ditnidium 
meae.  without  receiving  mention  elsewhere,  save  possibly  4,  12,  13. 
For  Horace's  relation  to  Vergil,  see  Intr.  5 ;  Sellar's  Virgil,  pp. 
120-126. 

It. is  remarkable  that  after  the  first  eight  verses  which  contain  the 
propempticon  proper,  Horace,  who  was  usually  so  tactful,  should  quickly 
revert  to  the  old  philosophical  and  theological  notions  of  the  sinfulness 
of  human  enterprise  without  observing  how  out  of  place  such  ideas  were 
here,  when  Vergil  was  just  about  to  show  such  enterprise  by  undertaking 
this  voyage. 

It  is  probable  that  the  form  of  the  propempticon  was  suggested  by  a 
poem  of  Callimachus,  of  which  two  verses  are  preserved.  Frg.  114 
a  vavs,  a  TO  p.6vov  <£eyyos  e/uv  TO  yAwu  ras  £oas  |  apTra^a?,  TTOTL  TV 
Zavo9  iKvevfjuiL  Ai/ievoo-KOTrw.  ...  '  O  ship  that  hast  snatched  from  me 
my  life's  one  sweet  light,  in  name  of  Zeus,  guardian  of  harbors,  I 

63 


HORATI 


beseech.'  .  .  .  Statins'  poem,  Silvae  3,  2,  is  chiefly  an  expansion  ot 
Horace's  verses.  In  modern  poetry  \ve  may  compare  Tennyson's  vc-rsi-^. 
///  Mentor.  9,  'Fair  ship,  that  from  the  Italian  shore  |  Sailest  the 
placid  ocean  plains  |  With  my  lost  Arthur's  loved  remains,  |  Spread 
thy  full  wings,  and  waft  him  o'er.1  Metre,  71. 

Sic  te  diva  potens  Cypri, 

sic  fratres  Helenae,  lucida  sidera, 

ventorumque  regat  pater, 

obstrictis  aliis  praeter  lapyga, 
5  navis,  quae  tibi  creditum 

debes  Vergilium,  finibus  Atticis 


1.  sic:  expressing  the  condition 
on  which  the  prayer  is  made:  'on 
this  condition  may  Heaven  and  the 
winds  favor  thee,  namely,  that  thou 
deiiverest  Vergil  safe.1     Here  sic 
is  expanded  in  the  optative  subj. 
reddas  and  serves.     Often  an  im- 
perative or  a  conditional  sentence 
follows.     E.g.  Epist.  i,  7,  69  f.  '•sic 
ign<n>isse  pntato  \  me  tibi,  si  cenas 
hodie  mecum.''     Similarly  in  Eng- 
lish, e.g.  Tennyson,  In  Mentor.  17, 
1S0  may  whatever  tempest  mars  | 
Mid-ocean,  spare  thee,  sacred  bark ;' 
and  the  formula  in  oaths.  'Sa  help 
me  God.1 

—  diva  potens  Cypri:  Kurrpou 
juieS  .'owa.  Venus  marina,  the  pro- 
tectress of  sailors.  Cf.  3,  26,  5.  9 ; 
4,  i  r,  15.  For  the  objective  geni- 
tive with  potens,  cf.  I,  6,  10  lyrae 
mu  sa  potens;  I,  5,  \$potenti  mar  is 
deo,  i.e.  Neptune. 

2.  Castor  and  Pollux.     It  was 
believed  that  the  presence  of  these 
two  guardians  of  sailors  was   at- 
tested by  the  electrical  phenome- 


non  known  to  us  as  St.  Elmo's  fire. 
Cf.  i,  12,  27  ff.  ;  Lucian  Navig.  9 
o  vavK\r6f  riva 


64 


aa~T€pa  AiotTKOv/awv  TOV  fTtpov  eVt- 

KaOlViU  TW  K.LpXrf(Tlto  KOI  KU.T(.V&VVJLL 

TTJV  vavv  ;  Stat.  SUv.  3,  2,  8  fT.  pro- 
ferte  benigna  \  sidera.  el  antemnae 
gemino  considite  cornu  \  Oebalii 
fratres  ;  and  in  English,  Macaulay, 
Regillus.  '  Safe  comes  the  ship 
to  haven  |  Through  billows  and 
through  gales,  |  If  once  the  great 
Twin  Brethren  |  Sit  shining  on  the 
sails.'  On  coins  a  star  is  repre- 
sented over  the  head  of  each  of 
the  heroes. 

3  f  .  ventorum  .  .  .  pater  :  Aeolus, 
who  is  Od.  10,  21  Ta/u.t77?  Avifutv. 
—  lapyga:  the  wind  blowing  from 
the  west  or  northwest  across 
lapygia,  as  Apulia  was  anciently 
called,  was  favorable  for  voyages 
to  Greece. 

5ff.  Vergil  is  like  a  treasure  in- 
trusted to  the  ship,  and  therefore 
owed  by  it.  Note  the  emphasis  on 
Vergilium  before  the  caesura.  — 


CARMINA 


LI.  3.  l6 


10 


reddas  incolumem  precor 

et  serves  animae  dimidium  meae. 
Illi  robur  et  aes  triplex 

circa  pectus  erat,  qui  fragilem  truci 
commisit  pelago  ratem 

primus,  nee  timuit  praecipitem  Africum 
decertantem  Aquilonibus 

nee  tristis  Hyadas  nee  rabiem  Noti, 
quo  non  arbiter  Hadriae 

maior,  tollere  seu  ponere  volt  freta. 


finibus:  dat.  with  reddas,  deliver. 
—  animae  dimidium  meae :  a  pro- 
verbial expression  of  affection.  Cf. 
2,  17,  5  te  meae  part  em  animae; 
Meleager  Anth.  Pal.  12,  52  NOTOS, 
IWTCS,  |  rjfjiUTv  fjL(.v  i^u^as 
'AvBpa.ya.6ov. 
9  ff.  Horace  now  turns  to  re- 
flections on  the  rash  presumption 
of  mankind  that  seem  to  us  ex- 
travagant ;  but  man's  attempt  to 
subdue  the  sea  may  well  have 
been  thought  impious  in  a  primi- 
tive age.  These  verses  reflect 
this  ancient  feeling.  See  intr.  n. 
Cf'.  Soph.  Antig.  332  ff.  mAAa  TO, 
Suva,  KOVOGV  avOpwirov  Sctvorepov 

7T€  Act  •    I    TOl'TO      KOJL 

irovTov  \f.iu.(.pi<o  voTw 
(3pv\ioi<Tiv  I  TTtpoiv  VTT' 
•  Wonderful  things  there  are  many, 
and  yet  none  more  wonderful  than 
man.  This  marvelous  creature, 
driven  by  the  stormy  south  wind, 
crosseth  even  the  gray  sea,  pass- 
ing half  buried  through  the  wave 
that  would  ingulf  him.' 

—  robur  et  aes  triplex:    trans- 
HOR.  CAR  —  5  < 


lated  by  Herrick  'A  heart  thrice 
wall'd  with  Oke,  and  brasse,  that 
man  |  Had,  first,  durst  plow  the 
Ocean.'  Horace  was  imitated  by 
Seneca  Aled.  301  ff.  aiidax  nimium 
qui  freta  primus  \  rate  tain  fra- 
gili  perfida  rnpit  \  terrasqite  suas 
post  terga  videns  \  animam  let>i- 
bus  credidit  aim's. 

12  f.  praecipitem  Africum:  the 
headlong  Afric  wind,  the  Sirocco ; 
called  Epod.  16,  22  protervus. — 
Aquilonibus:  dative:  cf.  i,  15 
luctantem  1  car  Us  fluctibus  Afri- 
cum. 

14.  tristis    Hyadas:     bringing 
rain  and  so  'gloomy/     Cf.  Verg. 
A.  3,  516 pluviasque  Hyadas.  and 
of  the  Auster  (Notus)   G.  3,  279 
pluvio  contristat  frigore  caelitm. 
—  Noti :  equivalent  to  Auster. 

15.  arbiter:    ruler;    cf.    3,    3, 
5    Auster  \  dux  inquieti  turbidus 
Hadriae. 

16.  ponere:  equivalent  to  com- 
ponere.      Observe  the  use  of  the 
single  seu  in  an  alternative  state- 
meat. 


HORATI 


Quern  mortis  timuit  gradum, 

qui  siccis  oculis  monstra  natantia, 
qui  vidit  mare  turbidurn  et 

inf amis  scopulos  Acroceraunia  ? 
Nequiquam  deus  abscidit 

prudens  Oceano  dissociabili 
terras,  si  tamen  impiae 

non  tangenda  rates  transiliunt  vada, 
Audax  omnia  perpeti 

gens  humana  ruit  per  vetitum  nefas. 
Audax  lapeti  genus 

ignem  fraude  mala  gentibus  intulit. 


17.  mortis   .   .   .   gradum:    for 
the  conception  of  death  as  stalk- 
ing  abroad    and    pursuing    men, 
cf.  v.  33  below;    i,  4,  13;  3,   2, 
14. 

18.  siccis    oculis :   i.e.    '  unter- 
rified.'       A    man     who     is     not 
moved    by   the   awful    terrors   of 
the    sea,    lacks    all  reverence   for 
Heaven's  power  and  is  prepared 
to  defy  the  very  gods.     Cf.   Mil- 
ton, '  Sight  so  deform  what  heart 
of  oak  could  long  |  Dry  eyed  be- 
hold?1 

20.  Acroceraunia  :  the  long 
promontory  on  the  northwest  of 
Epirus,  which  had  an  ill  repute 
(inf amis  scopulos)  with  sailors 
because  of  the  number  of  ship- 
wrecks there. 

21  f.  nequiquam :  emphatic,  in 
vain  it  is  that,  etc.  —  prudens : 
in  his  wise  providence.  —  dissocia- 
bili :  estranging ;  active  as  i ,  i ,  5 
nob  His. 


23  f .  impiae  .  .  .  rates :  the 
ships  are  reckless  of  Heaven's 
displeasure,  since  they  bound  over 
the  water  which  God  has  ordained 
should  not  be  touched  (non  tan- 
genda .  .  .  vada). 

25  ff.  Three  examples  of  hu- 
man recklessness  follow  the  gen- 
eral statement :  the  theft  of  fire 
(27-33),  Daedalus'  attempt  on 
the  air  (34  f.),  Hercules1  invasion 
of  Hades  (36). — audax  .  .  .  au- 
dax :  emphatic  anaphora,  Intr. 
28c.  — perpeti:  dependent  on  au- 
dax. Intr.  1 08. — ruit:  rushes  at 
random,  characterizing  the  reck- 
lessness of  man,  as  transiliunt 
does  in  v.  24. — vetitum:  sc.  a 
diis. 

27.    lapeti  genus:  Prometheus. 

Cf.    HCS.    Op.    5O  ff.   KpUI/'C    &    TTVp  • 
TO    fifV    UVTIS    £ttf    TTUIS    'luTTCToTo  | 

tK\€\j/'     avOpiairouTt      A 105      ira.pi 

/A7/TIOCJTOS      I      fV       KOlAto)       VOLpdrfKl, 

\aOutv    A«i     TtpiriKipawov.       For 


66 


CARMINA 


3,  3« 


35 


Post  ignem  aetheria  domo 

subductum  macies  et  nova  febrium 
terris  incubuit  cohors, 

semotique  prius  tarda  necessitas 
leti  corripuit  gradum. 

Expertus  vacuum  Daedalus  aera 
pennis  non  homini  datis ; 

perrupit  Acheronta  Herculeus  labor. 
Nil  mortalibus  ardui  est ; 

caelum  ipsum  petimus  stultitia,  neque 


genus,  equivalent  to  '  child,'  '  de- 
scendant,' cf.  S.  2,  5,  63,  ab  alto 
demissiim  genus  Aenea,  i.e.  Oc- 
tavian  ;  and  collectively  of  the 
Danaids,  C.  2,14,  1%  Danai  genus. 
29  ff.  post  ignem  .  .  .  sub- 
ductum :  after  the  theft  of;  sub- 
ductum is  equivalent  to  subreptum. 

—  macies  et  nova  febrium   .    .    . 
cohors  :  the  legend  has  been  pre- 
served to  us  by    Serv.  ad  Verg. 
E.  6,  42  (ob  Promethei  furtum} 
irati  di  duo  mala  immiserunt  ter- 
ris, febres    et    morbos;-  sicut    et 
Sappho    et   Hesiodus   metnorant. 

—  incubuit  :    brooded   over.      Cf. 
Lucr.  6,  1143  (he  is  speaking  of 
sickness),  incubuit  tandem  populo 
Pandionis  omnei. 

32  f  .  Note  the  cumulative  force 
of  semoti  and  tarda  :  •  inevitable 
death  was  far  removed  and  slow 
in  its  approach.1  Before  Pandora 
came  men  lived,  according  to 
Hesiod  Op.  90  flf.  wpwrfv  /ACV 


I  v<xr</>iv  arep    re   KUKWV  KCU   urep 


67 


OVOIO,  voucTtov  T  apya- 
Ac'tov,  atr'  dvSpacri  KT/pas  ISco/cav. 
—  prius :  with  both  semoti  and 
tarda.  Intr.  100. 
—  necessitas  leti :  the  Homeric 
Motpa  flavaroio. 

34  f.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  6.  14  f. 
Daedalus,  nt  fatna  est,  fugiens 
Minoia  regna,  \  praepetibus  pennis 
ausus  se  credere  caelo.  —  non  .  .  . 
datis :  i.e.  non  concessis,  imply- 
ing that  wings  were  forbidden 
man. 

36.  perrupit :  for  the  quantity, 
see    Intr.   35. — Herculeus  labor: 
for  the  use  of  the  adjective,  cf.  2, 
12,  6  Herculea    manu    and    the 
Homeric  /Jw;  'HpaKAeo;. 

37.  ardui :     steep    and    hard, 
modifying    nil.      Cf.    Petron.    87 
nihil  est  tarn  arduum,  quod  non 
improbitas  extorqueat. 

38.  In    his    blind    folly    man 
attempts   to   emulate   the  Giants, 
who    with    brute    force    tried   to 
storm  the  citadel  of  Heaven.     Cf. 
3,  4,  49-60,  65,  and  nn. 


i .  3.  39]  HORAT1 


40 


per  nostrum  patimur  scelus 

iracunda  lovem  ponere  fulmina, 


40.    iracunda  .  .  .  fulmina:  the  cniuia  dassis  Achillei ;   Epod.  10 

transference   of  an    epithet    from  14  iinpuiin  Aiacis  ratem.      Intr. 

the  person  to  the  action  or  thing  99. 

is  not  uncommon.     Cf.   i,  12,  59  —ponere:     equivalent    to    de- 

ini mica  fulmina',   i,   15,   33  ira-  ponere. 


( The  earth  is  freed  from  winter's  thrall ;  Venus  leads  her  bands, 
the  Nymphs  and  Graces  dance;  Vulcan  stirs  his  fires  (l-8).  Now 
crown  thy  head  with  myrtle  and  with  flowers,  now  sacrifice  to  Faunus. 
Life  is  glad  and  lures  one  on  to  hope  (9-12).  But  Death  is  near  at 
hand,  my  Sestius ;  to-morrow  Pluto's  dreary  house  will  shut  thee  in ; 
no  delight  in  wine  or  love  is  there  (13-20).' 

To  L.  Sestius  Quirinus,  probably  a  son  of  the  P.  Sestius  whom 
Cicero  defended.  He  was  a  partisan  of  Brutus,  and  very  likely  Hor- 
ace's acquaintance  with  him  began  with  the  time  of  their  service 
together  in  Brutus'  army.  Later  Sestius  accepted  the  new  order 
of  things  without  giving  up  his  loyalty  to  Brutus'  memory,  and  was 
appointed  consul  suffcctus  (July-December,  23  n.c.)  by  Augustus. 
Cf.  Dio  Cass.  53,  32. 

Few  of  the  odes  are  more  skillfully  planned.  The  underlying 
thought  is  one  expressed  by  Horace  in  many  forms:  •  the  world  is 
pleasant  and  offers  many  joys ;  take  them  while  you  may.  for  death 
is  near.'  With  this  Book  4,  Ode  7  should  be  compared.  The  verses 
are  apparently  based  on  a  Greek  model,  possibly  the  same  as  that 
of  Silentarius  in  the  Anth.  Pal.  10,  15;  or  did  Silentarius  follow 
Horace?  7/877  \utv  £t<f>vpoLcrt  /Af/xi'Koru  KO\TTOV  avoiyu  |  euipo?  ci'Aei/u.<DV 
api5 '  |  apri  8e  SOV/JULT  iourtv  €Tr<airh.i(T0r)(Tf  KvAtvS/jots  |  oA*a? 
€?  /3\>&bv  iAxofLepty.  'Now  the  grace  of  charming  spring 
which  brings  back  fair  meadows  opens  the  bay  that  roars  under  Zephy- 
rus'  blasts.  Only  yesterday  did  the  merchantman  glide  on  the  rollers, 
drawn  down  from  the  land  to  the  deep.1  The  date  of  composition 
is  uncertain,  but  cf.  v.  14  and  n.  which  may  fix  the  date  at  23  B.C. 
The  position  here  gives  Sestius,  who  was  consul  in  23.  the  fourth 
place  in  honor  after  Maecenas,  Augustus,  and  Vergil.  Metre,  81. 

68 


CARMINA 


Solvitur  acris  hiems  grata  vice  veris  et  Favoni, 

trahuntquc  siccas  machinae  carinas, 
ac  neque  iam  stabulis  gaudet  pecus  aut  arator  igni, 

nee  prata  canis  albicant  pruinis. 
Iam  Cytherea  chores  ducit  Venus  imminente  luna, 

iunctaeque  Nymphis  Gratiae  decentes 


i.  solvitur  .  .  .  hiems:  'the 
fetters  of  winter  are  broken.'  Cf. 
i,  9,  5  dissolve  frigns,  and  the 
opposite  Verg.  G.  2,  317  rura  gelu 
claudit  hiems.  —  vice  :  succession. 
So  Epod.  13,  7  benigna  .  .  .'  vice. 
Note  the  alliteration  in  -vice  veris  et 
Favoni ;  cf.  v.  13.  —  Favoni:  the 
harbinger  of  spring  (Zephyrus*). 
Cf.  Lucret.  5,  737  veris  praenun- 
tiits  .  .  .  graditur  Zephyrns. 

a.  siccas :  from  their  winter 
position,  high  on  the  shore. 

3  ff.  The  whole  world  feels  the 
pleasant  change  — the  beasts,  man, 
and  the  very  divinities  them- 
selves. 

5  f.  The  contrast  between  Ve- 
nus and  her  band  of  Nymphs  and 
Graces  on  the  one  side  with  glow- 
ing Vulcan  and  his  workmen  on 
the  other  is  carefully  planned. 
Venus  is  here  the  goddess  of  re- 
generation, at  whose  coming  the 
world  wakes  into  life.  Cf.  Lucret. 
i .  5  ff.  te,  dea,  te  fnginnt  venti.  te 
nubila  caeli  \  advent ittnque  /«/////, 
libi  sttavis  daedala  fell  us  \  submit  tit 
flores*  tibi  rident  aeqnora  ponti  \ 
placatuinqne  nitet  diffuso  litmine 
caelum. 

—  Cytherea:  of  Cythera.  For 
this  use  of  a  local  adjective  modi- 


fying the  name  of  a  divinity,  cf.  3, 
4,  64  Deli  us  et  Pat  are  us  Apollo. 
—  choros  ducit  :  the  concept  is 
probably  borrowed  from  the  Horn. 
Hymn  to  Apollo,  194  ff.  avrap 
a/jboi  Xapires  KGU  fv<f>povf<i 
'Ap/jiovifj  6'  "Hfir)  re  Atos 


—  imminente  luna  :  the  night 
when  no  mortals  are  abroad,  is 
the  gods1  favorite  time  to  visit  the 
earth.  Cf.  Stat.  Silv.  i,  i,  94  f.  sub 
nocte  silenti,  \  cum  snperis  terrena 
placent.  —  iunctae,  etc.  :  hand  in 
hand;  cf.  4,  7,  5f.  Gratia  cum 
Nymphis  geminisque  sororibus 
audet  |  diicere  nuda  choros.  —  Gra- 
tiae :  Seneca  de  Benef.  i,  3  has 
given  us  an  accurate  description 
of  the  regular  representation  of 
the  Graces  in  early  painting  and 
sculpture,  ires  Gratiae  sorores 
manibus  implexis*  ridentes,  itive- 
nes  et  virgines,  solitta  ac  pellucida 
veste  ;  in  later  art  they  are  rep- 
resented as  nude,  with  their  arms 
about  one  another's  shoulders. 
Cf.  Baumeister,  pp.  375-6.  —  de- 
centes :  cotnely  ;  the  word  is  trans- 
ferred to  English  poetry,  e.g. 
Milton  //  /'t'fis.  'Over  thy  de- 
cent shoulders  drawn.' 


1.4.7] 


HORATI 


alterno  terram  quatiunt  pede,  dum  gravis  Cyclopum 

Volcanus  ardens  visit  officinas. 

Nunc  decet  aut  viridi  nitidum  caput  impedire  myrto, 
10        aut  More  terrae  quem  ferunt  solutae ; 

nunc  et  in  umbrosis  Fauno  decet  immolare  lucis, 

seu  poscat  agna  sive  malit  haedo. 
Pallida  mors  aequo  pulsat  pede  pauperum  tabernas 

regumque  turris.     O  beate  Sesti, 
'5    vitae  summa  brevis  spem  nos  vetat  incohare  longam. 

Iam  te  premet  nox  fabulaeque  manes 

Brjirov    TO.  OvpiTpa 


7.  alterno  .  .  .  quatiunt  pede  :  i.e. 
in  rhythmic  dance;  cf.  I,  37,  I 
nunc  est  bibendam.  mine  pede 
libero  \  pulsanda  tellus.  —  gravis  : 
equivalent  to  laboriosas,  toilsome. 
—  ardens:  'glowing  in  the  light 
of  the  fire.'  Some  editors  prefer 
to  regard  it  as  a  transferred  epithet 
which  would  naturally  belong  to 
officinas  :  with  the  verse,  cf.  Apoll. 
Rhod.  3,  4'  oAA 


9  f  .  nitidum  :  shining,  with  un- 
guent ;  cf.  2,  7,  7  nilentis  .  .  .  capillos. 
—  caput  impedire  myrto  :  entwine. 
Cf.  Stat.  Silv.  4,  3,  68  crinem 
mollibus  impeditus  ulvis.  —  ter- 
rae .  .  .  solutae:  cf.  v.  i,  above. 

ii  f.  Fauno:  the  kindly  god  of 
Nature  whose  festival  fell  on  Feb. 
12.  —  agna..  .  haedo:  instrumen- 
tal abl. 

13.  Note  the  p  five  times  re- 
peated. —  pulsat  pede  :  for  the  cus- 
tom of  knocking  with  the  foot,  cf. 
Plaut.  Most.  453  piilsando  pf  di- 
bits paene  confre^i  hasce  ambus 
(fores),  also  Callim.  Hymn  to 


Apollo,  3    /<at 
KoAw  TroSi  ^oi/ 

14.  turris :    the  houses  of  the 
great  (regum)  with  many  stories, 
in  contrast  to  the  one-story  dwell- 
ings   (tabernas)    of  the   poor.  — 
beate  :   blessed  by  Fortune ;    with 
almost    concessive    force.      Some 
wish  to  see  in  this  word  a  refer- 
ence to  Sestius'  consulship. 

15.  summa  brevis  :  brief  span. 
—  incohare:  used  properly,  as  here, 
of  entering  on  an  undertaking  that 
cannot  be  fulfilled.    Cf.  Sen.  Epist. 
101,  4  o  quanta  dementia  est  spes 
longas  incoliantinin. 

i6f.  iam :  presently.  With  the 
future  iam  often  expresses  confi- 
dence in  the  result;  cf.  2,  20,  13 f. 
iam  Daedaleo  nolior  Icaro  \  visam 
gementis  litora  ttosphori.  —  fabu- 
lae  :  in  apposition  with  manes.  ///<• 
spirits  of  the  dead.  The  phrase  is 
imitated  by  Pers.  5.  151  f.  finis  ft 
manesetfabnlafies;  cf.  also  Callim. 
Kpig-  13.  3  f-  «5  XttDtiSi.  TI'TO.  y;p9- ; 

7TO\U  tTKOTOf.       U.L  8'  ttyO&Ot  TL  '    |  \f/(r- 

805.    o  8«  II \ovr<av ; 


70 


CARM1NA  L'.5»4 

et  domus  exilis  Plutonia ;  quo  simul  mearis, 

nee  regna  vini  sortiere  talis 

nee  tenerum  Lycidan  mirabere,  quo  calet  iuventus 
20        nunc  omnis  et  mox  virgines  tepebunt. 

fj.iOa..     'Charidas,  what  is  below?  will  soon  deprive  him  of  them.— 

Deep  darkness.     But  what  of  the  regna  vini :  the  presidency  of  the 

passages  upward ?     All  a  lie.     But  drinking  bout  was  determined  by 

Pluto?  Only  talk.  Then  we're  lost.'  lot  or  by  dice.     Cf.  n.  to  2,  7,  25 

—  exilis :    unsubstantial,   dreary.  quern    Venus    arbitruin    dicet    bi- 

—  simul:  equivalent  to  simul  ac,  bendi? —  talis:  properly  <  knuckle 
as  regularly  in  Horace.  bones '  which  would  ordinarily  fall 

i8ff.    In   the  last  three  verses  on  the  longer  sides ;    the   highest 

Horace  calls  back  the  pleasure  of  throw  (iactus  Veneris)  was  when 

wine   and   love,  and  reminds   his  each  rested  on  a  different  side.  — 

friend   that   he  must  enjoy  these  Lycidan :    a    name    invented    for 

delights    while    he   may.     Death  the  occasion. 


To  a  coquette :  l  What  slender  innocent  enjoys  thy  smiles  to-day, 
Pyrrha?  Alas,  he  does  not  yet  suspect  that  thou  art  fickle  as  the  sea; 
thy  smile  lures  on  his  love  to  shipwreck.  Thank  Heaven  I  escaped  :  in 
Neptune's  temple  I  hang  my  dripping  clothes  as  votive  gift.' 

The  perfected  simplicity  of  this  ode  can  best  be  tested  by  an  attempt 
to  alter  or  transpose  a  word,  or  by  translation.  Even  Milton's  well- 
known  version  is  inadequate.  Metre,  73. 

Quis  multa  gracilis  te  puer  in  rosa 
perfusus  liquidis  urget  odoribus 
grato,  Pyrrha,  sub  antro  ?  ,/ 
Cui  flavam  religas  comam,^ 

i  f .  gracilis  .  .  .  puer  :  stripling.  2,  65  potantem  in  rosa.  —  urget : 

—  multa   ...    in  rosa  :    lying  on  courts. 

many  a  rose-,  as  in  Sen.  Epist.  3f.  Pyrrha:  Tlvppd, a  fictitious 

36,   9   in   rosa    iacere.      Cf.   also  name.    '  the  auburn    haired ' ;    cf. 

Eleg.  in  Maec.  i,  94  f.  victor  poti-  flavam.  —  religas  :  i.e.  in  a  simple 

atur   in  umbra,   \  victor  odor  at -.1  knot.     Cf.   2,   II,  23   in   comptuin 

dormiat  inque  rosa ;  Cic.  de  Fin.  Lacaenae  \  more    cotnam   religata 

71 


'.5.5] 


HORATI 


simplex  munditiis  ?     Heu  quotiens  fidera 
mutatosque  deos  flebit  et  aspera 
nigris  aequora  ventis 
emirabitur  insolens, 

qui  nunc  te  fruitur  credulus  aurea, 
qui  semper  vacuam,  semper  amabilem 
sperat,  nescius  aurae 
fallacis.      Miseri  quibus 


nodiini.      With    the  question,  cf. 
Anth.  Pal.  5,  227  CITTC  TIVL 

TtVl 


vv\<av 

•  Tell  me  for  whom  wilt  thou  still 
dress  thy  curling  locks,  or  for  whom 
wilt  thou  make  fair  thy  hands  and 
trim  thy  nails1  sharp  points  ?  '  (i.e. 
so  that  they  may  not  be  used  to 
scratch  in  case  of  a  quarrel  between 
thee  and  thy  new  lover.  Cf.  v.  ijf. 
of  the  following  ode). 

5  f  .  simplex  munditiis  :  plain  in 
thy  neatness  (Milton),  munditia 
denotes  a  natural  beauty  and  ele- 
gance that  is  unadorned  ;  Pyrrha 
has  chosen  studied  simplicity  in 
dress.  —  fidem:  sc.  tnutatain  from 
the  following  mutatos  ;  therefore 
equivalent  \.operfidiam,  as  the  con- 
text shows.  —  mutatos  deos  :  i.e. 
adversos:  cf.  Prop,  i,  i,  8  cum 
tamen  ad-versos  cogor  habere  deos. 

^-  nigris  :  belonging  naturally 
with  aequora,  as  'darkened  '  by  the 
gusts  of  wind,  but  here  transferred 
to  ventis  ;  cf  .  i  ,  3,  40.  //v/<  nnda 
fultnina.  Intr.  99.  The  com- 
parison of  a  coquette  to  the  sea  is 
very  old.  Cf  Senionidesof  Amor- 


airr/- 


fta- 


gos,  Frg.  7,  37  flf.  wo-jrep 
TroAAaKis  p.t.v  arpe/u-i/s 
/xwv,  \apfjua.  vavrr)(riv 
ev  u>pt),  TroA/XaKi?  Sc  fj.aLVf.rai. 

pVKTVTTOUTt      KV(JUUL<TIV      <£optU  fJ(.Wrf  .    \ 

Tavry  fjuaXwrr  eot/ce  rouivrr)  yvvr). 
'As  the  sea  ofttimes  is  motionless 
and  harmless,  a  mighty  joy  to  sail- 
ors in  the  summer  season,  and  yet 
ofttimes  doth  rage,  driven  to  and  fro 
with  loud  roaring  billows.  This  sea 
it  is  that  such  a  woman  is  most  like.' 

8.  emirabitur  :  found  only  here 
in  classical  Latin.     The  prefix  is 
intensive.      Cf.  the  Greek  fK0av- 
fJM^eiv.  —  insolens  :  used  here  in  its 
original  meaning  of  unaccustomed, 
poor  innocent  . 

9.  credulus    aurea  :     note    the 
force  of  the  juxtaposition  ;  cf.  I,  6, 
10    tenucs    gnmdia.  —  aurea:     a 
common  designation  of  perfection  ; 
cf.  the  Homeric  \pvfrirj  'A  ^poSiVr;. 
In  present-day  Knglish  it  is  seldom 
applied  to  persons,  but  cf.  Shak- 
spere,    L'ynibeline,   4,    2    •  Golden 
lads  and  girls  all  must  |  As  chim- 
ney sweepers,  come  to  dust/ 

10  f.   vacuam  :  fancy  free,  to  all 
the  world  but   him.   -aurae:    re- 


72 


CARMINA  [i,  b 

intemptata  nites  :  me  tabula  sacer 
votiva  paries  indicat  uvida 
15  suspendisse  potent! 

vestimenta  maris  deo. 

turning  to  the  metaphor  of  v.  6f. ;  to  Neptuney-J&is,' or  other  divinity, 

cf.  3. 2,  -zvarbitrio  popularisaurae.  Cf.    Verg.    A.    12,    766    ff.  forte 

13.    intemptata      nites :       still  sacer  Faunofoliis  oleaster  amaris  \ 

keeping  up  the  figure  of  the  glit-  hie  steterat,  nautis  olim  venerabile 

tering   sea,  untried  and   treacher-  lignum,    \    servati    ex   nndis   ubi 

ous.     Cf.  Lucret.    2,  559  sitbdola  figere   dona    solebant    \    Lanrenti 

en  in  ridet  placidi  pellacia  ponti.  divo  et  votas   suspender e   vestes. 

—  tabula  sacer,  etc. :    the  ancient  For    votive     offering    of    various 

custom  of  dedicating  in  the  shrine  sorts,      see      Schreiber's     Atlas, 

of  a  divinity  a  picture  (tabula)  can  pi.    15. 

still  be  seen    in    Roman  Catholic  —  potenti  .  .  .  maris   deo:    cf.    I, 

churches,    especially    in    Europe.  3,  i    diva   potens    Cypri;    6,    10 

Shipwrecked     sailors     sometimes  imbettisque    lyrae    Musa  potens ; 

hung  up  the  garments  in   which  and  Plant.   Trin.  820  salsipotenti 

they  had  been  saved  as  offerings  .  .  .  Neptuno. 


6 

'Varius,  who  vies  with  Homer,  shall  sing  thy  exploits,  Agrippa. 
The  deeds  of  heroes  and  tragic  themes  are  all  too  great  for  my  weak 
powers ;  I  will  not  detract  from  Caesar's  fame  and  thine.  Only  wine 
and  lovers'  quarrels  are  suited  to  my  verse.' 

Addressed  to  M.  Vipsanius  Agrippa,  Augustus1  'Minister  of  War1 
and  greatest  general ;  he  defeated  Sextus  Pompey  at  Naulochus,  36  B.C., 
and  was  commander  at  Actium,  31  B.C.  Apparently  Agrippa,  or 
Agrippa^  friends,  had  suggested  to  Horace  that  he  celebrate  the  gen- 
eral's exploits  in  verse.  This  ode  is  Horace's  skillful  apology  and  should 
be  compared  with  similar  expressions,  2,  12;  4,  2,  276°. ;  S.  2,  ir  12; 
Epist.  2,  i,  250  ff.  In  each  case,  however,  while  declaring  his  unfitness 
for  the  task,  he  describes  deeds  of  war,  yet  briefly,  not  in  an  elabo- 
rate poem.  Here  by  his  manner  of  declining,  he  pays  Agrippa  the 
highest  tribute  as  well  as  compliments  his  friend  Varius.  The  date 
of  composition  is  after  29  B.C.,  when  Agrippa  returned  from  the  East. 
Metre,  72. 

73 


t,  6,  i] 


HORATI 


Scriberis  Vario  fortis  et  hostium 
victor  Maeonii  carminis  alite, 
quam  rem  cumque  ferox  navibus  aut  equis 
miles  te  duce  gesserit. 

Nos,  Agrippa,  neque  haec  dicere  nee  gravem 
Pelidae  stomachum  cedere  nescii 


i.  scriberis:  expressing  assur- 
ance ;  different  from  laudabunt 
alii  of  the  following  ode,  which  is 
equivalent  to  others  may  praise  (if 
they  wish).  The  real  subject  of 
the  verb  is  '  thy  brave  deeds 
and  victories,1  (tit)  fortis  et  hos- 
tium victor.  —  Vario:  frequently 
taken  as  abl.  abs.  with  alite  to 
avoid  the  apparent  solecism  of 
the  abl.  of  agent  without  ab.  This 
is  as  unnecessary  as  to  change 
alite  to  the  dat.  aliti.  For  the 
abl.  of  agent  without  ad,  cf.  Epist. 
i,  19,  2  carmina  .  .  .  quae  scri- 
buntur  aquae  potoribus.  I  ntr.  96. 

Lucius  Varius  Rufus  was  the  in- 
timate friend  of  Horace  and  Vergil. 
With  Plotius  Tucca  he  was  the 
latter's  literary  executor,  and  at 
Augustus1  command  published  the 
Aeneid  in  17  B.C.  ;  before  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Aeneid  he  was  reck- 
oned the  chief  epic  poet  of  the 
period.  6".  i,  10,  43  f.  forte  epos 
acer  \  ut  nemo  Varius  ducit.  His 
posthumous  fame,  however,  seems 
to  have  been  based  on  his  trage- 
dies, especially  his  Thyestes. 
Quint.  10,  i,  98,  Varii  Thyestes 
cuilibet  Graecarnin  comparari 
potest.  He  brought  out  this  play 


not  long  after  31  B.C.,  according  to 
the  didascalia,  Thyesten  tragoediam 
magna  cura  absolutam  post  Actia- 
cam  victoriam  Augusti  ludis  eins 
in  scena  edidit.  Pro  qua  fabula 
sestertium  deciens  accepit. 

2.  Maeonii  carminis  alite  :  i.e. 
the  equal  of  Homer,  who,  according 
to  tradition,  was  born  at  Smyrna 
in  Lydia.  anciently  called  Maeonia; 
cf.  4,  9,  5   Maeonius  Homerus.  — 
alite  :  for  '  bird  '  in  the  sense  of 
'  poet,'  cf.  4,  2,  25  Dircaeum  .   .   . 
cycniim  of  Pindar,  and  2,  20  entire. 

3.  quam    rem    cumque  :     this 
tmesis  is  common  in  Horace  {e.g. 
I,  7,  25  quo  nos  cumque  feret  .  .  . 
fortuna)    and    not    unknown    in 
prose  :     Cic.  pro  Sest.   68    quod 
indicium  cumqiie  subierat. 

5ff.   With    the    following,    cf. 
the  Anacreontic   verses   23   0(\<a 


fjuovvov 

plural  of  modesty,  so  v.  17  below. 
The  singular  of  the  first  person 
is  ordinarily  used  in  the  lyric 
poems,  the  plural  being  found 
only  here  and  2,  17,  32  ;  3.  28,  9; 
Epod.i,$.  For  the  emphatic  posi- 
tion, see  Intr.  22.  —  haec:  'thy 


74 


CARMINA 


[if  6,  14 


nec  cursus  duplicis  per  mare  Vlixei 
nee  saevam  Pelopis  domum 

conamur,  tenues  grandia,  dum  pudor 
imbellisque  lyrae  musa  potens  vetat 
laudes  egregii  Caesaris  et  tuas 
culpa  deterere  ingeni. 

Quis  Martem  tunica  tectum  adamantina 
digne  scripserit  aut  pulvere  Troico 


exploits,'  taking  up  quam  rem 
.  .  .  gesserit,  above.  —  dicere  : 
sing,  in  contrast  to  scribere,  v.  i, 
used  of  epic  composition.  Cf. 
loqui  3,  25,  1  8.  —  gravem  Pelidae 
stomachum  :  i.e.  the  Iliad',  II.  \, 
aeiSe,  $ea,  Iir)\rfia8ln) 
s.  —  cedere  nescii  :  Intr. 
108.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  12,527,  nescia 
vinci  pectora. 

7.    cursus  duplicis  .  .  .  Vlixei: 
the  Odyssey  ;  Od.  i  ,  I   avSpa  /u,ot 

€VJ/€7T£,       Moi)(ra,       TToAvTpOTTOV,        OS 

/AaA.a  TroAAa  |  irXdy  \6-q-  Horace 
humorously  shows  his  own  unfit- 
ness  for  epic  song  by  translating 
by  stomachus.  bile,  and 
ros  by  duplex,  wily.  — 
Vlixei  :  from  a  (non-existent) 
nominative  Vlixeus,  formed  after 
the  Sicilian  dialectic 


8  .  saevam  Pelopis  domum  :  Tan- 
talus,  Pelops,  Atreus,  Thyestes, 
Agamemnon,  Orestes,  etc.  The 
bloody  history  of  this  house  was 
a  favorite  tragic  theme  ;  we  have 
still  extant  .'Eschylus'  Trilogy, 
Sophocles1  Electra,  Euripides' 


Orestes,  Electra,  and  two  Iphige- 
nias.  The  verse  is  a  compliment 
to  Varius'  genius  for  tragedy,  as 
vv.  5-7  are  to  his  position  as  epic 
poet. 

9.  tenues  grandia :  in  agree- 
ment with  nos  and  haec.  Notice 
the  forceful  juxtaposition.  Cf.  I, 
3,  \Qfragilemtruci;  \,$,<)credu- 
lus  aurea  ;  i,  15,  2  perfidus  hospi- 
tam. — lyrae  musa  potens:  cf.  n. 
to  i,  5,  rsf 

ii.  With  great  skill  Horace 
associates  Agrippa's  glory  with 
that  of  Caesar.  —  egregii:  Hor- 
ace applies  this  adjective  only 
to  Caesar  among  the  living,  and 
among  the  dead  to  Regulus,  3,  5, 
48  egregius  exiil.  —  deterere  :  to 
impair,  properly  '  to  wear  off  the 
edge.' 

13  if.  The  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion is  of  course,  'only  a  second 
Homer,  a  Varius.'  The  following 
themes  are  naturally  selected  from 
the  Iliad.  —  tunica  tectum  ada- 
mantina :  cf.  the  Homeric  oX- 


75 


.  —  pulvere  .  .  .  nigrum :  cf.  2, 


i,  6,  15]  MORATI 

15  nigrum  Merionen  aut  ope  Palladis 

Tydiden  superis  parem  ? 

Nos  convivia,  nos  proelia  virginum 
sectis  in  iuvenes  unguibus  acrium 
cantamus  vacui,  sive  quid  urimur, 
20  non  praeter  solitum  leves. 

i,  22  duces  non  indecoro  pulvere  and  epic  themes  are  drinking 
sordidos.  —  Merionen  :  charioteer  bouts  and  lovers1  quarrels,  fit  sub- 
to  Cretan  Idomeneus  and  one  of  the  jects1  for  Horace's  inibcllis  lyra. 
foremost  fighters  of  the  Greeks.  —  —  nos  .  .  .  nos  :  for  the  anaphora, 
ope  Palladis  .  .  .  parem:  Horace  seelntr.  28c.  —  sectis ...  unguibus  : 
had  in  mind  //.  5,  881-884  (Ares  and  hence  harmless.  Cf.  the  Greek 
speaks)  77  vw  TuoVos  vlov,  virtp-  verses  quoted  on  I,  5,  3. — vacui: 
</>toAov  Ato/AT/Seu,  |  fuipyawuv  fancy  free ;  I,  5,  10. — sive  quid, 
T  aOava.Toi<n  QtoivL.  |  etc. :  for  the  omission  of  the  first 
/u.£i/  irpwrov  a^eSov  ourao-f  sive,  cf.  I,  3,  1 6. — urimur  :  i e. 
£7Ti  KapTTw,  |  aurap  ITTCIT' aural  with  love.  —  non  praeter  solitum: 
firf<T<rvTo  Sa.Lfj.ovt  irros-  i.e.  'after  my  usual  fashion.1  —  le- 
.  Contrasted  with  the  tragic  ves:  with  the  subject  of  cantamus. 


This  ode  is  very  similar  in  construction  to  the  fourth,  in  which  the 
first  twelve  verses  are  given  to  the  praise  of  spring,  the  remainder  of 
the  ode  to  the  exhortation  to  enjoy  life  while  we  may;  in  this,  1-14 
celebrate  the  charm  of  Tivoli,  15-32  urge  the  value  of  wine  as  a  re- 
leaser  from  care.  This  second  part  again  falls  naturally  into  two  divi- 
sions:  the  general  exhortation  (15-21),  and  the  concrete  example 
(2f~32).  The  connection  between  the  two  parts  of  the  ode  is  so 
slight  that  as  early  as  the  second  century  some  critics  regarded  them  as 
separate  poems,  and  they  so  appear  in  some  manuscripts,  but  that  the 
two  parts  belong  together  was  recognized  by  Porphyrio.  who  notes  on  v. 
1 5  hanc  oden  (/iiidaw  putant  aliam  esse,  sed  eadem  est ;  nam  el  hie  ad 
Plancum  loquitur,  in  cnius  Jwnore  et  in  superior!  parte  Tibur  laudavit. 
Flattens  enitn  in  tit-  fit  it  orinndtis. 

L.  Munatius  Plancus.  who  is  here  addressed,  had  a  varied  military 
and  political  career.  He  was  a  legate  of  Julius  Caesar ;  in  43  B.C.  as 

76 


CARMINA 


7.  4 


governor  of  Gaul  he  founded  Lugdunum  (Lyons)  and  Augusta  Raura- 
corum  (Augst  near  Basel)  ;  he  was  later  the  friend  of  Antony  and  was 
intrusted  by  him  with  the  government  of  Asia  and  Syria,  but  Antony's 
relations  with  Cleopatra  drove  him  in  31  B.C.  to  take  sides  with  Octa- 
vian.  It  was  he  who  proposed  in  January,  27  H.C.,  that  Octavian  be 
given  the  title  Augustus.  Of  Horace's  relations  to  him  we  know  noth- 
ing beyond  what  this  ode  tells  us,  and  as  little  of  the  special  occasion 
for  the  poem.  The  date  of  composition  is  uncertain,  but  verses  26  ff. 
were  hardly  written  before  29  B.C.,  for  they  seem  to  show  acquaintance 
with  Verg.  A.  i,  195  ff.  Metre,  77. 

Laudabunt  alii  claram  Rhodon  aut  Mytilenen 

aut  Epheson  bimarisve  Corinthi 
moenia  vel  Baccho  Thebas  vel  Apolline  Delphos 

insignis  aut  Thessala  Tempe. 


i.  laudabunt  alii:  others  may 
praise  (if  they  will)  ;  the  antith- 
esis is  me,  v.  10.  For  this  use  of 
the  future,  cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  847  ff. 
excudent  alii  spirantia  mollius 
aera  .  .  .  turegere  imperio  popu- 
los,  Romane,  memento.  —  claram  : 
famous,  or  possibly  sunny.  So 
Lucan  8,  247  f.  claramque  re- 
liquit  |  sole  Rhodon.  The  adjec- 
tive belongs  equally  to  Rhodon, 
Mytilenen.  Epheson,  which  are 
closely  connected  by  aut  .  .  . 
aut.  the  following  places  being 
more  loosely  attached  by  ve  .  .  . 
vel  ...  vel.  Rhodes  (Catull.  4, 
8  Rhodum  .  .  .  nobileni)  famous 
for  its  commerce,  its  schools  of 
rhetoric  and  philosophy,  and  its 
art ;  Mytilene,  capital  of  Lesbos,  the 
city  of  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  (Cic. 
de  lege  agr.  2,  40  urbs  et  natnra 
et  situ  et  descriptione  aedificiorum 
et  pulcJiritudine  in  prim  is  nobilis)  : 
Ephesus,  the  chief  city  of  the 


province  of  Asia.  The  same  three 
cities  are  named  by  Mart.  10,  68, 
i  f.  cum  tibi  non  Ephesos  nee  sit 
Rhodos  aut  Mitylene,  \  sed  domus 
in  vico,  Laetia,  patricio. 

2.  bimaris:  d/A<£i$aAao-<ros. 
Corinth,  destroyed  by  Mummius 
146  B.C.,  restored  by  Julius  Caesar, 
from  its  position  on  the  isthmus 
enjoyed  two  harbors,  Cenchreae 
on  the  Saronic  and  Lechaeum  on 
the  Corinthian  Gulf.  Cf.  Ovid. 
Trist.  \,\\,$bimarem  ,  .  .  Isth- 
mon. 

3  f.  Bacchus  according  to  one 
tradition  was  the  child  of  Theban 
Semele.  Cf.  i,  19,  2  Thebanae 
.  .  .  Semelae  puer.  Delphi  was 
the  seat  of  Apollo's  greatest  shrine 
on  the  mainland  of  Greece.  — 
insignis :  modifying  both  Thebas 
and  Delphos.  —  Tempe  :  ace.  neu- 
ter plur. ;  famed  for  its  beauty.  Cf. 
Eurip.  7  road.  214  ff.  ra.v  llr/veiov 


77 


<>  7,  5J 


HORATI 


5          Sunt  quibus  unum  opus  est  intactae  Palladis  urbem 

carmine  perpetuo  celebrare  et 
undique  decerptam  fronti  praeponere  olivam  ; 

plurimus  in  lunonis  honorem 
aptum  dicet  equis  Argos  ditisque  Mycenas. 
10  Me  nee  tam  patiens  Lacedaemon 

nee  tam  Larisae  percussit  campus  opimae 
quam  domus  Albuneae  resonantis 


lunonis  honorem,  etc.:  cf.  //.  4,  51  f. 
(Hera  speaks)  rJToi  e'/xoi  T/O«IS  /xcv 
7roA.u  <f>i 


oA/?u>   fipi9f.iv  <f>dfj.av 

tl>6a\fL    T    (.VKO.pirf.ia..       '  I 

have  heard  that  Peneus1  sacred 
district,  Olympus'  footstool  most 
fair,  is  weighted  with  great  fortune 
and  goodly  increase.1 

5  f .  sunt  quibus:  cf.  I,  I,  3 
sunt  quos.  —  unum  opus,  etc. :  only 
task,  i.e.  poets  who  devote  them- 
selves to  singing  in  'unbroken 
song '  (perpetuo  carmine)  the  glo- 
rious history  of  Athens,  the  city 
of  the  virgin  goddess  (intactae 
Palladis).  Some  critics  take  per- 
petuo carmine  to  mean  epic  in 
contrast  to  lyric  poetry,  but  this 
is  not  necessary. 

7.  The  poets  sing  of  all  the  leg- 
end and  history  that  belongs  to 
Athens,  and  so  their  work  is  com- 
pared to  a  garland  made  of  olive 
leaves  plucked  from  every  part  (un- 
dique) of  the  city.     The  same  com- 
parison was  made   by  Lucret.   i, 
928  ff.    iiivatqite   novos  decerpere 
flores    |    insignemque  tneo   capiti 
petere  inde  coronam,  |  nnde  prins 
tin  Hi  velar  int  tcmpora  musae.  — 
olivam:  sacred  to  Athena. 

8.  plurimus:  tunny  a  one. — in 


g.  aptum  .  .  .  equis  Argos,  etc.: 
//.  2,  287  OTT'  Apyeo?  iirirofJoroio, 
7,  1  80  TToAu^pvaos  MVK^JOJ.  See 
Tsountas  and  Manatt,  The  Myce- 
nean  Age,  Index,  s.v.  gems,  for  the 
treasure  found  at  Mycenae. 

10.  me:    emphatic  contrast  to 
alii  v.    i.  Cf.  i,   i,  29.  —  patiens: 
hardy.     Cf.  Quintil.  3.  7,  24  minus 
Lacedaemone    studia     litterarum 
qnam   A  then  is  honor  es  jnerebmi- 
tur,  plus  pal  'ten  I  'ia  ac  fort  UK  do. 

11.  Larisae  .  .  .  campus  opimae: 
Thessaly  was  famed   in  antiquity 
for  its  grain.     Cf.  //.  2,  841  A.dpura 


12  ff.  Tibur  (Tivoli),  beloved  in 
antiquity  as  in  modern  times  for 
its  beauty,  is  situated  on  the  edge 
of  the  Sabine  Mountains,  overlook- 
ing the  Campagna.  The  Anio 
flows  round  the  foot  of  Mount  Ca- 
tillus  (Monte  Catillo  still)  and  then 
falls  to  the  valley  in  a  number 
of  beautiful  cascades  and  rapids 
(therefore  Albuneae  resonantis; 


CARMINA 


t».  7.  21 


et  praeceps  Anio  ac  Tiburni  lucus  et  uda 

mobilibus  pomaria  rivis. 
Albus.ut  obscuro  dete/get  nubila  caelo 

saepe  Notus  neque  parturit  imbris 
perpetuos,  sic  tu  sapiens  finire  memento 

tristitiam  vitaeque  labores 
molli,  Fiance,  mero,  seu  te  fulgentia  signis 

castra  tenent  seu  densa  tenebit 
Tiburis  umbra  tui.     Teucer  Salamina  patremque 


praeceps  Anio).  For  Horace's  af- 
fection for  Tivoli,  see  Sellar  p.  1 79  f. 
—  domus  Albuneae :  a  grotto  in 
which  *here  was  an  ancient  Italian 
oracle  ;  hence  the  name  of  the  last 
of  the  Sibyls.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  7,  82  ff. 
hicosque  sub  alta  \  consulit  Albu- 
nea,  nemorum  quae  ma.vitma  sacro 
|  fonte  sonat. 

13  f.  Tiburni :  Tiburnus.  grand- 
son of  Amphiaraus,  the  Argive  seer; 
according  to  tradition  he  was  ban- 
ished with  his  brothers  Coras  and 
Catillus,  and  became  with  them 
the  founder  of  Tibur.  Cf.  2,  6,  5 
Tibur  Argeo  positum  colono.  Ca- 
tillus gave  his  name  to  the  moun- 
tain behind  the  town  ;  but  was  also 
associated  with  the  town  itself.  Cf. 
i.  1 8,  2  circa  mite  solum  Tiburis 
et  moenia  Catili.  — lucus :  a  sacred 
grove,  distinguished  from  »e»tus, 
the  more  general  word.  —  uda 
mobilibus,  etc.:  the  Anio  with  its 
restless  streams  (mobilibus  rivis) 
irrigated  the  adjoining  orchards 
(pomaria).  Cf.  Prop.  5,  7,  81  PO- 
mosis  Anio  qua  spumifer  incitbat 
arvis. 


79 


15  f .  The  only  connection  be- 
tween the  preceding  and  that  which 
follows  is  Tiburis  umbra  tui,  v.  21. 
'  You  and  1  love  Tibur  beyond  all 
other  places  ;  the  thought  of  that 
spot  reminds  me  of  thee  ;  learn  the 
lesson  of  an  easy  life  wherever  thou 
mayest  be.'  It  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  the  connection  is  very 
slight.  We  may  have  here  in  reality 
a  combination  of  two  '  fragments ' 
which  Horace  never  completed.  Cf. 
introductory  n.  to  i,  28.  —  albus 
Notus:  the  south  wind  usually 
brought  rain  (nubilus  Auster);  but 
sometimes  clearing  weather  (albus, 
A.£v*c6voros),  and  wiped  (deterget) 
the  clouds  from  the  sky. — parturit: 
breeds.  Cf:  4,  5,  26  f.  quis  (pa-seat) 
Germania  quos  hvrrida  parturit  \ 
fetus. 

17.  perpetuos:  cf.  v.  6  above.  — 
sapiens,  etc. :  bewise  and  remember. 

19.  molli:  mellow. 

20.  tenent  .  .  .  tenebit:     notice 
change  in  tense. 

21  ff.  Again  the  connection  with 
the  preceding  is  slight,  but  Jj& 
pointing  of  a  general  statement 


HORATI 


cum  fugeret,  tamen  uda  Lyaeo 
tempora  populea  fertur  vinxisse  corona, 

sic  tristis  adfatus  amicos  : 
'Quo  nos  cumque  feret  melior  fortuna  parente, 

ibimus,  o  socii  comitesque  ! 
Nil  desperandum  Teucro  duce  et  auspice  Teucro; 

certus  enim  promisit  Apollo 


(17-20)  by  a  mythological  illustra- 
tion is  a  favorite  device  of  Horace. 
This  particular  story  is  found  only 
here:  Teucer's  father.  Telamon, 
refused  to  receive  him  on  his  re- 
turn from  Troy,  since  he  had  failed 
to  bring  his  brother,  Ajax,  with 
him;  therefore  Teucer  sought  a 
new  home  in  Cyprus,  where  he 
founded  a  city,  named  after  his 
birthplace.  The  tale  was  a  fa- 
miliar one  from  Pacuvius*  tragedy, 
Teucer^  which  was  much  admired. 
Cf.  Frg.  12  R.  (which  is  a  part  of 
Telamon's  reproach)  sigregare  abs 
te  aiisit's  ant  sine  lllo  Salaminam 
ingredi,  \  ntque  paternum  asptc- 
tum  es  veritus,  quoin  attate  exacta 
indigent  \  liber  urn  lacerdsti  orbasti 
extlnxti,nequefratrlsnecis  \  neque 
cius  gnati  pdrvi,  qui  tibi  in  tutelam 
est  trdditusf  Cic.  Tusc.  5, 108  re- 
fers to  the  story,  itaque  ad  oinnem 
rationem  Teucri  vox  accomnwdari 
pot  est:  '•Patria  est^  ttbicumque  est 
bene: 

22  f .  cum  fugeret :  when  start- 
ing to  exile.  —  tamen :  *  in  spite  of 
his  trouble.' — Lyaeo:  the  release  r, 
Aixuos-  —  populea :  sacred 

Herjflules.     Cf.  Verg.  A.  8,  276 


Herculea    bicolor  . 
umbra;   Theocr.  2 


.  .  pdpitlus 
121  Kpari  8' 
9  Upov  tpvos. 
The  appropriateness  of  Teucer's 
honoring  Hercules  at  this  time 
lies  in  the  character  of  Hercules 
as  a  traveler  (3,  3,  9  vagus  Her- 
cules') and  leader  (Xen.  Anab.. 
4,  8,  25  ^ye/xwv),  to  whose  pro- 
tection Teucer  might  naturally  in- 
trust himself  when  starting  on  this 
uncertain  journey.  Furthermore 
it  was  in  company  with  Hercules 
that  Telamon  took  Troy  (cf. 
Verg.  A.  i,  619  ff.)  and  captured 
Hesione,  who  became  Teucer's 
mother. 

25.  quo  .  .  .  cumque  :  cf.  n.  to  i, 
6,  3.  —  melior  parente:  kinder  than 
my  father.  Cf.  Telamon's  reproach 
quoted  on  v.  21  above. 

27.  Teucro  .  .  .  Teucro  :  note  that 
the  substitution  of  the  proper  name 
for  me  ...  me  appeals  to  their 
loyalty.  —  duce  et  auspice:  formed 
from  the  technical  Roman  phrase; 
cf.  Suet.  Aug.  21  doinuit  ant  em 
partim  ductu,  partim  auspiciis 
suis  Cantabriam. 

28  f.  The  reason  for  his  confi- 
dence. —certus:  unerring,  true, 


80 


CARMINA 


[1,8,2 


ambiguam  tellure  nova  Salamina  futuram. 
30  O  fortes  peioraque  passi 

mecum  saepe  viri,  mine  vino  pellite  curas ; 
eras  ingens  iterabimus  aequor.' 


. —  ambiguam  .  .  .  Sala- 
mina: a  Salamis  to  dispute  the 
name  (Wickham)  ;  i.e.  when  Sa- 
lamis was  named,  one  could  not  tell 
which  was  meant,  the  old  or  the 
new.  Cf.  Sen.  Troad.  854  hincam- 
bigua  veram  Salamina  opponunt. 
30  ff.  Cf.  Od.  12,  208  u>  <£i'Aoi,  ov 

ydp   7TW   TL    KUKUJI/    u6u7//U,OVC?    tlfJ.CV, 


Verg.  A.  I,  198  f.  o  socii,  neque 
enim  ignari  sumus  ante  malorum,  \ 
o  passi  graviora,  dabit  deus  his 
quoquefinem.  —  nunc :  to-day,  while 
yet  you  may. 

32.  ingens  :  boundless.  —  itera- 
bimus: sail  again.  Cf.  Od.  12,  293 
r)S>6f.v  8*  dra/JdvTes  evr)(rop.€v  evpu 


8 

'Lydia,  in  Heaven's  name,  why  wilt  thou  kill  Sybaris  with  love? 
'He  no  longer  takes  part  in  manly  sports  on  the  Campus  Martius,  but 
hides  as  did  Achilles  on  the  eve  of  Troy.' 

The  same  theme  — the  weakening  of  a  youth  by  love  —  was  adapted 
by  Plautus  Most.  149  ff.  from  a  Greek  comedy,  cdr  dolet,  qudm  scio,  ut 
nunc  sum  atque  ut  fui :  \  quo  neque  indiistrior  di  iuventute  erdt  \  .  .  . 
disco,  hastis,  pild,  airsu,  arvris,  equd  ....  The  date  of  composi- 
tion is  unknown.  It  is  probably  a  study  from  the  Greek,  and  is  Hor- 
ace's single  attempt  to  write  in  the  greater  Sapphic  stanza.  Metre,  70. 

Lydia,  die,  per  omnis 

te  deos  oro,  Sybarin  cur  properes  amando 


i.  Lydia :  (A.v8rj)  a  common 
poetic  name  for  the  heroine  in 
amatory  poetry  from  the  time  of 
Antimachus  ;  cf.  I.  13, 1  ;  25,  8.  — 
per  omnis  te  deos  oro :  the  usual 
order  in  appeals.  Cf.  Ter.  And. 
538  per  te  deos  oro ;  also  in 
Greek,  Soph.  Phil,  468  TT/OOS  vvv 

CT£  7TUTpO5.     .     .     .     iKVOVfMU. 

2  f.    Sybarin :     the     name     is 
chosen  to  fit  the  effeminacy  of  the 
HOR.  CAR.  —  6 


81 


youth.  Cf.  the  Eng.  '  Sybarite.' 
—  cur  properes,  etc. :  i.e.  '  what 
possible  motive  can  you  have  for 
ruining  the  boy  so  quickly?'  The 
rhetorical  form  of  the  question,  as 
well  as  its  content,  implies  that 
Lydia  is  doing  wrong ;  no  answer 
is  expected.  —  amando  :  in  mean- 
ing equivalent  to  an  abstract  noun. 
Cf.  Epod.  14,  5  occidis 
gando,  'by  questioning.' ( 


i,  8,  3] 


HORATI 


10 


perdere,  cur  apricum 

oderit  campum,  patiens  pulveris  atque  soils. 
Cur  neque  militaris 

inter  aequalis  equitat,  Gallica  nee  lupatis 
temperat  ora  frenis? 

Cur  timet  flavum  Tiberim  tangere  ?     Cur  olivum 
sanguine  viperino 

cautius  vitat  neque  iam  livida  gestat  armis 
bracchia,  saepe  disco, 

saepe  trans  finem  iaculo  nobilis  expedito  ? 


4.  campum:  the  Campus  Mar- 
tius  was  the  favorite  place  of  exer- 
cise for  the  young  Romans.  — 
patiens  :  when  he  once  endured. 
Sun  and  dust  are  the  two  tests  of 
manly  endurance.  Cf.  Symmach. 
Or.  I,  I  ibi  primum  tolerans  solis 
et  pulveris  esse  didicisti  ;  Tacitus, 
Hist.  2,  99,  thus  describes  the 
demoralized  condition  of  the  Ger- 
man troops  in  69  A.D.  non  vigor 
corporibus,  non  ardor  animis,  len- 
tuin  et  rarum  agmen,fluxa  anna, 
segnes  equi  ;  itnpatiens  solis,  pul- 
veris, tempestatum. 

5  ft.  Two  centuries  later  Philo- 
stratus  wrote  Epist.  27  ov\  ITTTTOV 
ava3aivf.i<;,  OVK  ets 


atavrov. 

—  militaris:  modifying  aequalis, 
•with  the  martial  youth  of  his  own 
age',  i.e.  in  the  exercises  described 
3,  7,  25  ff.  quamvis  non  alius 
flectere  equiiin  sciens  \  aeqtte  con- 
spicitur  gramine  Martio,  \  nee 
qnisqiiam  citus  aeque  \  Tuscodena- 
—  Gallica  .  .  .  ora  : 
to  ora  equorum  Gal- 


lorum.  The  best  cavalry  horses 
came  from  Gaul.  —  lupatis  .  .  . 
frenis :  bits  with  jagged  points 
like  wolfs  teeth,  serving  the  same 
purpose  as  the  Mexican  bit  of  the 
'cowboy.1  Cf.  Verg.  G.  3,  208 
duris  par  ere  lupatis. 

8.  Swimming  in  the  Tiber  was 
a  favorite  exercise ;  cf.  3,  7,  27 
quoted  on  v.  5  above,  and  Cic.  pro 
Cael.  36  /tabes  hortos  ad  Tiberim, 
quo  oinnis  invent  us  natandi  causa 
venit.  For  the  adjective  flavum, 
cf.  n.  to  i,  2,  13. — olivum:  used 
by  wrestlers  to  anoint  the  body. 
—  sanguine  .  .  .  viperino:  thought 
to  be  a  deadly  poison.  Cf.  Epod. 
3,  6  cruor  viperinus. 

10.  livida :  with  bruises  re- 
ceived in  his  sports  with  discus 
and  javelin. — gestat:  notice  the 
force  of  the  frequentative.  Cf. 
equitat  v.  6.  —  trans  finem:  the 
winner  with  discus  and  javelin 
was  he  who  threw  farthest.  Cf. 
Odysseus'  throw  Od.  8,  192  f.  6 

(SwTKOs)       8*       vWpTTTaTO        (Tiy/ittTU 

d',tov  airb  x«pos. 


82 


CARM1NA 


Quid  latet,  ut  marinae 

filium  dicunt  Thetidis  sub  lacrimosa  Troiae 
funera,  ne  virilis 

cultus  in  caedem  et  Lycias  proriperet  catervas  ? 


13  ff.  A  post-Homeric  legend 
told  how  Thetis,  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  Trojan  war,  knowing  the 
fate  that  awaited  her  son.  Achilles, 
if  he  went  to  Troy,  hid  him  in 
maiden's  dress  among  the  daugh- 
ters of  Lycomedes,  king  of  Scyros. 
(Cf.  Bion  2,  15  ff.  \dvOavf.  8'  Iv 

A.VKOfJ.Tfj8l(Tl     /X.OWO9    'A^lA- 

us,  |  etptu   8'   avff   oirXwv   e8i8a- 

(TKCTO,   KO.I    XfP*-    AeiMCa   |   irapOfVLKOV 

Kopov  £<X£1/'  t^otVeTO  8'  rfvrf.  Kwpa. 
1  But  Achilles  alone  lay  hid  among 
the  daughters  of  Lycomedes,  and 
was  trained  to  work  in  wools,  in 
place  of  arms,  and  in  his  white  hand 
held  the  bough  of  maidenhood,  in 
semblance  a  maiden.'  (Lang.) 


Here  he  was  discovered  by  Ulys- 
ses, who  came  in  disguise  as  a 
peddler  bringing  wares  intended 
to  attract  the  attention  of  girls ; 
there  were  also  in  his  pack  some 
weapons,  by  handling  which  Achil- 
les betrayed  himself.  The  story 
is  told  by  Ovid  Met.  13,  162  ff. ; 
cf.  Statius  Achilleis  2,  44  f.  (.The 
discovery  is  shown  in  two  'Pom- 
peian  wall  paintings,  one  of  which 
is  reproduced  in  Baumeister,  no. 
1528. 

—  sub  .  .  .  funera :  on  the  eve 
of;  cf.  sub  noctem.  — cultus  :  dress. 
—  Lycias :  the  Lycians  were  the 
Trojans'  chief  allies  against  the 
army  of  the  Greeks. 


'  The  world  is  bound  in  the  fetters  of  snow  and  ice.  Heap  high  the 
fire  to  break  the  cold  ;  bring  out  the  wine.  Leave  all  else  to  the  gods ; 
whate'er  to-morrow's  fate  may  give,  count  as  pure  gain.  To-day  is 
thine  for  love  and  dance,  while  thou  art  young.' 

The  first  two  strophes  at  least  are  based  on  an  ode  of  Alcaeus 
of  which  we  still  have  six  verses ;  the  setting  only  is  Italian.  Ale. 
Frg.  34  vu  fjikv  6  Zeus,  **  8'  opavw  /Ac'yas  |  \f.ifj.<i>v,  TrcTrayatrtv  8' 
poai.  |  •  •  •  Ka/3/3aAA.e  TOV  ^£t/x,o)i/',  CTTI  //.ei>  TI'^EIS  |  Trvp,  tv  8e 
oivov  a^aSs'ws  |  /xcAt^pov,  avrap  a/x<£t  /cdpcra  |  /xaA^aKov 
)  yv6<j>oL\Xov.  'Zeus  sends  down  rain,  and  from  the  sky 
there  falls  a  mighty  winter  storm;  frozen  are  the  streams.  Break  down 
the  storm  by  heaping  up  the  fire ;  mix  sweet  wine  ungrudgingly,  and 
throw  round  thy  head  sweet  lavender.1  The  last  four  strophes  ^^^ 
apparently  Horace's  own.  The  theme  is  the  same  as  that  oi£pod.  13. 

83 


1,9, 


HORATI 


The  ode  clearly  suggested  to  Tennyson  the  lines,  fn  Mentor.  107, 
•  Fiercely  flies  |  The  blast  of  North  and  East,  and  ice  |  Makes  daggers 
at  the  sharpen'd  eaves,  .  .  .  But  fetch  the  wine,  |  Arrange  the  board 
and  brim  the  glass,  ||  Bring  in  great  logs  and  let  them  lie,  |  To  make 
a  solid  core  of  heat ;  |  Be  cheerful-minded,  talk  and  treat  |  Of  all 
things  ev'n  as  he  were  by.1 

Thaliarchus  (v.  8)  is  only  a  person  of  Horace's  fancy,  although 
the  name  was  in  actual  use,  as  is  shown  by  inscriptions.  The  ode  is 
evidently  a  study  and  not  an  occasional  poem ;  while  it  probably  be- 
longs to  Horace's  earlier  attempts  at  lyric  verse,  the  skill  with  which  it 
is  written  has  won  admiration  from  all  critics.  Metre,  68. 


Vides  ut  alta  stet  nive  candidum 
Soracte,  nee  iam  sustineant  onusAJy 
silvae  laborantes,  geluque         g 
flumina  constiterint  acuto.  v 

Dissolve  frigus  ligna  super  foco 
large  reponens,  atque  benignius 


i.  The  point  of  view  is  appar- 
ently the  neighborhood  of  Tivoli, 
from  which  Soracte  can  be  seen 
some  twenty  miles  to  the  west  of 
north  ;  while  Soracte  is  the  highest 
peak  (2000  feet)  visible  from  this 
vicinity,  it  is  not  ordinarily  the 
most  conspicuous  mountain.  Snow 
is  seldom  seen  on  it,  and  so  Hor- 
ace seems  to  choose  this  rare  phe- 
nomenon to  suggest  extreme  cold 
weather.  —  ut:  interrogative.— 
nive  candidum :  cf.  Macaulay,  Re- 
X/ttrts,  '  White  as  Mount  Soracte  | 
When  winter  nights  are  long.' 

3  f.  laborantes  :  with  the  burden 
of  the  snow ;  cf.  2,  9,  7  f.  where 
the  high  wind  is  the  cause  of  the 
s.  Aqttilonibus  \  quer- 
ani labor  ant.  —  flumina 


84 


constiterint:  this  degree  of  cold 
is  not  known  to  the  Campagna. 
Horace  here  follows  Alcaeus  TTC- 
TTttyacrtv  8'  vBdrwv  pout. —  acuto  : 
biting, sharp.  Cf.  Find.  P.  I,  38  f. 

Vl<f>6(.(T(T      AlTVU,     TTaVfTTJS    I     XIOVOS 

of«ttt9  Tt#r/va,  '  nurse  of  the  biting 
snow  the  whole  year  through.1 

5.  dissolve  frigus:    cf.   i,  4,  I 
sohiitiir   acris  /u'e»ts,    and    n.  — 
foco :   the  common  hearth  in  the 
middle  of  the  atrium. 

6.  reponens  :  '  keeping  up '  the 
supply  of  wood ;  re-   implying  a 
duty  to  replace  what  the  fire  con- 
sumes ;    cf.  rt&dere.  —  benignius  : 
without  stint,  a.<f>i<.8ta>s  •  the  com- 
parative   is   not   opposed   to   the 
positive  large  in  any  sense,  but  is 
simply  emphatic. 


CARM1NA 


9,  14 


10 


deprome  quadrimum  Sabina, 
o  Thaliarche,  merum  diota. 

Permitte  divis  cetera ;  qui  simul 
stravere  ventos  aequore  fervido 
deproeliantis,  nee  cupressi 
nee  veteres  agitantur  orni. 

Quid  sit  futurum  eras  fuge  quaerere,  et 
quern  fors  dierum  cumque  dabit  lucro 


7.  deprome:  broach.  Sabine 
wine  was  but  ordinary  'vin  de  pays' 
which  would  be  well  aged  in  four 
years.  Horace  means  'a  roaring 
fire  and  good  vin  ordinaire  will 
give  us  warmth  and  cheer.'  Yet 
the  age  —  four  years  —  may  have 
been  a  commonplace  of  poets  ;  cf. 
Theoc.  7,  147  T£Tpa£V£s  8c  TR&OV 
aTreAvcTO  /cparos  aA«<£ttp.  '  And 
it  was  a  four-year-old  seal  that 
was  loosened  from  the  mouth  of 
the  wine  jars.'  Likewise  14,  15  f. 
dvw£tt  Se 


T£Topa>v  e«.  (T^cov  ws  O.TTO 
Aavw.  '  And  I  opened  for  them 
Bibline  wine,  four  years  old,  fra- 
grant almost  as  when  it  came  from 
the  wine  press.1  —  Thaliarche: 
©aAwip^os  ;  this  suggests  the  mas- 
ter of  the  drinking  bout,  arbiter 
convivii.  Cf.  n.  to  i,  4,  18.  — 
diota  :  SUOTOS  ;  the  two-handled 
amphora  in  which  the  wine  was 
stored  in  the  apotheca. 

9  f  .  cetera  :  all  else,  in  con- 
trast to  the  present  moment  and 
its  joys.  Cf.  Epod.  13.  7  f.  cetera 
uiitte  loqui  ;  dens  haec  fortasse 


benigna  \  redncet  in  sedetn  vice, 
and  Theog.  1047  f.  vvv /lev  TTIVOVTCS 
T£p7rwp-£wa.  KuAa  A£yovT£5  •  I  ao*o"u 
8'  £TT£IT'-  «TTCU,  TO.VTO.  Qtoicn  /xeXfi. 
'  Now  let  us  take  our  delight  in 
drinking,  speaking  words  of  fair 
omen ;  whatever  shall  come  to- 
morrow is  only  Heaven's  care.' 
Cf.  also  the  passages  quoted  on  v. 
1 3  below.  —  qui  simul.  etc. :  the  fol- 
lowing illustrates  the  power  of  the 
gods.  —  simul :  i.e.  simul  ac ;  cf. 
i,  4,  17,  and  n.  —  stravere:  so 
<rroptVvujiu,  in  the  same  connec- 
tion Od.  3,  158  fo-Topf.<Tev  8e  #EOS 
fjLfyaKrjTfa  TTOVTOV- 

1 1  f .  The  cypresses  of  the  gar- 
den are  contrasted  with  the  ash 
trees  of  the  mountains. 

13  ff.  Common  Epicurean  sen- 
timents. Cf.  the  Anacreontic  TO 

O"r)fJLf.pOV     fJL€\€l  fJ.Ol    |     TO     8'     fl'iplOV 

Tt's  o?8£v  ,•  and  Philet.  Frg.  7  K.  TL 
8f?  yap  WTO.  OvrjTov*  'iKf.Tf.vw,  iroitiv  \ 
Tr\r)V  iy8e'a>?  ^rjv  TUV  fiiov  Ku.6'  ^/u.£- 
pav  |  £15  uvptov  8*.  [jirjdf  <f>povTi- 
£,iiv  o  TL  |  tcrrai;  'For  what  should 
I  who  am  mortal  do.  I  pray  thee» 
save  live  pleasantly  day  b/*da\. 


' 


IIORATI 


'5 


20 


adpone,  nee  dulcis  amores 
sperne  puer  neque  tu  choreas, 

donee  virenti  canities  abest 
morosa.     Nunc  et  campus  et  areae 
lenesque  sub  noctem  susurri 
composita  repetantur  hora  ; 

nunc  et  latentis  proditor  intimo 
gratus  puellae  risus  ab  angulo 


and  have  no  anxiety  for  what  may 
come  on  the  morrow?'  —  fuge: 
shun,  cf.  2,  4,  22  fuge  suspicari, 
—  fors :  personified,  Dame  For- 
tune. —  dierum:  connect  with  quern 
.  .  .  cumque.  For  the  tmesis,  cf. 
i,  6,  3.  —  lucro  appone  :  in  ori- 
gin a  commercial  expression ; 
'  carrying  to  the  profit  account.' 
Cf.  Ovid,  Trist.  i,  3,  68  in  lucro 
est  quae  datur  hora  mihi. 

16.  puer :      '  while     thou     art 
young.'  —  tu:  in  disjunctive   sen- 
tences   the    subject    pronoun    is 
often    reserved    for    the     second 
member  as  here,  giving  emphasis 
to  the   charge.     Cf.   Epist.   r,  2, 
63  hunc  frenis,  hunc  tu  compesce 
catena ;    and    luv.    6,    172    parce 
precor,  Paean,  et  tu  depone  sagit- 
tas. 

17.  virenti  canities :  notice  the 
forceful  juxtaposition  ;  cf.  n.  to  i, 
5, 9.  —  virenti :  sc.  tibi.    Cf.  Epod. 
13,  4  dum  iiirent  genua. 

1 8  ff.  morosa  :  crabbed.  —  nunc : 
'.while  thou  art  young/  repeating 
donee  ~tirenti,  etc.  The  Campus 


Martius  and  the  public  squares 
(areae)  were  natural  trysting 
places.  In  our  climate  we  have 
little  idea  of  the  way  in  which 
Italian  life,  from  business  to  love- 
making,  is  still  carried  on  in  the 
squares  (piazze)  of  the  towns 
and  cities.  —  lenes  .  .  .  susurri : 
cf.  Prop.  I,  II,  13  blandos  audire 
susurros. 

21  ff.  nunc  et:  the  anaphora 
weakens  the  violence  of  the 
zeugma  by  which  this  strophe  is 
connected  with  repetantur,  be 
claimed;  the  opposite  of  redder e. 
cf.  n.  on  reponens,  v.  6,  above. 
The  skillful  arrangement  of  the 
verses  is  striking  and  cannot  be 
reproduced  in  an  uninflected  lan- 
guage ;  like  an  artist,  Horace  adds 
to  his  picture  stroke  after  stroke, 
until  it  is  complete.  Each  idea  in 
the  first  verse  has  its  complement 
in  the  second  :  — 
latentis  proditor  intinw 


puellae  risus 


ab  angulo 
Intr.  21. 


CARMINA 


[i,  10,  2 


pignusque  dereptum  lacertis 
aut  digito  male  pertinaci. 


23  f.  The  girl  is  coquettish. 
Porphyrio  quotes  Verg.  E.  3,  65 
et  fugit  (sc.  puella)  ad  salices  et 
se  cupit  ante  videri.  Cf.  also 
Maximian's  verses  written  in  the 
sixth  century  A.D.  Eleg.  I,  67  ff. 
et  modo  sitbridens  latebras  fugi- 
tiva  petebat, \non  tamen  effugiens 


tola  latere  volens,  \  sed  magi's  e\ 
aliqna  cupiebat  parte  videri,  \ 
laetior  hoc  potius,  quod  male  tecta 
fitit.  —  pignus  :  pledge,  either  ring 
or  bracelet. — male:  a  weak  nega- 
tive with  pertinaci,  like  minus, 
feebly  resisting.  Cf.  i»  2,  27, 
and  n. 


10 


The  Italian  Mercury  was  early  identified  with  the  Greek  Hermes, 
but  was  chiefly  worshiped  by  the  Romans  as  the  god  of  trade. 
This  ode  is  a  hymn  to  Mercury  with  the  varied  attributes  of  his 
Greek  parallel:  he  is  celebrated  as  the  god  of  eloquence  (Aoyios),  of 
athletic  contests  (dyowos),  the  divine  messenger  (SiaKropoj),  the  in- 
ventor of  the  lyre  (//.OUO-IKOS),  the  god  of  thieves  (/cAen-T^s),  the  helper 
(epiouVio?).  and  the  shepherd  of  the  shades  ((/'V^OTTO/XTTOS) ,  who  restrains 
them  with  his  golden  wand  (xpwdppaTris) .  That  this  ode  is  based  on 
a  similar  ode  by  Alcaeus  is  expressly  stated  by  Porphyrio,  hymnus  est 
in  Afercuriuw  ab  Alcaeo  lyrico  poeta,  who  adds  on  v.  9  fabula  haec 
aut  em  ab  Alcaeo  ficta;  furthermore  Pausanias  (7,  20,  5)  informs  us  that 
Alcaeus  treated  in  a  hymn  the  theft  of  cattle  from  Apollo,  but  Menander 
(de  encom.  7)  says  that  the  chief  theme  of  the  hymn  was  the  birth  of 
the  god,  so  that  we  may  safely  conclude  that  Horace's  treatment  of  his 
original  was  free.  Unfortunately  but  three  verses  of  Alcaeus'  hvmn  are 
preserved,  Frg.  5  xaV>E  KuAAavas  o  /is'Scis,  <re  yap  /xot  |  0v/u.os  V/JLVTJV, 
TOV  Kopv<t>(u<i  ev  aurais  |  Maia  yeWaro  Kpovc'Sa  /xiyeura.  Metre,  69. 

Mercuri,  facunde  nepos  Atlantis, 
qui  feros  cultus  hominum  recentum 

iff.  facunde:  as  \oyios,  god  of  cunde  minister,  and  also  Acts  14, 

speech,  expanded  in  the  following  12  'And  they  called  .  .  .  Paul,  Mer- 

qui  .  .  .  voce  formasti ;  cf.  Mart.  7,  cury,  because   he   was   the   chief 

74,  i   Cyllenes  caelique  decus,  fa-  speaker.'  —  nepos    Atlantis :     cf. 

87  A 


«,  io,  3] 


HOKATI 


10 


voce  formasti  catus  et  decorae 
more  palaestrae, 

te  canam,  magni  lovis  et  deorum 
nuntium  curvaeque  lyrae  parentem, 
callidum  quicquid  placuit  iocoso 
condere  furto. 

Te  boves  olim  nisi  reddidisses 
per  dolum  amotas  puerum  minaci 
voce  dum  terret,  viduus  pharetra 
risit  Apollo. 


Ovid's  appeal,  Fast.  5,  663  dare 
nepos  sit  lands,  ades,  and  Eurip.  Ion 
i  ff.,  where  Hermes  speaks,"ATAus 
.  .  .  €<f>v<Tf.  Mcudv,  ?/  fi  fyeiva.ro  \ 
'Ep/x^v  fuyumf  Zrjvc.  —  cultus  : 
manners.  —  recentum  :  '  newly  cre- 
ated ' ;  i.e.  mankind  in  its  infancy, 
described  by  Horace,  S  1,3,  100 
as  jnutum  et  turpe  pecus.  By  the 
gift  of  language  (voce)  and  the  in- 
stitution (more)  of  'grace-giving' 
athletic  sports  Mercury  raised  men 
out  of  their  early  brute  condition. 
An  inscription  (Orelli  1417)  in  his 
honor  reads  sennonis  dator  in  fans 
palaestram  protulit  Cylleniiis. — 
catus:  an  archaic  word  defined  by 
Varro  L.  /,.  7,  46  as  a  cut  us.  the 
opposite  of  stiiltus. 

6.  nuntium :  so  he  is  called  Verg. 
A.  4.  356  interpres  diimm.  —  ly- 
rae  parentem:  cf.  Arnold's  JAvvyte 
'Surprised  in  tlie glens  |  The  bask- 
ing tortoises,  whose  striped  shell 
founded  |  In  the  hand  of  Hermes 
the  glory  of  the  lyre.' 

A,  '« 


7  f.  callidum  :  with  the  depend- 
ent infinitive  condere.  Intr.  108. 
Hermes  is  called  Eurip.  Rhes.  217 
<^f]\jjr^v  avu£.  —  iocoso  :  sportive. 

9  ff.  According  to  the  Homeric 
hymn  to  Mercury  22  ff.  it  was  on 
the  very  day  of  the  god's  birth  that 
he  perpetrated  this  theft  as  well  as 
invented  the  lyre.  The  Scholiast 
to  //.  15,  256  tells  the  same  story 
'Ep/xrjs  o  Atos  Ktti  Maias  T^S  *ArAav- 
TOS  evpe  Avpav  KJLI  TOUS  ATrdAAwi/os 
/3das  K\&]/a<>  evpiOr)  VTTO  TOV  dzov 
Sia  TT)<;  fjuavTiKY)1;  •  aireiXovvro;  O€ 

TOV    A  7roAA<i)VOS    (K\€\1/(.V    O.VTOV  Kttl 


TTJV 


O€ 

Trap  auro?'  TJ]V  Xi'otiv.  —  olim:  'long 
ago  in  thy  childhood.1  —  nisi  red- 
didisses: the  sentence  stands  in 
'  informal  '  indirect  discourse,  the 
apodosis  being  contained  in  minaci 
voce:  Apollo  snid.  threateningly, 
'  if  you  do  not  give  back  my 


CARMINA 


[I,  10,  20 


Quin  et  Atridas  duce  te  superbos 
Ilio  dives  Priamus  relicto 
Thessalosque  ignis  et  iniqua  Troiae 
castra  fefellit. 

Tu  pias  laetis  animas  reponis 
sedibus  virgaque  levem  coerces 
aurea  turbam,  superis  deorum 
gratus  et  imis. 


cattle  (tiisi  reddideris,  fut.  perf. 
ind.),  I'll  .  .  . ,'  his  threat  being  in- 
terrupted by  an  involuntary  laugh 
at  seeing  himself  robbed  (viduus) 
of  his  quiver. — risit:  used  in  ob- 
ligatory sense,  had  to  laugh;  em- 
phatic from  its  position.  Intr.  22. 

13  ff.  This  strophe  summarizes 
the  twenty-fourth  book  of  the  Iliad, 
in  which  is  told  how  Priam,  under 
Hermes'  direction,  came  into  the 
Greek  camp  bringing  great  ransom 
for  Hector's  body,  how  he  kissed 
the  hand  of  his  son's  slayer,  and 
carried  back  the  corpse.  This  ex- 
ample of  Hermes'  power  to  protect 
and  aid  mankind  forms  an  easy  tran- 
sition from  the  story  of  his  clever 
theft  (7-12)  to  a  mention  of  his 
highest  functions,  as  i//u^o7ro/Li7ro? 
(17-20). 

—  quin  et:  regularly  used  in 
transition  to  a  more  striking  state- 
ment, or,  as  here,  to  a  higher  theme. 
Cf. 2, 13, 37  :  3. 11,21.  —  dives:  with 
the  treasure  he  carried  to  ransom 
Hector's  body. — Thessalos  ignis: 
specializing  the  watch-fires  as  be- 
longing to  Achilles1  troops.  —  fe- 
fellit:  went  all  unnoticed  past. 


17.  tu:  note  the  effective  ana- 
phora whereby  the  Mercuri  of  the 
first  strophe  is  repeated  in  the 
initial  word  of  the  second,  third,  and 
fifth  (te  .  . .  te  .  .  .  tu)  ;  in  the  fourth 
the  initial  quin  et  pushes  the  pro- 
noun (duce  te)  to  the  middle  of  the 
verse.  Intr.  28c. —  reponis:  dost 
duly  bring  to  the  abodes  of  the  blest, 
or  possibly  '  restorest  to?  under  the 
conception  that  the  souls  returned 
to  their  former  homes.  For  this 
force  of  re-  cf.  1,3,7  reddas,  and  n- 
101,9,6.  —  sedibus:  abl.  Intr.  95. 

i8f.  virga . . .  aurea :  the  KrjpvKetoi' 
presented  by  Apollo,  with  which 
Mercury  rules  men  and  the  shades 
alike.  Cf.  //.  24,  343  f.  eiAtro  & 
,  rrj  r  dvBpo)v  ofj./juiTa  0eA.y«  | 
ci,  TOI>S  8  ttvre  KCU  vrrvaioi'Tas 
eyetpet.  The  familiar  caduceus 
with  which  Mercury  is  often  repre- 
sented is  of  later  origin.  —  levem 
. . .  turbam:  flitting  crowd ;  eiSwAu 
Ka/xdvTwv. — coerces :  as  a  shepherd. 
Cf.  1 . 24. 1 6  ff.  quam  (sc.  imaginem) 
virga  semel  horrida  \  nonlenispre- 
cibus  fata  recludere,  \  nigro  com- 
pulerit  Mercurius  gregi,  and  Od. 
24,  i  ff. 


I,  II,  I] 


HORATI 


II 

''Leuconoe,  give  up  trying  to  learn  the  secrets  of  the  future.  Be 
me,  do  thy  daily  task,  and  live  to-day ;  time  is  swiftly  flying.'  This  is 
simply  a  variation  of  the  theme  (i,  9,  12  ff.),  quid  sit futurum  eras, 
fitge  quaerere,  et  \  quern  fors  dierum  cuniqne  dabit,  lucro  \  appone. 
Probably  a  study  from  the  Greek,  possibly  of  Alcaeus,  as  are  I,  18, 
and  4,  10,  the  two  other  odes  in  the  same  measure.  Metre,  54. 

Tu  ne  quaesieris,  scire  nefas,  quern  mihi,  quern  tibi 
finem  di  dederint,  Leuconoe,  nee  Babylonios 
temptaris  numeros.     Vt  melius  quicquid  erit  pati, 
seu  pluris  hiemes  seu  tribuit  luppiter  ultimam 
5       quae  nunc  oppositis  debilitat  pumicibus  mare 


i.  tu :  emphasizing  the  requests 
to  his  imaginary  Leuconoe,  whose 
name  is  chosen  for  its  pleasing 
sound.  By  the  collocation,  quern 
mihi,  quern  tibi,  Horace  represents 
her  as  dear  to  him. — ne  quaesi- 
eris :  archaic  and  colloquial  for 
the  ordinary  noli  with  the  infini- 
tive.—  scire  nefas:  parenthetical. 
Cf.  Epod.  1 6,  14  nefas  videre ;  and 
for  the  thought  as  well,  Stat. 
Theb.  3.  562  q uid  crastina  volveret 
aetas  scire  nefas  /to mini. 

2  f .  nee :  with  temptaris,  con- 
tinuing the  prohibition,  for  the 
more  common  neve.  —  Babylonios 
.  .  .  numeros :  the  calculations  of 
the,  etc.,  employed  in  casting 
horoscopes.  After  the  conquests 
of  Alexander,  astrologers  made 
their  way  to  Greece  from  the 
east  in  large  numbers  and  had 
established  themselves  in  Rome 
as  early  as  the  second  century 
B.C.,  where  they  did  a  thriving 
business  among  the  superstitious. 


They  had  become  a  nuisance  as 
early  as  139  B.C.  when  the  prae- 
tor peregrinus,  Cornelius  Scipio, 
banished  them  ;  but  they  still  con- 
tinued to  practice  their  art  through- 
out the  republic  and  especially 
under  the  empire,  in  spite  of  many 
attempts  to  rid  Italy  of  them.  Cf. 
Tac.  Hist,  i,  22  genus  hominum 
potentibus  infidiun  sperantibus 
fallax,  quod  in  civitate  nostra  et 
vetabitur  semper  et  retinebitur. 

—  ut:  cf.  Epod.  2,  \Qitt  gattdet 
decerpens pira.  —  hiemes :  of  years, 
equivalent  to  annos ;  cf.  I,  15,  35 
post  certas  hiemes. 

5  f.  oppositis  debilitat  pumici- 
bus mare  Tyrrhenum :  pumices  is 
used  of  any  rocks  eaten  by  the 
waves;  cf.  Lucret.  i,  326  vesco 
sale  saxa  peresa.  Sidon.  Apoll. 
10,  27  prominet  alte  \  asper  ab 
assiduo  lympharum  verbere  PU- 
mex.  The  description  given,  how- 
ever, is  hardly  appropriate  to 
the  Tuscan  Sea,  in  the  region 


90 


CARMINA 


[If  12 


Tyrrhenum.     Sapias,  vina  liques,  et  spatio  brevi 
spem  longam  reseces.     Dum  loquimur,  fugerit  invida 
aetas ;  carpe  diem,  quam  minimum  credula  postero. 


best  known  to  Horace.  —  sapias : 
be  sensible,  expanded  in  what  fol- 
lows. With  the  sentiment,  cf.  I, 
7,  17  sapiens  finire  memento  tris- 
titiam.  —  vina  liques :  to  free  the 
wine  from  sediment  it  was  poured 
from  the  amphora  through  a  cloth 
(saccits)  or  strainer  (coluni) .  — 
spatio  brevi:  'for  our  life's  span 
is  brief; '  opposed  to  spem  longam. 
Intr.  26.  —  reseces :  cut  short. 

7.  dum  loquimur  .  .  .  fugerit : 
note   the   force   of  the  fut.  perf. 
Cf.   Lucret.  3,   914  f.    brevis  hie 
est  f met  us  homullis;  \  iam  fuerit 
nequepost  umqiiam  revocare  licebit. 
Also  luv.  9,  128  f.  diimbibimus, .  .  . 
obrepit  non  intellecta  senectus. 

8.  diem :      the   flitting    day, 
equivalent  to  ' primo  quoque  die 


friierej  according  to  Porphyrio, 
who  adds  that  the  figure  is  taken 
from  picking  (car per  e)  fruit,  '•quae 
carpimus  ut  fruamur."1  Cf.  Lucil. 
39,  51  M.  hiemein  unam  quamque 
carpani ;  Mart.  7,  47,  1 1  fugitiva 
gaudia  carpe.  The  spirit  of  the 
last  line  is  also  expressed  in  Epist. 
I,  4,  12  f.  inter  spem  curamque, 
tinwres  inter  et  iras  \  oinnem  crede 
diem  tibi  diluxisse  supremnm ; 
likewise  by  Persius,  5,  151-53, 
who  expands  Horace's  verse,  in- 
dulge genio,  carpamiis  dulcia,  nos- 
trum est  |  quod  i>ivis,  cinis  et  manes 
et  fabnla  fies,  \  vive  memor  leti, 
fugit  hora,  hoc  quod  log  nor  inde  est. 
—  credula :  of  foolish  confi- 
dence, cf.  i,  5,  9  qni  nunc  te  frui- 
tnr  credulus  aurea. 


12 

'  What  hero,  demigod,  or  god,  dost  thou  prepare  to  sing,  O  Muse  ? 
Whose  name  shall  echo  on  Helicon,  on  Pindus,  or  on  Haemus'  height, 
where  Orpheus  charmed  all  nature  with  his  strains?  (1-12).  Of  gods 
first  surely  father  Jove ;  then  his  daughter  Pallas,  then  Liber.  Diana,  and 
Phoebus  (13-24).  The  demigod,  Alceus'  grandson,  will  I  celebrate,  and 
the  twin  brothers,  who  guard  sailors  from  the  angry  sea  (25-32).  Then 
the  great  Romans,  Romulus,  Tarquin,  Cato,  and  the  long  line  of  heroes 
after  them  (33-44).  Marcellus1  fame  is  growing;  the  Julian  star  out- 
shines the  rest  (45-48).  Father  and  guardian  of  men,  in  thy  care  is 
mighty  Caesar,  greatest  of  all  the  Roman  line.  May  his  rule  be  second  to 
thine  only ;  may  he  conquer  the  Parthians  and  the  remotest  Eastern  peo- 
ples, and  rule  the  wide  wide  world  ;  still  shall  he  be  thy  subject,  for  thou, 
thou  only  shalt  ever  be  Lord  of  Olympus,  the  Punisher  of  crime  (49-60).' 

91 


I,  12,  Ij 


HORATI 


This  ode,  like  the  second  of  this  book,  is  in  honor  of  Augustus,  who 
is  celebrated  as  greatest  of  all  the  long  line  of  Roman  heroes,  the  vice- 
gerent of  Jove.  The  mention  of  Marcellus  (46)  makes  it  probable 
that  the  date  of  composition  was  either  25  B.C.,  when  Marcellus  was 
married  to  Augustus1  daughter  Julia  and  adopted  as  the  Emperor's  son, 
or  in  any  case  between  that  date  and  Marcellus'  death  in  23  B.C.  The 
opening  verses  were  suggested  by  Pindar's  ode  in  honor  of  Theron 
(O.  2)  which  begins  dvu£i<£6p/atyyes  V/AVOI,  |  TWO.  6(.6v,  TW  ypoxi,  riva 
8'  av&pa  KcAaSiyo-o/iev  ,•  Horace  proceeds,  however,  in  very  different  fashion 
from  Pindar,  who  answers  his  question  at  once :  '  Of  the  Gods,  Zeus ; 
of  demigods,  Heracles;  of  men,  Theron  the  victor.'  Metre,  69. 

Quern  virum  aut  heroa  lyra  vel  acri 
tibia  sumis  celebrare,  Clio, 
quern  deum  ?     Cuius  recinet  iocosa 
nomen  imago 

5  aut  in  utnbrosis  Heliconis  oris 

aut  super  Pindo  gelidove  in  Haemo  ? 


i.  heroa:  demigod. — lyra  .  .  . 
tibia :  the  Greek  rhapsodist  ac- 
companied his  recital  with  the 
lyre,  and  it  is  said  (Cic.  Titsc.  4, 
3)  that  in  early  times  the  Romans 
sang  their  songs  in  honor  of  their 
ancestors  (laudationes)  to  the 
music  of  the  tibia.  — acri :  Atyto?, 
Aiyvpa;  of  the  high  clear  notes 
of  the  pipe.  The  epithet  is  praised 
by  Quintilian  8,  2,  9  proprie  dic- 
tum est,  id  est.  quo  nihil  inve- 
niri PO ssit  signified ntiu s.  —  sumis  : 
clwose,  as  subject  of  thy  song ; 
used  with  similar  dependent  infin. 
Epist.  I,  3,  7  gut's  sibi  res  ges/as 
Augtisti  scribere  sum  it  f  —  Clio  : 
while  Horace  does  not  often  dis- 
tinguish the  Muses,  it  is  possible 
that  here  Clio  is  invoked  in  her  pe- 
culiar character  as  Muse  of  History. 


3  f .  iocosa  .  .  .  imago :  sportive 
echo.  Cf.  I,  20,  6  iocosa  .  .  . 
Vaticani  mantis  imago. 

5  f .  Three  homes  of  the  Muses  : 
Helicon  in  Boeotia,  Pindus  in  Thes- 
sajy,  Haemus  in  Thrace.  At  the 
foot  of  Helicon  was  the  village  of 
Ascra,  in  which  there  was  a  shrine 
of  the  Muses  (/xowmoi/)  and  a  guild 
of  poets  of  which  Hesiod  (eighth 
centuryB.C.)  was  the  most  famous. 
The  mountain  was  also  famed  for 
the  springs  of  Hippocrene  and 
Aganippe.  Pindus  was  between 
Thessaly  and  Epirus ;  likewise  a 
haunt  of  the  Muses.  Haemus 
was  the  seat  of  an  early  cult  of  the 
Muses  and  the  traditional  home 
of  a  Thracian  school  of  poetry. 
Cf.  Verg.  E.  10,  1 1  f.  natn  neqite 
Parnasi  vobis  iuga,  nam  neque 


92 


LI,  «2,  14 


Vnde  vocalem  temere  insecutae 
Orphea  silvae, 

arte  materna  rapidos  morantem 
fluminum  lapsus  celerisque  ventos, 
blandum  et  auritas  fidibus  canoris 
ducere  quercus. 

Quid  prius  dicam  solitis  parentis 
laudibus,  qui  res  hominum  ac  deorum, 


Pindi  \  nlla  morain  fecere,  neqne 
Aonie  Aganippe.  —  oris  :  the  bor- 
ders of  . 

7  f.  temere  :  blindly,  being  spell- 
bound by  Orpheus'  music.  For 
the  story  of  Orpheus'  power,  cf. 
Apoll.  Rhod.  I,  28  ff.  <£r/yoi  8' 
dypiaSes,  KCIVT^  In  (rrj/JMTa  /ttoATr^s, 
6pr)tKir)S  Zaivr/s  ITU  T7/A.C- 


fjioi,  as  oy  €7ri7rpo  0eA.yo//.£vas 
</>6p)U.iyyi  Ka.rriya.yf.  HiepirjOev. 
•  But  the  wild  oaks  —  even  to-day 
memorials  of  that  song  —  grow  on 
Zone,  the  Thracian  promontory, 
and  stand  there  in  rows  close  to- 
gether ;  the  oaks  that  Orpheus 
charmed  with  his  lyre  and  brought 
down  from  Pieria.'  Also  Shake- 
spere,  Henry  Eighth  3,  i  '  Orpheus 
with  his,  lute  made  trees,  |  And 
the  mountain  tops  that  freeze,  | 
Bow  themselves  when  he  did 
sing  :  |  To  his  music,  plants  and 
flowers  |  Ever  sprung  ;  as  sun  and 
showers  |  There  had  made  a  last- 
ing Spring.' 

9  ff.  Cf.  3,  n,  13  f.  tu  potes 
tigris  cotnitesque  silvas  \  ducere  et 
rivos  celeris  morari.  —  materna  : 


i.e.  of  Calliope. — blandum  .  .  . 
ducere  :  for  the  dependent  infinitive 
Porph)rio  compares  i,  10,  7  calli- 
dum  condere. — auritas:  prolepti- 
cal,  '  with  charm  to  give  ears  to  the 
oaks  and  draw  them  after  him.' 

13-24.  The  Gods.  Notice 
that  Horace  in  taking  up  his  exam- 
ples reverses  the  order  of  v.  i  ff. 
virum  .  .  .  heroa  .  .  .  deum. 

13.  solitis    parentis    laudibus: 
the  customary  beginning  from  the 
time  of  the  Homeric  rhapsodists. 
Cf.  Find.  Ar.  2,  I  ff.  oOev  ?rep  KCU 

0/J.IJpiOat   |    paTTTCUV  €7Tf(DV  Ttt  TToAA' 

aotSot  I  ap^ovTai,  Ato?  IK  irpooi- 
(jLiov.  And  Aratus  Phaen.  \  f.  IK 
Aios  a.pxiafji(.crda.  ....  TOV  yap  KCU 
y/vo?  ecrfji-v.  Also  Verg.  E.  3,  60 
ab  love  principiiim.  The  formula 
indicates  the  beginning  of  a  loftier 
strain  than  usual,  of  a  song  that 
may  be  compared  with  that  of 
Thracian  Orpheus. 

—  parentis :  cf.  v.  49  pater 
atque  custos,  and  I,  2,  2  pater. 

14.  qui  res,  etc.  :  cf.  Venus'  ad- 
dress, Verg.  A.  i,  229  f.  o  qui  res 
honiinumqite    deumque  \  aeternis 
regts  imperils. 


93 


1,   12,  IS] 


HORAT1 


15  qui  mare  et  terras  variisque  mundum 

temperat  horis  ? 

Vnde  nil  mains  generatur  ipso, 
nee  viget  quicquam  simile  aut  secundum ; 
proximos  illi  tamen  occupavit 
jo  Pallas  honores, 

proeliis  audax ;  neque  te  silebo 
Liber,  et  saevis  inimica  virgo 
beluis,  nee  te,  metuende  certa 
Phoebe  sagitta. 


15  f.  mundum :  heavens,  in  con- 
trast with  mare,  terras. — horis: 
seasons.  Cf.  Epist.  2,  3,  302  sub 
verni  temper  is  horam. 

17.  unde  :  equivalent  to  ex  quo, 
referring  to  parens.  Cf.  Verg.  A. 
I,  6  genus  unde  Latinum.  This 
use  of  unde,  referring  to  a  person, 
is  chiefly  found  in  poetry,  cf.  ?., 
1 2,  7  unde  —  a  quibus^  but  occurs 
also  in  prose,  e.g.  Cic.  de  Or.  I, 
67  tile  ipse,  unde  cognovit. 

1 8  f.  quicquam  simile  :  sc.  ei.  — 
secundum  .  .  .  proximos :  the  dis- 
tinction between  these  words  is 
clearly  shown  by  Vergil  in  his 
account  of  the  boat  race,  A.  5, 
320  proximus  huic,  longo  sedproxi- 
IHUS  intervallo,  as  earlier  by  Cice- 
ro, Brut.  173  duobits  sum  mis 
(oratortbiis)  L.  Philippus  proxi- 
mus accedebat,  sed  longo  intervallo 
tamen  pro.\imns.  Secundus  is  used 
properly  of  that  which  is  '  next,' 
closely  connected,  while  proximus 
may  be  used  of  that  which  is 


'  nearest '  although  separated  by  a 
considerable  distance. 

21  f.  proeliis  audax:  modify- 
ing Pallas.  —  et :  continuing  the 
negative  neque  .  .  .  silebo.  — 
virgo :  Diana  (Artemis),  not  sim- 
ply as  the  huntress,  but  also  as 
the  destroyer  of  fierce  monsters 
(beluis)  and  a  benefactress  of 
mankind.  Cf.  Callim.  Hymn  to 
Artemis  153  f.  (Heracles  speaks) 
/?aAAe  K<ZKOW?  firl  Orjpa^  IVJL 
Ovrjroi  (re  /3or)06v  \  ws  e/ic  KLK\J]- 

(TKWCTIV. 

23  f .  metuende  certa  Phoebe  sa- 
gitta :  the  list  of  beneficent  divin- 
ities celebrated  closes  with  Apollo, 
the  slayer  of  the  monster  Python. 
He  was  the  champion  of  Augustus 
at  Actium.  and  afterward  regarded 
by  the  emperor  as  his  patron  di- 
vinity. Cf  Prop.  5,  6,  27  ff.  cum 
Phoebus  li n  q  nens . . .  Delon,  adstitit 
August i  puppim  super,  .  .  .  qualis 
flexos  solvit  Pythona  per  orbis  ser- 
pentem.  It  should  be  also  noticed 


94 


CARMINA 


[i,  12,  34 


Dicam  et  Alciden  puerosque  Ledae, 
hunc  equis,  ilium  superare  pugnis 
nobilem  ;  quorum  simul  alba  nautis 
Stella  refulsit, 

defluit  saxis  agitatus  umor, 
concidunt  venti  fugiuntque  riubes, 
et  minax,  quod  sic  voluere,  ponto 
unda  recumbit. 

Romulum  post  hos  prius  an  quietum 
Pompili  regnum  memorem  an  superbos 


that  the  gods  selected  are  those 
who  had  made  the  earth  more  ten- 
able for  man  by  freeing  it  of  mon- 
sters, but  none  of  the  divinities 
especially  connected  with  the  Ro- 
man people,  as  Mars,  or  with  the 
Julian  line,  as  Venus,  are  included. 

25-32.  The  demigods.  —  Alci- 
den: Hercules.  —  hunc  equis,  ilium, 
etc. :  cf.  //.  3, 237  Kao-ropa  ff  ITTTTO- 
8tifjiov  KOI  irv£  ayaOov  IToAuSswcea. 

27 ff.  quorum  simul,  etc.:  cf.  n. 
to  i,  3,  2  and  the  passages  there 
quoted.  This  graphic  passage,  as 
well  as  4,  8,  33,  reflects  Theoc.  22, 
1 7  ff.  <!AA'  e/A7ras  V/ACI?  ye  Kai  €*c 
[JvOov  €\/cere  vaas  |  aurouriv  vavrai- 
(TLV  oto/f'vots  6a.vee(T0aL  •  \  aa/'a.  8 
aTroA^yovr'  aj/c/u.ot,  Xnrapa.  §€  ya- 
Xava  |  d/u/Tre'Aayos  •  V£(f>  :Xai  Se  01  :- 
8pafj.ov  aAAuSis  aAAai.  '  Yet  even 
so  do  ye  draw  forth  the  ships  from 
the  abyss,  with  their  sailors  that 
looked  immediately  to  die  ;  and  in- 
stantly the  winds  are  still,  and  there 
is  an  oily  calm  along  the  sea.  and 


the  clouds  flee  apart,  this  way  and 
that '  (Lang).  Cf.  also  Verg.  A.  \ , 
I,  54  sic  citnctus pelagi  cecidit  fra- 
gor.  —  refulsit:  i.e.  in  answer  to 
the  sailors'  prayers. 

29  ff .  defluit .  . .  concidunt . . .  fu- 
giunt:  observe  the  effective  empha- 
sis given  by  position  and  rhythm. 

33  f .  Horace  now  turns  to  mor- 
tals—  the  noble  Romans  dead  and 
gone.  —  quietum  Pompili  regnum : 
Numa's  peaceful  reigS,  during 
which  tradition  said  religious  ob- 
servances were  established,  is  con- 
trasted with  the  warlike  rule  of 
Romulus.  Livy  describes  the  ser- 
vices of  the  two  kings  i,  21  duo 
deinceps  reges*  alins  alia  via,  ille 
(Romulus)  bello,  hie  (Numa)  pace, 
civitate?n  auxerunt.  —  superbos 
Tarquini  fascis:  the  adjective  be- 
longs logically  to  Tarquini,  who 
served  the  state  by  his  conquests 
of  the  neighboring  peoples.  Al- 
though the  remembrance  of  his 
haughtiness  remained,  his  memory 


95 


I.  12,  35] 


35  Tarquini  fascis  dubito,  an  Catonis 

nobile  letum. 

Regulum  et  Scauros  animaeque  magnae 
prodigum  Paullum  superante  Poeno 


was  not  stained  with  any  baseness. 
Cic.  Phil.  3, 9.  Tarquinins  .  .  .  non 
crndelis,  non  impiiis,  sed  superbits 
habitus  est  et  dictns . . .  niliil  /in mile 
de  Tarquinio,  nihil  sordidum  ac- 
cepimus. 

35  f .  Catonis  nobile  letum :  Hor- 
ace passes  in  his  examples  of  Ro- 
man virtus  from  the  last  of  the 
kings  to  the  last  great  republican. 
Cato's  choice  of  suicide  at  Utica 
(46  B.C.)  rather  than  of  submission 
to  the  new  order  of  things,  is  fre- 
quently referred  to  by  his  con- 
temporaries and  by  writers  of  the 
following  century  in  terms  of  the 
highest  praise.  Cf.  Cic.  ad  fain. 
9,  1 8  Pompeins,  Scipio,  Afranius 
in  hello  civile  foede  per ier nut,  '  at 
Cato  praeclare. '  No  question  was 
raised  as  to  Cato's  honesty  of  pur- 
pose, and  he  became  a  kind  of 
canonized  hero.  Augustus1  policy 
of  allowing  praise  of  all  that  was 
noble  in  the  champions  of  the  re- 
public made  it  possible  for  Horace 
to  do  honor  to  Cato  even  in  an  ode 
glorifying  the  emperor.  Indeed 
Augustus  wisely  forestalled  his 
opponents  by  praising  Cato  him- 
self. 

37  ff .  Horace  here  returns  to  the 
heroes  of  an  earlier  time.  —  Regu- 
lum :  Regulus  was  a  traditional 


96 


instance  of  that  ancient  Roman 
manhood  (virtus)  that  preferred 
his  country's  honor  to  his  own  life. 
The  fifth  ode  of  the  third  book 
holds  up  his  self-sacrifice  as  an 
example  for  the  youth  of  Horace's 
own  time.  —  Scauros:  referring 
chiefly  to  M.  Scaurus  and  his  son. 
The  father  was  called  by  Valerius 
Max.  5, 8. 4  lumen  et  decns  patriae; 
the  son  was  involved  in  the  defeat 
on  the  Adigein  101  B.C.  and  shared 
the  panic-stricken  flight  under  Ca- 
tulus.  His  father  sent  him  a  mes- 
sage saying  that  he  should  rather 
have  found  his  dead  body  than  see 
him  alive  after  sharing  in  such  a  dis- 
grace, whereupon  the  young  man 
killed  himself.  Valer.  Max.  I.e. ; 
Aur.  Viet.  3, 72  in  conspectum  suum 
vetnit  accedere;  ille  ob  hoc  dedecits 
mortem  sibi  conscivit.  —  prodigum : 
cf.  Ovid.  Am.  3,  9,  64  sangitinis 
atque  animae  prodige  Galle  tuae.  — 
Paullum :  L.  Aemilius  Paullus,  who 
chose  to  die  at  the  battle  of  Can- 
nae (216  B.C.)  rather  than  escape, 
as  he  might  have  done  with  honor, 
according  to  Livy's  account  (22, 

49)- 

39.  gratus:  either  of  Horace's 
own  feeling  of  gratitude  toward  so 
noble  a  character,  or  simply  '  pleas- 
ing,' 'in  verse  pleasing  my  readers.' 


CARMINA 


[l,  12,48 


40 


gratus  insigni  referam  camena 
Fabriciumque. 

Hunc  et  intonsis  Curium  capillis 
utilem  bello  tulit  et  Camillum 
saeva  paupertas  et  avitus  apto 
cum  lare  fundus. 

Crescit  occulto  velut  arbor  aevo 
fama  Marcelli ;  micat  inter  omnis 
lulium  sidus  velut  inter  ignis 
luna  minores. 


Cf.  Mart.  4,  55, 10 grata  nonpudeat 
refer  re  versa.  —  insigni . . .  camena : 
'  with  the  Muse  that  gives  men 
fame.' 

40  ff.  The  following  illustrations 
of  ancient  virtus  and  continentia 
are  C.  Fabricius  Luscinus,  whom 
Pyrrhus  could  neither  frighten  nor 
bribe ;  M1.  Curius  Dentatus,  who 
was  equally  incorruptible  ;  and  M. 
Furius  Camillus,  who  captured 
Veii  (396  B.C.)  and  saved  Rome 
from  the  Gauls  (390  B.C.).  All 
three,  however,  are  chosen  as  ex- 
amples, not  of  great  deeds,  but  of 
great  characters.  Their  natures 
were  proverbial. 

—  intonsis  capillis:  barbers 
were  not  employed  at  Rome  until 
about  300  B.C.  (Plin.  N.  II.  7, 
21 1);  and  the  custom  of  shaving 
the  beard  and  wearing  the  hair 
short  became  general  much  later. 

43  f .  saeva  :  stern,  as  training 
men  to  hardihood.  All  three  wor- 
thies were  men  of  small  estate,  but 

HOR.  CAR.  —  7  97 


of  great  native  worth.  —  apto  cum 
lare  :  'with  humble  house  befitting 
their  ancestral  farms.' 

45  ff .  While  the  direct  reference 
here  is  to  the  young  Marcellus, 
Octavia's  son,  no  doubt  the  name 
in  this  connection  would  call  up 
to  the  Roman  mind  at  once  that 
M.  Claudius  Marcellus,  who  in  222 
B.C.  won  the  spolia  opima  for  the 
third  and  last  time,  captured  Syra- 
cuse in  212  B.C.,  and  was  the  first 
successful  general  against  Hanni- 
bal. —  occulto  . . .  aevo :  with  crescit, 
is  growing  with  the  unmarked 
lapse  of  time.  Cf.  2.  2,  5  extettto 
aevo. 

47  f .  lulium  sidus :  the  star  of  the 
Julian  house.  This  use  of  sidus 
(•  fortune ')  would  doubtless  call  to 
mind  the  comet  that  appeared 
shortly  after  Julius  Caesar's  mur- 
der (Suet.  lid.  88).  Cf.  Verg.  E.  g, 
47  ecce  Dionaei  processit  Caesaris 
astrnm.  —  inter  ignis  luna  minores : 
a  reminiscence  of  his  earlier  phrase, 


I.  12,49] 


HOKATI 


55 


60 


Gentis  humanae  pater  atque  custos, 
orte  Saturno,  tibi  cura  magni 
Caesaris  f atis  data :  tu  secundo 
Caesare  regnes. 

Ille  seu  Parthos  Latio  imminentis 
egerit  iusto  domitos  triumpho 
sive  subiectos  Orientis  orae 
Seras  et  Indos, 

te  minor  latum  reget  aequus  orbem  ; 
tu  gravi  curru  quaties  Olympum, 
tu  parum  castis  inimica  mittes 
fulmina  lucis. 


Epod.  15,2  c aelo  fulgebat  luna  se- 
reno  inter  minor  a  sidera.  I  n  both 
he  may  have  had  in  mind  Sappho 
Frg  3,  I  f.  acrrepes  p*v  a.fJL<jn  Ka\av 
(TfXdvvav  |  ai/f  airoKpinrroLfn  <£acv- 
vov  £180;.  '  The  stars  about  the 
fair  moon  hide  their  bright  face.1 

49  ff.  The  climax  of  the  ode. 
With  the  idea  expressed,  cf.  Ovid's 
more  extravagant  laudation  Mel. 
15,8583".  luppiter  arces  \  temper  at 
aether ias  et  mundi  regna  trifor- 
mis\  |  terra  sub  Angus  to :  pater  est 
et  rector  uterque. 

51  f.  secundo  Caesare  :  logically 
part  of  the  prayer,  and  Caesar  be 
second  to  thec  only. 

53  f.  The  'Eastern  Question1 
was  always  an  annoying  one  to 
the  Romans.  Cf.  n.  to  I,  2,  22. — 
egerit:  i.e.  as  captives  before  his 
car.  Cf.  Epod.  7,7  f.  —  iusto  .  .  . 


triumpho:  a  technical  term,  im- 
plying that  all  the  conditions  on 
which  a  triumph  depended  had 
been  fulfilled. 

55 f.  The  Serae  ('Silk-people,1 
the  Chinese)  were  known  to  the 
Romans  only  through  trade.  They 
and  the  Indians  stand  for  the  great 
remote  East. 

57ff.  te. .  .tu. .  .tu. ..:  opposed 
to  ille  v.  53.  Intr.  28c.  —  te 
minor :  cf.  3,  6,  5  Romane,  quod 
dis  minor  em  te  geris,  imperas. — 
reget  aequus :  rule  injustice.  For 
the  tense,  see  Intr.  102. 

59!  A  stroke  of  lightning  was 
a  most  important  omen  to  the  Ro- 
mans ;  if  a  sacred  grove  was  struck, 
that  fact  was  proof  that  the  grove 
had  been  polluted,  and  required 
purification.  — parum  :  cf.  n.  to  mi- 
nus I,  2,  27. 


98 


CAKM1NA 


[If  >3»  I0 


13 

To  contrast  with  the  serious  tone  of  the  preceding  ode,  Horace  placed 
here  these  impetuous  verses  to  (an  imaginary)  Lydia.  'When  thou 
praisest  Telephus1  beauty,  Lydia,  I  swell  with  rage;  my  self-control  all 
goes  ;  pale  and  weeping  1  show  my  jealous  love.  The  injuries  clone  thy 
fair  shoulders  and  sweet  lips  by  that  bold  boy  do  not  prove  a  lasting 
love.  Happy  they  who  love  till  death.1  Metre,  71. 

Cum  tu,  Lydia,  Telephi 

cervicem  roseam,  cerea  Telephi 
laudas  bracchia,  vae  meum 

fervens  difficili  bile  tumet  iecur. 
5  Turn  nee  mens  mihi  nee  color 

certa  sede  manet,  umor  et  in  genas 
f  urtim  labitur,  arguens 

quam  lentis  penitus  macerer  ignibus. 
Vror,  seu  tibi  candidos 
ic  turparunt  umeros  immodicae  mero 


if.  Telephi ...  Telephi :  repro- 
ducing in  jealousy  Lydia's  fond 
repetition  of  her  lover's  name.  Cf. 
the  passionate  delaration,  Anacr. 
Frg.  3  KAeu/SouAov  yu.ev  lywy  epto,  \ 
1  8'  eTTi/xatvo/xai.  \  KAeu- 
•  8c  SuxTKc'co.  Note  the  allit- 


eration,  cervicem  . . .  cerea. 

3f.  vae:  bah!  in  angry  disgust. 
—  tumet  iecur:  i.e.  in  rage,  iecur 
is  to  be  taken  literally  as  the  seat 
of  passion  (S.  i,  9,  66  meum  iecur 
urere  bills')  that  overflows  with 
savage  wrath.  —  bilis:  equivalent 
to  xoAos. 

5  f.  mens  .  .  .  color,  etc.  :  for  his 
self-control  is  lost,  and  his  color 
comes  and  goes  Cf.  Apoll.  Rhod. 
3,  297  f.  ctTraAas  8e 


es  \\6ov,  aAAor'  cp£v$o<», 
a.Krj8eLy(TL  VOOLO.  '  Love  turned  her 
tender  cheeks  to  pallor,  again  to 
blushing,  for  the  weariness  of  her 
soul.'  —  certa  sede:  more  closely 
connected  with  color  than  with 
mens,  as  its  position  shows. — ma- 
net:  Intr/  35.  —  umor:  cf.  Plat. 
Tun.  68  A.  v8<ap  o  SaKpvov  /coAoiyxev. 

8.  quam  lentis :  modified  by 
penitus ;  slow,  pervasive.  Cf. 
Verg.  A.  5,  682  f.  lent  usque  cari- 
nas  |  est  vapor. 

9  f.  uror :  the  rudeness  of  my 
rival  in  his  cups,  and  the  passion 
of  his  love,  alike  inflame  me.  — 
turparunt :  harmed  with  blows.  — 
immodicae  :  modified  by  the  causal 
abl.  mero. 


99 


1, 13. "] 


11ORATI 


20 


rixae,  sive  puer  furens 

impressit  memorem  dente  labris  notam. 
Non,  si  me  satis  audias, 

speres  perpetuum  clulcia  barbare 
laedentem  oscula,  quae  Venus 

quinta  parte  sui  nectaris  imbuit. 
Felices  ter  et  amplius, 

quos  inrupta  tenet  copula  nee  malis 
divolsus  querimoniis 

suprema  citius  solvet  amor  die. 


13  f.  non:  emphatic,  like  the 
English  '  No,  you  would  not,1  etc. 
—  dulcia  barbare:  cf.  n.  to  i, 
5,  9.  Intr.  26. 

16.  quinta  parte  :  simply  '  the 
best  part.'  Cf.  Meleager  Anth. 
Pal.  12,  133  <f>i\r}fJM  TO  viKTaptov 


/AC'AI.  In  their  efforts  to  determine 
the  degree  of  sweetness  that  Hor- 
ace means  to  indicate  here,  com- 
mentators have  spent  an  amusing 
amount  of  energy  without,  how- 


ever, succeeding  in  their  attempts. 
We  cannot  be  sure  that  Horace 
uses  the  phrase  as  equivalent  to 
the  Pythagorean  if  Tr^-rrTrj  ouaiu. 
TO  vifjurtav  ov,  the  mediaeval  quinta 
essentia  (quintessence),  satisfac- 
tory as  this  explanation  would  be. 
1 8  ff.  inrupta  :  unbreakable, 
rather  than  '  unbroken  ' ;  used  like 
invictus,  etc.,  in  the  sense  of  an 
adj.  in  -//«,  -bilis.  —  divolsus  amor : 
cf.  2,  4,  10  ademptus  Hector.  — 
suprema  die :  life's  last  day. 


14 

Ship  of  State,  beware  !  avoid  the  open  sea ;  thou  art  shattered  by 
the  storm  just  past.  Put  into  port.1  Quintilian  8,  6,  44  uses  this  ode 
as  an  illustration  of  an  allegory  —  at  a\\.rryopui  quant  inversionem  inter- 
pret antur,  ant  aliud  -verbis  aliud  sensu  ostendit  ant  etiam  interim  con- 
trarium.  Prius  fit  genus  plermnque  continuatis  translationibus :  ut 
1  o  navis  .  .  .  portumj  totusque  ille  Horatii  locus,  quo  navem  pro  re 
publica,  fluctus  et  tempestates  pro  bellis  chrilibus,  portinn  pro  pace 
atque  concordia  dicit."1  This  figure  is  as  old  as  Theognis,  and  occurs 
frequently  in  Greek  literature.  Horace  took  as  his  model  a  poem  of 
Alcaeus  of  which  the  following  verses  have  been  preserved,  Frg.  18  :-• 

100 


CARMIXA  [i,H,4 


T<av  avefjuav  o*Tomv  •  |  TO  /ACV  yap  tvBf.v  KVJJM  K 
8'  svQtv  d/z/ize?  8'  dv  TO  p.t(T(Tov  \  vai  <j>opr)/JLt6a  (rvv  /xeAaiVa, 
TCS  /A«ydAu>  /uuiAa  •  |  Trtp  /ACV  yap  di/TAos  lO-TOTrt'oW 
av  ^aS^Aov  77877  |  xai  Ad/«8es  p.«yaAai  *aT*  avTO  • 
8'  dyKuAat  •  I  do  not  understand  the  winds1  strife,  for  the  wave  rolls, 
now  from  this  side,  now  from  that,  and  we  with  our  black  ship  are  car- 
ried in  the  midst,  struggling  hard  with  the  mighty  storm.  For  the 
flood  surrounds  the  mast  step,  the  canvas  is  utterly  destroyed,  great 
rents  are  in  it  ;  and  the  yard-ropes  are  loosened.'  The  most  familiar 
modern  example  of  this  allegory  is  Longfellow's  The  Building  of  the 
Ship.  '  Thou,  too,  sail  on,  O  Ship  of  State  !  '  etc. 

Apart  from  other  considerations  the  poem  is  interesting  as  a  sign 
that  Horace's  attitude  toward  the  new  government  had  changed  from 
that  of  his  student  days  when  he  served  in  Brutus'  army  (cf.  v.  17  f.). 
The  date  of  composition  is  most  probably  between  the  battle  of 
Actiuin,  31  B  c  ,  and  the  reorganization  of  the  empire  in  27  B.C.  ;  in 
any  case  it  was  written  at  a  time  when  civil  war  was  lately  past,  but 
serious  men  still  had  reason  to  be  anxious  for  the  public  peace  ;  and 
we  must  remember  that  however  lightly  Horace  treated  many  subjects, 
his  attitude  toward  the  state  was  that  of  earnest  loyalty.  See  Sellar, 
pp.  29,  151  ff.  Here  Horace  expresses  his  feeling  that  the  state  can- 
not endure  another  civil  war.  and  that  peace  must  be  preserved.  Cf. 
with  this  ode  Epod.  ^  and  16.  Metre,  73. 

O  navis,  referent  in  mare  te  novi 
fluctus  !     O  quid  agis  ?     Fortiter  occupa 
portum  !     Nonne  vides  ut 
nudum  remigio  latus 


i  f.    in  mare  :  in  antiquity  sail-  4  ff.   This  passage   is   imitated 

ors  kept  near  the   shore.     Cf.  2,  by  Claudian  de  sexto  cons.  Honor. 

10,    i  ff.  —  novi  fluctus:  the  new  132    ff.    qualis    piratica    puppis 

storms  of  (a  possible)  civil  war.  —  ...  viduataqm  caesis  \  remigibus, 

fortiter   occupa :    make  a   valiant  scissis  velorum  debilis  alis,  \  orba 

effort  and  gain  the  port  before  the  giibernaclis.  antemnis  saitcia  frac- 

storm   breaks.  —  occupare   is    tie-  tis  \  ludibriuin  pelagi  vento  tacu- 

quently  used  like  the  Greek  <j>6d-  latur  et  nnda. 

vf.iv;  cf.  Epist.  i,  6,  32   cave   ne  —remigio:  oars,  not  'rowers.' 

port  us  occupat  alter.  Cf.  Ovid  A.  A.  2,  671   mare  re- 

101 


1. 14. 5] 


HORATI 


et  malus  celeri  saucius  Africo 
antemnaeque  gemant  ac  sine  funibus 
vix  durare  carinae 
possint  imperiosius 

aequor  ?     Non  tibi  sunt  Integra  lintea, 
non  di,  quos  iterum  pressa  voces  malo. 
Quamvis  Pontica  pinus, 
silvae  filia  nobilis, 

iactes  et  genus  et  nomen  inutile, 
nil  pictis  timidus  navita  puppibus 
fidit.     Tu  nisi  ventis 
debes  ludibrium,  cave. 


migiis  aut  voincre  fuidite  terras. 
—  malus  :  note  the  quantity  ;  cf. 
v.  10  malo.  For  the  rigging  of 
an  ancient  ship  see  Torr  An- 
cient Ships,  p.  78-98.  —  funibus: 
v7ro£o>/AaTa ;  cables  or  girders 
passed  about  the  ship  horizon- 
tally to  strengthen  it  against 
the  force  of  the  waves,  or  in 
the  case  of  warships,  the  shock 
of  ramming.  Cf.  Acts  27,  17  ;  Torr 
A.  S.  p.  41-43- 

7  f .  carinae :  plural,  where  we 
use  the  singular;  cf.  i.  2.  15  f. 
tnonuHienta,  templa.  —  imperi- 
osius :  equivalent  to  saevins,  in  its 
stern  tyranny. 

10.  di :  i.e.  the  little  images  of 
the  gods  that  were  carried  on  the 
poop  deck.  Horace  means  that 
in  the  storm  of  civil  war  the  ship 
of  state  lost  her  protecting  divini- 


ties ;  cf.  Ovid  Her.  16,  114 
accipit  et  pictos  pttppis  adnnca 
deos,  and  Pers.  6,  29  f.  iacet  ipse 
in  litore  et  una  \  ingentes  de  pitppe 
del. 

ii  f.  Pontica  pinus:  Pontus 
was  famous  for  its  ship  timber.  — 
filia:  cf.  Mart.  14,  90  silvae  filia 
Matirae  of  a  citrus  table.  For  the 
arrangement  of  words,  see  Intr. 
19. 

13.  iactes :  boastest ;  emphatic 
by  position.  —  inutile :  added 
predicatively  —  all  in  vain  for 
thee.  —  pictis :  cf.  the  Homeric  vrjes 
fjuXToirdprjoi.  —  timidus:  'when  he 
is  frightened.1 

15  f.  tu :  in  direct  address  to 
the  ship.  —  debes :  cf.  Greek 
('x^XuTKavtiv  8iKi)v,  art  bound, 
doomed  to  be  the  sport  of  the 
winds. 


102 


CARMINA  [i,  15,2 

Nuper  sollicitum  quae  mihi  taedium, 
nunc  desiderium  curaque  non  levis, 

interfusa  nitentis 
20  vites  aequora  Cycladas. 

17  f.  nuper  .  .  .  nunc :  the  fulgentes  Cycladas.  The  south- 
time  of  the  civil  wars  in  contrast  ern  Aegean,  dotted  with  frequent 
to  the  present  moment.  —  sollici-  islands  (Verg.  A.  3,  126  sparsas- 
tum  .  .  .  taedium :  anxiety  and  que  per  aeqitor  Cycladas)  is  sub- 
hcartsickness.  —  desiderium :  ob-  ject  to  many  squalls,  but  the 
ject  of  my  longing.  particular  sea  has  no  significance 

19  f .    nitentis :    cf.    3,    28,     14  in  the  allegory. 

15 

1  When  faithless  Paris  was  carrying  Helen  home  to  Troy,  Nereus  be- 
calmed -the  sea  that  he  might  foretell  the  doom  that  was  to  follow  Paris1 
crime.1  Porphyrio  says  that  the  motive  was  taken  from  Bacchylides,  who 
made  Cassandra  prophesy  the  coming  war  and  disaster,  as  Horace  here  has 
Nereus  (Porphyrio  read  Proteus) .  If  Porphyrio  be  right,  Horace^  model 
has  been  lost  to  us;  the  extant  fragment  14  Blass,  in  which  Menelaus  warns 
the  Trojans  to  remember  the  justice  of  Zeus,  cannot  be  that  to  which 
Porphyrio  refers.  The  theme  is  essentially  epic  and  does  not  properly 
fall  within  the  province  of  lyric  poetry;  and  Horace  has  not  been  very 
successful  in  his  treatment  of  it.  While  some  dramatic  skill  is  shown, 
the  episode  chosen  has  no  natural  limits  and  therefore  offered  him  little 
opportunity  for  a  climax ;  the  length  of  the  prophecy  was  determined 
solely  by  the  poet's  inclination.  That  Horace  learned  to  handle  narrative 
subjects  later  is  proved  by  Book  3,  Odes  1 1  and  27,  with  which  this  ode 
should  be  carefully  compared.  For  Horace^  view  as  to  the  proper  field 
for  lyric  verse,  see  Book  2,  Ode  12. 

For  the  reasons  given  above  and  because  of  the  technical  defect  of 
v.  36,  we  may  regard  this  as  one  of  Horace's  earlier  studies.  Metre,  72. 

Pastor  cum  traheret  per  freta  navibus 
Idaeis  Helenen  perfidus  hospitam, 

i.  pastor:  Paris,  whom  Verg.  esl&xv. — traheret:  was  carrying 
A'  7,  363  calls  Phry gius  pastor.  away. 

Cf.    also    Bion    2,  10   apiracre   rav  2.    Idaeis:  i.e.  their  timber  grew 

1-60'  6  /JowoAos,    aye   8'      on  Mt.  Ida. — perfidus  hospitam: 
103 


i.  '5.  3] 


IIORATI 


ingrato  celeres  obruit  otio 
ventos  ut  caneret  fera 

Nereus  fata  :  '  Mala  duels  avi  domum 
quam  multo  repetet  Graecia  milite, 
coniurata  tuas  rumpere  nuptias 
et  regnum  Priami  vetus. 

Heu  heu,  quantus  equis,  quantus  adest  viris 
sudor !     Quanta  moves  funera  Dardanae 
genti !     lam  galeam  Pallas  et  aegida 
currusque  et  rabiem  parat. 


cf.  n.  to  i.  5,  9.  Intr.  26.  No 
greater  crime  was  known  to  an- 
tiquity than  violation  of  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  hospitality.  With 
this  epithet  of  Paris,  cf.  3,  3,  26 
famosus  hospes,  and  Prop.  2,  34, 
7  hospes  in  hospitium  Menelao 
venit  aditlter. 

3  ff .  ingrato  .  .  .  otio :  as  the 
winds  favored  the  lovers  in  their 
flight.  —  caneret :  the  regular  word 
of  prophecy.  Cf.  Epod.  13,  11 
nobilis  ut  grandi  cecinit  centaurus 
alumno. 

5  ff.  Note  the  dramatic  force 
of  the  prophecy,  and  the  many 
reminiscences  of  the  Iliad.  —  Ne- 
reus :  son  of  Pontus  and  Tellus, 
father  of  Thetis.  Cf.  Hesiod 
Theog.  233  ff.  N^pea  8'  ai//o>8<?a 
KOU  a\rjOta  yetvaro  Hoi/ros,  | 
TrptafivTaTOv  -rrai8wv  •  avrap  Ko\f- 
ov(Ti  ytpovra,  \  ovvcKa  vrjfJi(.pTr)<;  TC 
Kal  T/TTIOS,  ov8f  dcfuoTCcoy  |  Aiy&Tai, 
iiAAtt  StKaitt  Kui  r/7ria  Sryvea  oiSti/. 
—  mala  .  .  .  avi :  cf.  3,  3,  61  alite 
lugnbri.  Cf.  Catull. 6i,2ol>ofta alite. 


7  f.  coniurata  :  in  solemn  com- 
pact at  Aulis.  ,Cf.  Verg.  A.  4, 
425  f.  where  Dido  says,  non  ego 
cum  Danais  Troianam  exscindere 
gent  em  \  Atilide  itira-vi;  Euripides, 
Iph.  in  Aid.  49  fF.  makes  Agamenr.- 
non  tell  of  the  earlier  oath,  by 
which  the  suitors  bound  them- 
selves to  protect  and  avenge  the 
one  who  should  win  Helen.— 
regnum  :  with  rumpere  as  Sen.  //. 
F.  79  Titanas  amos  rumpere  im- 
perium  lovis. 

g  f  .  quantus  equis  .  .  .  sudor  : 
Horace  had  in  mind  //.  2,  388  ff. 
i8pw<m  /MtV  Ttv  Tf.\afJ.iai>  <\fi.(f>i  <TTI)- 
6c(T(f>iv  |  doTTi'Sos  a.fJ.<f>t(3p6Tr)<;,  irf.pl 

8'  «yx£t  X^P0-  KafJif^Tal  '  I  i8/3W(T£i 
8e  Ttv  TTTTTOS  fv^oov  apfjua  TITVLIVWV. 
—  funera  :  disasters. 

ii.  galeam  Pallas,  etc.:  a 
reminiscence  of  //.  5,  738  ft".  dp.<J>i 
8'  ap  wfjLouriv  /2aAcr'  utyi&u  Ova- 
crav6c(r<Ta.v  \  SetVi^v.  .  .  .  xpari  8* 
CTT'  ap.<(>i<t>m\ov  KWfrjV  O(TO  Ttrpa- 


the  breastplate  of  Athena,  which 


104 


CARMINA 


[i,  15,  20 


Nequiquam  Veneris  praesidio  ferox 
pe'ctes  caesariem  grataque  feminis 
15  imbelli  cithara  carmina  divides ; 

nequiquam  thalamo  gravis 

hastas  et  calami  spicula  Cnosii 
vitabis  strepitumque  et  celerem  sequi 
Aiacem  :  tamen,  heu,  serus  adulteros 
20  crinis  pulvere  collines. 


is  represented  on  statues  and 
paintings  as  a  mail  corselet,  fringed 
with  snakes  and  adorned  with  the 
Medusa's  head  in  the  center.  See 
Baumeister,  nos.  166-170.  —  ra- 
biem  parat:  cf.  Ovid  Met.  13,  554 
se  arm  at  et  instruit  ira. 

13  ff.  Cf.  Hector's  reproachful 
words  //.  3,  54  f.  OVK  dv  TOI 
Xpai(T/j.r)  KiOapis  TO.  TC  o<ap'  'A<f)po- 

8/T?7?,    |   TfTf.  KOfJ-f)  TO  TC   ClSoS,  OT    CV 

KovtrjO'L  /Jiiyf.ir]<i.  —  nequiquam  :  all 
in  vain,  emphatic.  —  ferox  :  in 
scorn,  made  so  bold  by.  —  grata 
feminis  .  .  .  imbelli  cithara  .  .  . 
thalamo  :  all  said  contemptuously. 
15  f  .  carmina  divides  :  appar- 
ently equivalent  to  /tcA/^eiv,  '  to 
sing  rhythmically.'  —  nequiquam  : 
Intr.  28  c  —  thalamo:  cf.  //.  3, 
380  ff.  TOV  8'  e£r)pira£'  ' 


Ka.8    8'    tier'    «v 
^uAd/uoj  evtati  Kr)<a(.vTi. 

17.  calami  spicula  Cnosii:  light 
arrows  in  contrast  to  the  heavy 
spears  (gravis,  equivalent  to  the 
Homeric  epithets  /3pi0v,  /x«ya, 
The  adj.  Cnosii,  re- 


ferring to  Cnosus,  the  chief  city 
of  Crete,  is  here  employed,  since 
the  Cretans  were  famous  archers. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  5,  206  Cnosia  spi- 
.  citla. 

17  f.  vitabis  :  try  to  avoid  the 
din  of  battle  (strepitum)  and  the 
forefighters  of  the  Greeks.  In  the 
Iliad  Paris  is  represented  as  shrink- 
ing from  battle,  only  appearing 
occasionally  on  sudden  impulse. 
Homer  never  opposes  him  to  Ajax, 
son  of  Oileus,  to  whom  Horace 
apparently  gives  the  first  place 
here  simply  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most Greek  heroes.  —  celerem 
sequi  Aiacem :  cf.  //.  2,  527  'OtA^os 
ra^vs  Aias.  For  the  infinitive, 
see  Intr.  108. 

19  f.  tamen:  referringtback  to 
nequiquam,  nequiquam ;  'in  spite 
of  all  thy  own  efforts  and  Aphro- 
dite's aid.'  —  serus  :  an  adj.  where 
we  employ  an  adverb.  Cf.  i,  2, 
45  serus  in  caelum  redeas,  and 
//.  i,  424  x^os  *Pil  Zeus. 
—  crinis  .  .  .  collines :  cf.  Verg. 
A.  12,  (^  da  .  .  .  foedare  in  pul- 
vere crines. 


105 


HORATI 


Non  Laertiaden,  exitium  tuae 
gentis,  non  Pylium  Nestora  respicis? 
Vrgent  impavidi  te  Salaminius 
Teucer,  te  Sthenelus  sciens 

25  pugnae,  sive  opus  est  imperitare  equis, 

non  auriga  piger.     Merionen  quoque 
nosces.     Ecce  furit  te  reperire  atrox 
Tydides,  melior  patre, 

quern  tu,  cervus  uti  vallis  in  altera 
30  visum  parte  lupum  graminis  immemor 

sublimi  fugies  mollis  anhelitu, 
non  hoc  pollicitus  tuae. 


21-28.  Laertiaden :  Ulysses 
stole  the  Palladium  and  so  sealed 
the  fate  of  Troy.  —  Nestora  :  who 
kept  the  Greeks  from  abandoning 
the  siege  after  Achilles1  death. 
Od.  24,  51  ff.  —  Teucer :  brother 
of  Ajax  and  son  of  Telemon  ;  cf. 
i,  7,  21  ff. — respicis:  'as  thou 
glancest  backward  in  thy  flight.1 
The  prophetic  god  sees  the  future 
so  vividly  that  he  conceives  of 
the  pursuit  of  Paris  as  already 
begun. 

24  f .  Sthenelus  :  charioteer  of 
Diomedes.  For  the  description 
of  him  compare  the  account  of 
the  Cicones  Od.  9,  49  f.  ciriora- 
/j.kva<f>  LTTTTWV  |  dvSpatri  fjuip- 
KCU  061  \pr/  TTI£OV  iovra. 
—  pugnae:  objective  gen.  with 
sciens. 

26  ff.  Merionen :  esquire  of  Ido- 
meneus  ;  cf.  I,  6,  15.  —  Tydides: 


Diomedes  was  one  of  the  greatest 
heroes  after  Achilles.  —  melior  pa- 
tre: a  reminiscence  of  //.  4,  405, 
where  Sthenelus  says  f/fjitis  rot 


evttt. 

29  ff.  Note  the  involved  order; 
Intr.  21. 

31.  sublimi  .  .  .  anhelitu:  prop- 
erly of  the  panting  hind,  who  throws 
his  head  high  in  air  (sublimi)  as  he 
flees;  applied  here  to  Paris  through 
a  confusion  of  the  comparison  and 
the  thing  compared.  Cf.  Stat.  Theb. 
II,  239  nuntius  exanimi  snspen- 
sus  pectora  cursu.  —  mollis:  either 
weak  with  running,  or  timid  by 
nature. 

32.  Cf.  Helens  taunt  to  Paris 
//.   3,  430  r)  /ticv  Sr;  irpiv  y    f.v\e 

<rfj    TC    ftirj 
<f>tpTfpo<i 


Ka 
e'vat. 


1 06 


CARM1NA  [l,  16,  2 

Iracunda  diem  proferet  Ilio 
matronisque  Fhrygum  classis  Achillei : 
35  post  certas  hiemes  uret  Achaicus 

ignis  Iliacas  domos.' 

33-36.  The  climax  of  the  proph-  classis  Achillei :  as  if  the  entire  flee* 

ecy.      Up  to  this  point  only  the  shared  Achilles1  wrath. — proferet: 

disgraces    and   dangers   of    Paris  delay. — hiemes  :  equivalent  to  an- 

have  been  foretold;  these  verses  nos.      Cf.  i,  11,4  and  n.  —  ignis: 

definitely  announce  the  fall  of  Troy.  this  use  of  the  trochee  where  Hor- 

The  whole  strophe  is  a  reminis-  ace   ordinarily   has   an    irrational 

cence  of  Hector's  prophecy  //.  6,  spondee,  as  well  as  the  repetition 

448  f.  tWerai rjfjap  or  av  TTOT' oAwAj;  of  Iliacas  after  Ilio  (v.  33)  are  cited 

ipr)  |  /ecu  Ilpta/xos  KO.I  Aaos  by  critics  as  proof  of  the  early  date 

Ilpta/toto.  —  iracunda ...  of  this  ode. 

16 

'  Fair  maid,  do  what  thou  wilt  with  my  abusive  verses.  Passion  shakes 
the  mind  more  than  that  frenzy  with  which  Dindymene,  or  Apollo,  or 
Dionysus  inspire  their  servants.  Prometheus  gave  mankind  the  violence 
of  the  lion,  and  wild  rage  drove  Thyestes  to  his  end  and  has  doomed 
cities.  Beware  and  check  thy  wrath.  I  too  have  suffered  madness,  but 
now  I  would  recant  my  cruel  lines  ;  forgive,  and  give  me  back  thy  heart. 

A  palinode  which  Porphyrio  wished,  without  warrant,  to  connect 
with  Tyndaris  of  the  following  ode.  Neither  can  it  be  associated  with 
any  extant  epode.  Its  very  extravagance  shows  that  the  verses  were 
not  written  with  serious  purpose.  Cf.  the  mock  palinode  Epod.  17.  %  It 
may  be  a  study  from  the  Greek,  although  Acron's  statement,  imitatus 
est  Stesichorum,  need  mean  nothing  more  than  that  Horace  got  the  sug- 
gestion of  a  palinode  from  the  Sicilian  poet.  The  date  is  uncertain, 
although  the  prosody  of  v.  21  may  indicate  that  it  is  one  of  the  earlier 
poems.  Metre,  68. 

O  matre  pulchra  filia  pulchrior, 
quern  criminosis  cumque  voles  modum 

2.  criminosis  ...  iambis  :  abu-  /?ovs-  The  rapid  movement  of  the 
sive,  slanderous.  Cf.  Meleager  iambus  is  suited  to  invective,  and  it 
Anth.  Pal.  7,  352  {i/fyiorqpas  la/x-  was  first  employed  for  that  purpose, 

107 


it  it.  3] 


10 


pones  iambis,  sive  flamma 
sive  mari  libet  Hadriano. 

Non  Dindymene,  non  adytis  quatit 
mentem  sacerdotum  incola  Pythius, 
non  Liber  aeque,  non  acuta 
sic  geminant  Corybantes  aera 

tristes  ut  irae,  quas  neque  Noricus 
deterret  ensis  nee  mare  naufragum 
nee  saevus  ignis  nee  tremendo 
luppiter  ipse  ruens  tumultu. 


according  to  tradition,  by  Archilo- 
chus,  who  was  Horace's  model  in 
many  of  the  Epodes.  Cf.  Epist.  2, 
3.  79  Archilochitm  proprio  rabies 
arma-vit  iambo.  —  quern . . .  cumque : 
cf.  n.  to  I,  6.  3. 

3.  pones:  permissive;  cf.  1,7, 
i  latidabitnt  alii,  etc. 

5  ff.  Examples  of  the/wr^r  di- 
vinus.  —  Dindymene  :  Cybele  or 
Rhea,  identical  with  the  Magna 
Afaterofthe  Romans,  named  from 
the  Phrygian  mountain  Dindymus. 
This  was  near  Pessinus,  where  the 
chief  shrine  of  the  goddess  was. 
Her  orgiastic  worship,  in  which  her 
priests,  the  Corybantes,  danced 
and  cut  themselves  with  knives, 
was  introduced  at  Rome  in  204  B.C. 

6.  The  Pythia.  priestess  of  Apollo, 
had  her  seat  in  the  innermost  shrine 
(adyta)  of  the  temple,  where,  inspired 
with  a  divine  ecstasy,  as  the  an- 
cients believed,  she  gave  utterance 
to  prophecy.  For  the  ecstatic  in- 
spiration of  the  Cumaean  Sibyl  see 
Verg.  A.  6,  77  ff.  -  incola  Pythius : 


he  whose  home  is  Pytho.  i.e.  Apollo. 
Pytho  was  the  ancient  name  of 
Delphi.  With  the  phrase,  cf.  Catull. 
64,  228  (of  Athene),  incola  Itoni. 

7.  Liber :  the  orgiastic  celebra- 
tions of  the  bacchanals  were  in- 
spired by  the  god.  —  non  acuta,  etc. : 
the  comparison  is  thus  half  inter- 
rupted, '  Neither  the  rites  of  Cybele, 
nor  of  Apollo,  nor  of  Bacchus  affect 
the  mind  so  much  (aeque) — no,  nor 
do  the  Corybantes  clash  their  shrill 
cymbals  with  so  much  effect  (sic) 
—  as  bursts  of  passion  distress  the 
mind.'  — geminant ...  aera:  of  the 
cymbals.  Cf.  Stat.  Theb.  8,  221 
gemina  aera  sonant. 

9  ff .  Noricus :  the  iron  of  Nori- 
cum  was  most  esteemed.  Cf.  Epod. 
17,  71.  —  ensis, . .  .  mare.  .  .  .  ignis: 
proverbial  obstacles.  Cf.  S.  \.  i, 
39  ignis,  mare,  ferrntn,  nil  obstet 
tibi ;  and  F.pist.  I,  i .  46  per  ware, 
panperienif n^ens, per  sa.ra.per  ig- 
nis. —  mare  naufragum :  the  wreck- 
ing sea.  Cf.Tibull.  2.4.  i o  tia nfrag a 
.  .  unda  marts. 


1 08 


CARMINA 


[i,  16, 


20 


Fertur  Prometheus,  addere  principi 
limo  coactus  particulam  undique 
desectam,  et  insani  leonis 

vim  stomacho  adposuisse  nostro. 

Irae  Thyesten  exitio  gravi 
stravere  et  altis  urbibus  ultimae 
stetere  causae  cur  perirent 
funditus  imprimeretque  muris 

hostile  aratrum  exercitus  insolens. 
Compesce  mentem  !     Me  quoque  pectoris 


13-16.  While  the  belief  that  man 
possesses  the  characteristics  of  the 
lower  animals  is  very  ancient,  the 
form  of  the  myth  which  Horace 
gives  here  is  not  found  in  any  ear- 
lier author.  —  principi:  principal, 
primordial;  'primitive  clay.'  — 
coactus:  for  all  the  elements  had 
been  exhausted  in  making  the 
other  animals;  therefore  Prome- 
theus was  obliged  to  take  a  por- 
tion from  each  creature  (undique) 
for  man. 

15!  et:  even.  —  leonis  vim:  /.<?. 
violentiam.  —  stomacho :  as  the  seat 
of  passion.  Cf.  i,  6,6  Pelidae  sto- 
machum  cedere  nescii. 

17.  irae:  resuming  the  irae  of 
v.  9.  —  Thyesten :  cf.  i .  6.  8  saevam 
Pelopis  domum,  and  n.  The  spe- 
cial reference  here  is  to  the  blind 
rage  of  Atreus.  who  served  Thyes- 
tes1  son  to  him  at  a  banquet.  The 
Thyestes  of  Varius  had  recently 
been  published  when  Horace  wrote. 
Cf.  n.  to  i,  6,  i. 


1 8  f .  altis  urbibus :  e.g.  Thebes, 
which  fell  under  the  wrathful  curse 
of  Oedipus.  —  ultimae  .  .  .  causae: 
the  causes  farthest  back,  and  so 
'first.1  —  stetere:  hardly  stronger 
ihanfuere. 

20.  imprimeret  muris,  etc. :   as 
the  walls  of  a  new  city  were  marked 
out  with  a  plow,  so  after  the  raz- 
ing of  a  captured  city,  a  plow  was 
dragged  across  the  ground  as  a 
sign  that  the  spot  was  restored  to 
its  primitive  condition.     Propert. 
4,  9,  41  f.  inoenia  cum  Graio  Nep- 
tunia  pressit  aratro  \  victor;  Isid. 
Orig.  15,  2  urbs  aratro  conditnr. 
aratro  vertitur ;  and  Jeremiah  26. 
1 8   'Zion  shall   be  plowed   like  a 
field.' 

21.  ex||ercitus:    but  two  other 
cases  of  such  caesura  are  found,  i , 
37,  5;  2,  17,  21.     Intr.  50.     Both 
the  poems  belong  to  the  year  30 

B.C. 

22.  me  quoque :  the  familiar  per- 
sonal illustration.     Intr.  30. 


109 


t,  16,  23]  HORATI 

temptavit  in  dulci  iuventa 
fervor  et  in  celeres  iambos 

25  misit  furentem  :  nunc  ego  mitibus 

mutare  quaere  tristia,  dum  niihi 
fias  recantatis  arnica 

opprobriis  animumque  recldas. 

24.  fervor:   'the  fever  of  pas-  i,  34,  12  ima  summis  mutare. — 

sion.' — celeres  iambos:   cf.  n.  to  dum...  fias:  the  terms  on  which 

v.  2  above.  —  mitibus  .  .  .  tristia:  Horace    recants;     his     offended 

kind  .  .  .  cruel.     For  the  cases,  lady-love  is  to  give  him  back  her 

see  Intr.  98;  for  the  number,  cf.  heart. 


17 

An  invitation  to  his  mistress,  Tyndaris.  '  Faunus  often  leaves  the 
Lycean  Mount  for  Lucretilis  and  guards  my  goats  from  harm  (1-4). 
When  he  is  near,  my  flocks  wander  all  in  safety;  when  his  pipe  echoes, 
they  fear  not  even  the  wolves  of  Mars  (5-12).  Not  they  alone  are 
cared  for ;  the  gods  care  for  me  as  well  and  for  my  Muse.  Here,  Tyn- 
daris, is  rustic  plenty  ;  here  in  quiet  nook  thou  mayest  sing  the  old  time 
songs ;  here  quaff  the  innocent  Lesbian  wine  and  have  no  fear  of  quar- 
rels or  of  harm  from  jealous  Cyrus  (13-28).' 

On  Horace's  Sabine  farm  presented  to  him  by  Maecenas  in  34  B.C., 
see  Ihtr.  5.  Sellar,  p.  30  f.  The  date  of  composition  is  unknown. 
Metre,  68. 

Velox  amoenum  saepe  Lucretilem 
mutat  Lycaeo  Faunus  et  igneam 

i.   velox:    emphatic,    with   all  that  in  v.  26  of  the  preceding  ode. 

speed.  —  Lucretilem:     apparently  Intr.  98. 

Monte  Gennaro,  the  highest  moun-  2.   Lycaeo:      a     mountain     in 

tain   of  the    range    between   the  southwestern  Arcadia,  where  Pan 

Licenza  valley  in  which  Horace's  had  a  shrine    (luivriiov) .  —  Fau- 

farm  was  situated,  and  the  Cam-  mis:   an   old    Italian  divinity,  of 

pagna.  —  mutat:     note   that    the  agriculture  and  of  cattle  (3,  18). 

construction  here  is  the  reverse  of  sometimes  prophetic  (Verg.  A.  7, 

1 10 


CAKMINA 


14 


1C 


defendit  aestatem  capellis 

usque  meis  pluviosque  ventos. 

Impune  tutum  per  nemus  arbutos 
quaerunt  latentis  et  thyma  deviae 
olentis  uxores  mariti, 

nee  viridis  metuunt  colubras 

nee  Martialis  haediliae  lupos, 
utcumque  dulci,  Tyndari,  fistula 
valles  et  Vsticae  cubantis 
levia  personuere  saxa. 

Di  me  tuentur,  dis  pietas  mea 
et  musa  cordi  est.     Hie  tibi  copia 


48.  81),  identified  here  with  the 
Arcadian  god  Pan,  opuftdr^. 
montivagus.  Cf.  Ovid.  Fast.  2, 
285  f.  ipse  deus  velox  discurrere 
gaudet  in  altis  \  montibtis.  He 
was  the  inventor  of  the  syrinx 
(fistula  v.  10).  —  igneam  .  .  . 
aestatem :  the  fiery  summer  iieat. 
3  f.  capellis  :  dative.  Cf.  Verg. 
£.  7, 47  solstitiumpecori  defendite. 

—  usque  :  equivalent  to  semper. 

5  f .  impune  tutum :  note  the 
force  of  the  cumulation.  —  impune 
is  connected  with  deviae,  which 
implies  a  carelessness  in  their  wan- 
dering search  (quaerunt)  for  food. 

—  latentis  :    i.e.  among  the  other 
trees  and  shrubs. 

7.  olentis  uxores  mariti:  an 
awkward  phrase,  made  offensive 
by  translation,  —  the  wives  of 
the  unsavory  lord.  —  mariti :  cf. 
Theoc.  8,  49  u>  r/myc,  TO.V  \f.vKav 


atyav  avep,  and  Verg.  E.  7,  7  vir 
gregis  ipse  caper.  Mart.  14, 140,  I 
imitates  the  phrase  in  his  olentis 
barba  mariti. 

9.  Martialis :  a  natural  epithet 
of  the  wolf  as  sacred  to  Mars. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  9,  566  Martins  lupus. 
Faunus  as  protector  of  cattle 
guards  them  from  the  mountain 
wolves.  —  haediliae  :  my  kidlets 
(sc.  metuunt}.  This  word  is 
found  only  here  :  it  is  formed  from 
haedus,  as  porcilia  from  porcus. 

10  f.  utcumque  :  temporal.  — 
fistula :  the  god's  pipes,  the  sy- 
rinx, not  Tyndaris'  flute,  is  meant. 
—  Vsticae  :  according  to  Porphy- 
rio  one  of  the  Sabine  mountains 
with  gently  sloping  (cubantis) 
sides. 

14  if.  cordi :  dear ;  originally 
Iike_/r#g7,  a  predicate  dative.  Note 
the  cumulative  force  of  the  follow- 


ill 


»f 1 
15 


20 


HORAT1 

manabit  ad  plenum  benigno 
ruris  honorum  opulenta  cornu ; 

hie  in  reducta  valle  Caniculae 
vitabis'aestus  et  fide  Teia 
dices  laborantis  in  uno 

Penelopen  vitreamque  Circen ; 

hie  innocentis  pocula  Lesbii 
duces  sub  umbra,  nee  Semeleius 
cum  Marte  confundet  Thyoneus 
proelia,  nee  metues  protervum 


ing  epithets  —  ad  plenum,  benigno 
(i.e.  large,  generous),  opulenta. — 
copia :  here  the  contents  of  the 
horn.  —  cornu:  the  horn  of  For- 
tune, which  Hercules  wrenched 
from  the  river  god  Achelous  and 
presented  to  the  goddess.  See 
Baumeister,  nos.  605,2037.  — ruris 
honorum  :  fruits  and  flowers.  Cf. 
S.  2,  5.  12  f.  dulcia  poma  \  et  quos- 
cntnqne  ferel  culttis  tibi  fundus 
honor  es. 

17  f.  reducta  valle :  cf.  Epod. 
2,  II  f.  out  in  reducta  valle 
inugientiitin  \  prospectal  errand's 
greges.  —  Caniculae  :  properly  Pro- 
cyon,  but  here  not  distinguished 
from  Sirius.  —  fide  Teia  :  Teos 
in  Ionia  was  the  native  city  of 
Anacreon,  who  sang  of  love  and 
wine. — dices:  shall  sing.  Cf. 
I,  6,  5.  —  laborantis:  sc.  amore, 
I/jam  irovoixrai.  The  object  of 
their  love  is  expressed  by  in 
with  the  abl.  Cf.  Catull.  64, 
98  (of  Ariadne)  in  flavo  saepe 


hospitesnspirantem.  —  uno  :  Odys- 
seus. 

20.  vitream:  a  natural  epithet 
of  Circe  who  was  a  sea  nymph. 
Cf.  Stat.  Silv.  I,  3,  85  vitreae 
iitga  perfida  Circes,  and  C.  4,  2,  3 
•vitreo  ponto.  —  Penelopen  .  .  . 
Circen :  the  faithful  wife  and  the 
treacherous  sorceress  contrasted. 

21  f.  innocentis :  explained  by 
the  following  verses,  '  no  drunken 
quarrels  shall  result  from  its  use.1 
—  duces :  shall  quaff.  —  Semeleius 
.  .  .  Thyoneus  :  a  combination  of 
two  metronymics  imitated  by  a 
poet  in  the  Anth.  /,#/.  i,  751  Se- 
melete  Bacche  . .  .  laete  Thy  on  en.  — 
Thyone  (cf.  Owa  =  •'  to  rush,'  '  to 
be  violently  excited  '),  whom  some 
legends  make  the  mother  of  Diony- 
sus, is  identified  with  Semele  in 
the  older  Homeric  Hymn  to  Diony- 
sus v.  21,  and  by  Pindar  P.  3.  176. 

23  f .  confundet  .  .  .  proelia : 
a  variation  of  the  common  nriscere, 
committere  proelia. 


112 


CARMINA 


[i,  18,  2 


suspecta  Cyrum,  ne  male  dispari 
incontinentis  iniciat  manus 
et  scindat  haerentem  coronam 
crinibus  immeritamque  vestem. 


25.  suspecta  :  for  rude  Cyrus  is 
jealous. — male  dispari:  a  bad  match, 
i.e.  no  match,  cf.  i,  9,  24  male  per  - 
tinaci and  n.  to  minus  \,  2,  27. 

26  ff.  Tyndaris  is  to  be  in  festal 
dress,  which  Cyrus  would  injure  if 
he  should  find  her.  Cf.  Propert. 


2,  5,  21  ff.  nee  tibi  periuro  scindam 
de  cor  pore  vestem,  \  nee  mea  prae- 
clttsas  fregerit  ira  fores,  \  nee  tibi 
conexos  iratus  carpere  crines  \  nee 
duris  ausim  laedere  pollicibns.  — 
immeritam :  the  dress  shares  Tyn- 
daris1 innocence. 


18 

In  praise  of  wine.  '  Thou  shouldst  before  all,  Varus,  plant  the  vine 
about  Tibur,  for  total  abstainers  find  life  hard.  Wine  drives  away  cares  ; 
but  immoderate  use  brings  quarrels,  boasting,  and  bad  faith.1 

The  ode  was  suggested  by  a  poem  of  Alcaeus.  of  which  Horace  has 
translated  at  least  the  beginning.  Frg.  44  fj.r)8tv  aAAo  (frvTevcrrp;  Trpdrepov 
SeVSptov  afjureXw.  He  has,  however,  after  his  usual  manner  given  his 
verses  an  Italian  setting.  The  date  of  composition  is  unknown.  The 
Varus  addressed  was  probably  Quintilius  Varus.  whose  death  is  lamented 
in  i,  24.  Metre,  54. 

Nullam,  Vare,  sacra  vite  prius  severis  arborem 
circa  mite  solum  Tiburis  et  moenia  Catili. 


the 


as   the  vine   is 
Cf.  Ennius  Trag. 
vitis 


i.   sacra: 

gift  of  Bacchus.     

107  f.  R.  Bacchus  pater  , 
inventor  sacrae.  The  position  of 
sacra  implies  that  this  gift  is  not 
to  be  abused,  but  enjoyed  in  proper 
fashion  as  coming  from  the  gods. 
—  severis:  plant.  Cf.  Caecilius 
apud  Cic.  C.  M.  24  serif  arbores 
quae  alter  i  saeclo  prosint.  —  arbo- 
rem :  a  generic  term  of  wider 
scope  than  our  English  'tree.1 

HOR.  CAR.  —  8  113 


Plin.  N.  H.  14,  9  vites  hire  apud 
priscos  magnitiidine  quoque  inter 
arbores  numerabantur. 

2.  circa :  used  in  the  same 
loose  way  as  our  English  '  about ? ; 
with  solum  it  denotes  the  place 
where,  with  moenia  it  means 
'near1,  'in  the  neighborhood  of.1 
—  mite  :  soft,  and  hence  fertile. 
Cf.  Verg.  G.  2,  226  ff.  for  an  ac- 
count of  the  best  soil  for  vines.  — 
Tiburis ;  for  Horace1*  love  of 


i,  1 8,  3] 


IIORATI 


Siccis  omnia  nam  dura  deus  proposuit  neque 
mordaces  aliter  diffugiunt  sollicitudines. 
Quis  post  vina  gravem  militiam  aut  pauperiem  crepat? 
Quis  non  te  potius,  Bacche  pater,  teque,  decens  Venus? 
Ac  ne  quis  modici  transiliat  munera  Liberi, 
Centaurea  monet  cum  Lapithis  rixa  super  mero 
debellata,  monet  Sithoniis  non  levis  Euhius, 

i.e.  equivalent  \.oqni  inoduin  amat. 
Cf.  i,  27,  3  vcrecundtts  Bacchus. 

8  f.  The  first  of  the  examples 
given  to  enforce  the  warning  — 
the  quarrel  between  the  Centaurs 
and  the  Lapithae  at  the  marriage 
of  Peirithoos  and  Hippodamia  — 
was  a  favorite  subject  of  literary 
and  plastic  art.  Cf.  e.g.  Od.  21, 
294-304;  Ovid.  Met.  12,  210  ff. 
The  contest  was  represented  on 
the  pediment  of  the  temple  of 
Zeus  at  Olympia,  and  on  the 
metopes  of  the  Parthenon.  — 
super  mero :  local;  over  their  wine. 

9.  debellata  :  note  the  force  of 
the  prefix  ;  the  brawl  ended  in  the 
destruction  of  the  Centaurs.  — 
Sithoniis :  a  Thracian  people 
dwelling  on  the  peninsula  Pal- 
lene.  Tradition  said  that  Diony- 
sus destroyed  the  giants  who  once 
dwelt  there.  Whether  the  refer- 
ence here  is  to  some  feature  of  the 
myth  unknown  to  us  or  to  the 
familiar  impetuous  character  of 
the  intemperate  Thracians  cannot 
be  determined.  Cf.  i,  27,  i  f. 
not  is  in  itsum  laetitiae  scyphis  \ 
pugnare  Thracnnt  est.  —  non 
levis  :  carrying  the  emphasis,  — 
the  harshness  of,  etc — Euhius:  a 


Tibur,  see  i,  7,  u  ff. — moenia 
Catili :  Cati(l)lus  with  his  brothers 
Coras  and  Tiburnus  from  Arcadia 
founded  Tibur,  and  gave  his  name 
to  the  mountain  that  overhangs 
the  town.  It  is  still  Monte  Catillo. 
Here  the  form  with  the  short  pe- 
nult is  chosen  for  the  metre's  sake. 

3.  siccis  :  total  abstainers.     For 
the  opposite,  udus  or  uvidus,  cf. 

1,  7,  22  ;  4,  5,  39.  —  nam:  for  the 
position, see  Intr-3i.  —  dura:  'life's 
rough  side.' 

4.  mordaces  :  car  king.  Cf.  2,  1 1, 
1 8  curae  edaces ;  an  d  Verg.  A .  1 , 26 1 
quando  haec  te  cur  a  remordet.  — 
aliter :  i.e.  without  the  use  of  wine. 

5.  gravem   militiam,   etc. :  the 
hardships    of  war    or    of  petty 
estate.  —  crepat :  babbles,  harps  on. 

6.  pater  :  in  recognition  of  the 
god  as  giver  of  the  vine  and  other 
blessings.     Cf.   3,  3,    13;    Epist. 

2,  i,  5  Liber  pater.     Here  he  is 
named  with  Venus,  as   wine  and 
love     are     boon     companions.  — 
decens :   comely,  '  fair  in  face  and 
figure.'    Cf.  i,  4,  6  Gratiae  decen- 
tes. 

7.  ne  quis,  etc  :  dependent  on 
monet  in  the   following  verse.  — 
transiliat :  lightly  abuse.  —  modici : 


114 


CAkMlNA 


[i,  18,  14 


10      cum  fas  atque  nefas  exiguo  fine  libidinum 

discernunt  avidi.     Non  ego  te,  candide  Bassareu, 
invitum  quatiam  nee  variis  obsita  frondibus 
sub  divum  rapiam.     Saeva  tene  cum  Berecynthio 
cornu  tympana,  quae  subsequitur  caecus  amor  sui 


name   of    Bacchus    formed    from 
the  bacchanal  cry  euoi.     Cf.  2,  19, 

5.  Notice  that   Horace   employs 
here   indiscriminately    Latin    and 
Greek  names  of  the  god  —  Bacchus 

6,  Liber  7,  Euhius  9,  Baosareus  1 1 
—  his   purpose   being    simply    to 
secure  variety. 

10.  exiguo  fine,  etc.  :  with  ap- 
petite's narrow  bound  alone;  i.e. 
when  men  in  their  greed  (avidi) 
make  their  passions  the  sole  meas- 
ure of  right  and  wrong.     In   the 
following  verses  Horace  expresses 
his  thoughts,  '  I  will  not  abuse  thy 
gift,  fair  Bacchus,'  in  the  language 
of  the  Dionysiac  mysteries. 

11.  non  ego:  the  common  per- 
sonal note  giving  force  and  con- 
creteness  to  the  general  statement. 
For  the  order  of  words,  see  Intr. 
21.30. — candide:  used  of  brilliant 
youthful  beauty,  'fair  and  young1 
(Wickham).      Cf.   Ovid  Fast.  3. 
771  ff.  —  Bassareu:      an     epithet 
formed  from  the  Greek  (3a.cra-a.pa, 
a  foxskin.     This  was  worn  by  the 
bacchanals,  who    are    themselves 
called  in  the  Orphic  hymn  44,  2  A. 
/Baacrdpai. 

12.  quatiam:    arouse,    KIVT/O-W, 
properly   applied    to    the    thyrsus 
and    other    symbols    of   the  god, 
as  by  Catull.  64,  256  harum  pars 


tecta  quatiebant  cuspide  thyrsos. 
—  variis  obsita  frondibus :  the 
sacred  symbols  (orgia)  placed 
in  baskets  (cistae)  and  covered 
with  ivy,  grape,  or  fig  leaves,  etc. 
Cf.  Catull.  64,  254  ff.  and  Theoc. 
26,  3  ff. 

13.  sub  divum :  into  the  light  of 
day ;  cf.  I,  I,  25  manet  sub  love 
frigido  venator.  —  saeva  tene, 
etc.:  'And we  pray  thee,  Bacchus, 
do  not  excite  our  minds  unduly 
lest  we  fall  into  excess.' — saeva: 
of  the  sound,  'the  wild  din  of.1 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  9,  651  saeva  sono- 
ribus  arma,  and  Catull.  64,  261  ff. 
plangebant  aliae  proceris  tym- 
pana palm  is  |  aut  tereti  tenues 
tinnitus  aere  ciebant  \  multis  rau- 
cisonos  efflabant  cornua  bombos  \ 
barbaraqne  horribili  stridebat  tibia 
cantu.  —  Berecynthio  cornu :  cf.  3, 
19,  1 8  f.  cur  Berecynthiae  cessant 
flamina  tibiae.  This  is  properly 
the  horn  used  in  the  orgiastic 
cult  of  Cybele  on  Mt.  Berecynthus 
in  Phrygia ;  by  extension  applied 
to  the  horns  employed  in  the  wor- 
ship of  Bacchus. 

14  f .  quae  subsequitur,  etc. :  i,e. 
in  the  train  of  mad  ecstasy  inspired 
by  the  god  follow  all  too  readily 
self-love  (amor  sui),  boasting  (glo 
ria)  and  faithlessness  (arcani  fides 


i.  1 8,  15]  HORATI 

15  et  tollens  vacuum  plus  nimio  gloria  verticem 

arcanique  fides  prodiga,  perlucidior  vitro. 

prodiga) .  •  —  plus  nimio :  over  much,  a  wine  jar)  tu  .  .  .  arcanum  iocoso  \ 

'too  high.1     Cf.  i,  33,  i  ne  doleas  consilinm  retegis  Lyaeo;  and  the 

plus  nimio,  and  Kpist.   i,  10,  30  proverb  in  the  scholia    to    Plato, 

res   plus    nimio    delectavere    se-  p.  960  Or.  TO  «V  Kapoui  VJ/^OVTOS, 

cundce.  CTrt  Trj  yXiixrar)  rov  /xe^uovros. — 

16.  Drunkenness  causes  men  to  fides   prodiga  :    the  faith  that  is 

babble  secrets.     Cf.  3,  21,  15  f.  (to  lavish. 

19 

'  I  thought  my  days  of  love  were  over,  but  Venus  and  her  allies  will 
not  let  me  go.  Glycera  inflames  me  ;  Venus  forbids  me  sing  of  aught 
but  love.  Bring  turf  and  let  me  build  an  altar  to  the  goddess.  The 
offer  of  a  victim  will  soften  her  attack.' 

This  dainty  poem  should  be  compared  with  the  thirtieth  ode  of  this 
book.  Possibly  its  place  here  was  determined  by  the  decens  Venus  v.  6 
of  the  preceding  ode.  The  date  is  wholly  uncertain.  Metre,  71. 

Mater  saeva  Cupidinum 

Thebanaeque  iubet  me  Semeles  puer 
et  lasciva  Licentia 

finitis  animum  reddere  amoribus. 
5  Vrit  me  Glycerae  nitor 

splendentis  Pario  marmore  purius ; 

i  f .  Mater  saeva  Cupidinum :  re-  puella,  Verg.  E.  3,  64.  — Licentia : 

peated  years  later  in  4,  i,  5.     Cf.  "Y/3pis. —  finitis:  predicate  to  amo- 

Philod.  Anth.  Pal.  10,  21  KvTrpi,  ribus — to  loves  I  thought  were  past. 

TToBotv  pjrep  deAAoTTooW. —  Cupi-  — animum  reddere:  here  not  as  in 

dinum  :  the  plural  is  not  infrequent  i,  16,  28,  but  almost  equivalent  to 

in  Hellenistic  and  Roman  litera-  me  reddere. 

ture.  —  Semeles  puer:  for  Bacchus'  5  ff.  urit  .  .  .  urit :  Intr.  28  c.  — 

association  with  Venus,  see  v.  6  of  nitor:  brilliant  beauty ;  soniteo'm 

the  preceding  ode.     Cf.  also  the  2,  5,  i8f.  albo  sic  umero  nitens. — 

Anacreontic  fragment  2  to  Diony-  Pario :    so    Pindar    celebrates  the 

sus  u>vo£,  J»  8afjui\r)s  *E/>to? . . .  irop-  brilliancy  of  Parian  marble  N.  4, 

'A<£pooYri7  <rvp-Tu-%ov0ii' .  8 1    «i    8*    iceAewis    OToAa? 

3  f .  lasciva :  wanton,  as  lasciva  llaptov  \tOov 

116 


CARM1NA 


[i,  ig,  ib 


urit  grata  protervitas 

et  voltus  nimium  lubricus  adspici. 
In  me  tota  ruens  Venus 

Cyprum  deseruit,  nee  patitur  Scythas 
et  versis  animosum  equis 

Parthum  dicere  nee  quae  nihil  attinent. 
Hie  vivum  mihi  caespitem,  hie 

verbenas,  pueri,  ponite  turaque 
bimi  cum  patera  meri ; 

mactata  veniet  lenior  hostia. 


7  f .  grata  protervitas :  her  pretty, 
provoking  ways .  P  rude  nt .  praef. 
10  has  a  reminiscence  of  this  ode 
in  his  repetition  of  the  phrase  las- 
civa  protervitas.  —  lubricus  aspici : 
uypos  (3\€TT{.cr0a.i.  Intr.  109. 

9.  tota:  -with  all  her  power.1  — 
Cyprum  deseruit :  Cyprus  was  one 
of  the  chief  centers  of  the  worship 
of  Aphrodite ;  on  its  shores  the 
goddess  is  said  to  have  been  born 
from  the  foam  of  the  sea.  Cf.  Ale- 
man  Frg.  21  Kvrrpov  Ip-eprav 
AiTrotcra  KO!  Tld<f>ov  Trcpippvrav. 

10  f .  nee  patitur  Scythas,  etc. : 
the  goddess  of  love  will  not  allow 
Horace  to  sing  of  serious  subjects, 
the  dangers  that  threaten  the  em- 
pire, or  even  of  subjects  to  which 
she  is  wholly  indifferent  (quae  ni- 
hil attinent).     Love  must  be  his 
only  theme. 

1 1  f .  versis  .  .  .  Parthum  :  the 
famous  maneuver  of  the  Parthians, 
in  which  they  pretended   to  flee 
and  then,  turning  on  their  horses, 
shot  at  their  pursuers,  is  frequently 
mentioned  by  the  Romans.     Cf. 


e.g.  2, 13,  18  ;  Verg.  G.  3, 31  fiden- 
temque  fuga  Parthum  versisque 
sagittis ;  also  Ovid  A.  A.  3,  786  ut 
celer  aversis  utere  Partlius  equis. 
Plut.  Crass.  24  vrrt'^tvyov  yap  a/uia 
/^aAAovTts  ot  IldpOoi.  KM  TOVTO  Kpd- 

TUTTO.  7TOIOWI  /X£Ta   ^Kvda?. 

13  f.  hie  ...  hie  :  the  anaphora 
expressed  the  poet's  mock  haste. 
He  will  build  an  altar  on  the  spot, 
of  fresh  turf  (vivum  caespitem), 
and  propitiate  the  goddess  with  sac- 
rifice.—  verbenas:  defined  by  the 
ancients  as  anything  green,  whether 
branches  of  laurel,  bay,  or  olive,  or 
even  grass.used  for  sacred  purposes. 
Here  branches  to  decorate  the  im- 
provised altar.  Cf.  4,  11,  6  f.  ara 
|  castis  vincta  •verbenis.  —  pueri : 
the  common  address  to  slaves. 

15.  meri :  pure  wine  unmixed 
with  water  was  alone  used  in  li- 
bation.—  hostia:  ordinarily  only 
bloodless  sacrifices  were  offered  to 
Venus  ;  but  this  is  not  to  be  taken 
too  literally.  —  lenior :  ivith  gentler 
sway ;  in  contrast  to  in  me  tota 
ruens  above. 


117 


I,  20,  l] 


HORAT1 


20 

'Cheap  Sabine  wine  in  modest  cups  shall  be  thy  drink  with  me,  my 
dear  Maecenas.  I  sealed  the  jar  myself  some  years  ago.  Choice 
wines  thou  hast  at  home ;  but  no  Falernian  nor  Formian  grape  flavors 
my  cups.' 

These  verses  have  the  form  of  an  answer  to  a  letter  from  Maecenas 
announcing  his  intention  to  visit  Horace  on  his  Sabine  farm.  The 
event  mentioned  in  v.  3  ff.  fixes  the  date  of  composition  as  after  30  B.C. 
The  ode  shows  a  lack  of  finish,  as  if  written  in  haste.  Metre,  69. 

Vile  potabis  modicis  Sabinum 
cantharis,  Graeca  quod  ego  ipse  testa 
conditum  levi,  datus  in  theatre 
cum  tibi  plausus, 

• 

5  care  Maecenas  eques,  ut  paterni 

fluminis  ripae  simul  et  iocosa 


1.  vile   .    .    .    Sabinum :    just 
vin  ordinaire.    The  Sabine   was 
the  lightest  of  the  Italian  wines, 
according  to  Galen   apnd  Athen. 
I,  27  B.  who  adds  airo  friov  OTTO, 
eTriT^Stios  Trivt&Oai  /AC'X/OI  irt.vTtKu.L- 
8fKa.  —  modicis  :  with  reference  to 
the   material    of  which    Horace's 
drinking  cups  (canthari)  are  made; 
plain  earthen  cups,  not  goblets  of 
silver  or  of  gold. 

2.  Graeca  .  .  .  testa :   an  am- 
phora in  which  a  Greek — and  a 
superior —  wine  had  been  imported. 
The  cheap  Sabine  would  acquire  a 
better  taste  from  being  stored  in 
such   a  jar.      Cf.  Columella's   in- 
structions. 12, 28  sivasarecentia  ex 
(jiiibus  vinum  evemptum  sit  habe- 
bis,  in  ea  (sc.  vinnni)  confitndito. 

3.  conditum  :    stored  au<ay,    in 
the  amphora.     For  the  process  of 


making  wine,  see  Dictionary  of 
Antiquities,  s.  v.  vinum. — levi: 
equivalent  to  oblevi.  The  cork 
which  stopped  the  amphora  was 
sealed  with  pitch  or  plaster.  Cf. 
3,  8,  9  f.  hie  dies  .  .  .  \  corticem 
adstrictum  pice  dimovebit  \  am- 
phorae. —  datus  in  theatre,  etc. : 
the  only  permanent  theater  at 
this  time  was  that  built  by  Pom- 
pey  on  the  Campus  Martius  in  55 
B.C.  The  occasion  referred  to 
was  in  30  B.C.,  when  Maecenas 
was  greeted  with  great  applause 
on  his  first  appearance  after  a 
severe  illness.  Cf.  2,  17,  25  f. 
cum  populus  freqitens  \  laetum 
theatris  ter  crep»it  sonnm. 

5  f.  care :  cf.  2.  20.  7  dilecte 
Maecenas.  —  eques  :  referring  to 
Maecenas1  modesty  in  remaining 
a  member  of  the  burgher  class  in 


118 


CARMINA  [i,  21,  2 

redderet  laudes  tibi  Vatican! 
mentis  imago. 

Caecubum  et  prelo  domitam  Caleno 
10  tu  bibes  uvam  :  mea  nee  Falernae 

temperant  vites  neque  Formiani 
pocula  colles. 

spite  of  the  opportunity  his  wealth  the  range  of  hills  of  which  the  Jani- 

and  power  gave  him  to  rise  from  culum  is  the  highest, 
it.     Intr.   5.  —  paterni    fluminis  :  9  ff.   The   four  wines    selected 

the  Tiber  is  called  by  Horace  S.  as  representatives  of  the   choicer 

2,  2,  32  amnis  Tuscus.     Maecenas  brands  were  all  grown  on  the  coast 
was  of  Etruscan  stock;  see  n.  to  of  southern  Latium  and  northern 
i,  I,  I  and  Propert.  4,  9,  I  Maece-  Campania. — tu...mea:  contrasted. 
lias  eques  Etrnsco  de  sanguine  re-  — bibes:  inayest drink  at home.  For 
glint.  —  iocosa  .  .  .  imago  :  as  1 ,  1 2,  this  use  of  the  future,  cf.  1 , 7, 1  lauda- 

3.  —  redderet :  answered  back.  bunt  alii.  —  temperant :    temper, 

7  f .    Vaticani  mentis :  the  Vati-      flavor;   properly  used  of  mixing 
can  forms   the   northern   spur  of      wine  with  water  in  due  proportion. 


21 

A  hymn  to  Diana  and  Apollo  as  averters  of  ill,  This  may  have  been 
originally  a  study  for  a  secular  hymn,  possibly  for  the  celebration 
planned  by  Augustus  for  23  B.C.  Cf.  Intr.  to  C.  S.  p.  388.  The 
verses  have  a  striking  resemblance  to  Catull.  34,  I  ff.  Dianae  sumus  in 
fide  |  puellaeet  pueri  integri ;  \  Dianam  pueri  integri  \  puellaeque  cana- 
ntus.  Like  Catullus'  ode  and  the  Carmen  Saeculare  this  was  written 
for  a  chorus  of^girls  and  boys.  It  should  be  compared  also  with  4,  6. 
Metre,  73.  W 

y\  Dianam  tenerae  dicite  virgines, 

intonsum,  pueri,  dicite  Cynthium, 

if.  Note  the  parallelism,  which  2.    intonsum:    Apollo,  as  a  di- 

is   not   unlike    that    in    Catullus'  vinity   ever  young,  is  represented 

verses   quoted   above.  —  Dianam:  with    flowing    hair  —  aKepa-eKop.^. 

but  Diana  3.  4.  71.      Intr.  34.  —  Cf.  Epod.  15.  9  intonsos  Apollinis 

dicite:    equivalent    to  cantate,  as  capillos ;   and  Tibull.  i,   4,   37   f. 

often.     Cf.  i,  6,  5.  solis  aeterna  est  Phoebo  Bacchoque 

119 


i.  21,3] 


HORATI 


10 


Latonamque  supremo 
dilectam  penitus  lovi 

Vos  laetam  fluviis  et  nemorum  coma 
quaecumque  aut  gelido  prominet  Algido 
nigris  aut  Erymanthi 
silvis  aut  viridis  Gragi ; 

vos  Tempe  totidem  tollite  laudibus 
natalemque,  mares,  Delon  Apollinis 
insignemque  pharetra 
fraternaque  umerum  lyra. 


invent  a;  \  namdecetintonsuscrinis 
utr  unique  deuin .  —  Cynthium  :  so 
named  from  Mt.  Cynthus  in  Delos, 
where  he  and  his  sister  Diana 
were  born. 

3  f .  Latonam :  the  mother  also 
is  included  in  the  hymn.  —  peni- 
tus :  '  deeply,'  '  heartily,'  Kr)p68i. 

5.  vos  :  the  half-chorus  of  girls  ; 
sc.  dicite.  —  laetam  fluviis  :  Diana 
was  goddess  of  streams  as  well  as 
of  the  woods.     Cf.  Catull.  34,  12 
domina  .   .  .  arnniumque    sonan- 
tutn  ;  Find.  P.  2,6'Oprvyiav,  TTOTO.- 
/utas  «?8os  "AprtyuSos.  She  is  named 
"Apre/us  TTora/Ata  also  on  Sicilian 
coins. — coma:  not  an  uncommon 
figure,  'the  tresses  of  the  wood.' 
So  e.g.  Od.  23,  195  drrtKOi^a  KO/AT/V 
Tavv<t>v\\ov  eAar^s ;   Catull.  4,   II 
comata  silva.  Milton  P.  L.  7  '  bush 
with  frizzled  hair  implicit.' 

6.  Algido :    a  ridge  in  the  Al- 
ban  Hills  on  a  spur  of  which  was 
a   famous  shrine   of   Diana,    dea 
Nemorensis,  near  the  present  Lake 
Nemi.      Its   name   was    probably 


due  to  the  fact  that  its  woods  and 
elevation  made  it  a  cool  and  pleas- 
ant contrast  to  the  plain  about  it. 
Cf.  3,  23,  9  f.  (victima)  quae  ni- 
vali  pascitur  Algido  \  devota  quer- 
cus  inter  et  ilices.  4,  4,  58  nigrae 
feraci frondis  in  Algido. 

7.  Erymanthi:  a  high  moun- 
tain in  north  Acadia,  a  favorite 
hunting  place  of  Diana.  Od.  6, 
1 02  OIT;  8'*ApTe/us  dai  KO.T  ovpeos 
lo\fatpa,  |  ^  Kara  Trjvytrov  TTf.pt- 
p.rjKf.Tov  17  'KpvfjiavBov.  The  ad- 
jective nigris  (dark  green)  is  con- 
trasted 'to  viridis  (light  green). 
Cf.  4,  12,  II  nigri  colles  Arcadiae. 
-  Gragi :  Gragus,  a  mountain  in 
Lycia,  and  the  home  of  Leto. 

9  ff.  vos  :  the  boys.  —  Tempe  : 
the  valley  of  the  Peneus  between 
Olympus  and  Ossa.  Cf.  i,  7, 4.  — 
natalem  .  .  .  Delon:  cf.  n.  to  v.  2 
above,  and  Verg.  A  4,  144  Delutn 
maternam.  -  totidem  :  with  laudi- 
bus. 

12.  umerum:  a  Greek  accu. 
with  insignera  (sc.  deum).  —  fra- 


120 


CARMINA  [i,  22 

Hie  bellum  lacrimosum,  hie  miseram  famem 
pestemque  a  populo  et  principe  Caesare  in 
15  Persas  atque  Britannos 

vestra  motus  aget  prece. 

terna  .  .  .  lyra :   the  story  of  the  the   failure   of   the   crops    in   24 

presentation  of  the  lyre  to  Apollo  B.C.  and  Augustus'  sickness,  24-23 

by  Mercury  is  told  in  the  Homeric  B.C.     The  collocation  famem  pes- 

Hymn  to  Hermes,  490-502.  temque    may  be   simply  a  repro- 

13  ff.  hie  ...  hie  :  Apollo  as  the  duction  of  the  phrase   Ai/xos  KOL 

special  protector  of  Augustus  is  in-  Aot/xo?.  Hes.  Op.  243.  —  principe : 

voked  to  avert  the  ills  that  threaten  'the  first  citizen.'     Cf.  1,2,50. — 

the   state.      Cf.  the   introductory  Persas  atque  Britannos :  the  remote 

note  to  i,  2. — bellum  lacrimosum:  East  and  West   still    unsubdued, 

the   Homeric  TrdAe/ttov  oW/jvoevra  Cf.  3,  5,  3  adiectis  Britannis  \  im- 

(//.   5,  737),  Vergil's   lacrimabile  perio  gravibusque  Persis.      Note 

bellttm    {A.    7,    604).  —  miseram  the  confidence  expressed  by  the 

famem,   etc. :   with    reference    to  future  aget. 


22 

'The  upright  man  is  safe,  no  matter  where  he  roams.  I  know 
that  this  is  true,  friend  Fuscus,  for  once  in  Sabine  wood  as  I  sang  of 
Lalage,  a  monster  wolf  fled  from  me,  though  \  was  unarmed.  Put  me 
in  chill  northern  gloom  or  beneath  the  torrid  sun,  still  will  I  ever  sing 
my  Lalage.' 

The  affected  solemnity  of  the  first  two  strophes  has  often  led  com- 
mentators to  interpret  this  ode  too  seriously,  as  if  Horace  were  sol- 
emnly preaching  a  moral  lesson.  While  an  actual  encounter  with  a 
wolf  may  have  furnished  the  opportunity  for  the  illustration,  Horace 
was  the  last  man  to  use  such  an  event  to  point  a  moral,  still  less  take 
himself  for  an  example  of  the  noblest  virtue.  He  never  preaches,  and 
is  always  free  from  cant.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  ode  is  a  piece  of 
humor  which  Horace  knew  his  friend  Aristius  Fuscus  would  appre- 
ciate. No  doubt  Horace  had  had  many  proofs  of  Fuscus1  fondness 
for  joking;  he  tells  of  one  occasion  (S.  I,  9,  61-73)  when  his  friend 
refused  to  rescue  him  from  a  bore.  The  relations  between  the  two 
were  the  closest.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  10,  3f.  paene gemelli  f rater nis  animis. 
Metre,  69. 

121 


I,  22,  I] 


IO 


HORATI 
Integer  vitae  scelerisque  purus  h'1 

\  •* 

non  eget  Mauris  iaculis  neque  arcu   *\ 
nee  venenatis  gravida  sagittis, 
Fusee,  pharetra, 

sive  per  Syrtis  iter  aestuosas 
sive  facturus  per  inhospitalem 
Caucasum  vel  quae  loca  fabulosus 
lambit  Hydaspes. 

Namque  me  silva  lupus  in  Sabina, 
dum  meam  canto  Lalagen  et  ultra 
terminum  curis  vagor  expeditis, 
fugit  inermem, 

quale  portentum  neque  militaris 
Daunias  latis  alit  aesculetis 


i.  vitae  .  .  .  sceleris:  genitives 
of  reference ;  the  first  is  not  un- 
common in  Latin  poetry,  e.g.  Verg. 
A.  9,  255  and  Ovid  Met.  9,  441 
integer  aevi.  Intr.  93.  The  second 
is  a  Greek  construction,  Kadapo? 
d&Kta?,  for  which  the  Latin  ordi- 
narily preferred  the  abl.  Cf.  S. 
2>  3?  2 '  3  pitrtim  intio  cor. 

5.  Syrtis :  the  desert  coast  on 
the  north  of  Africa,  opposite  the 
whirlpools  called  by  the  same 
name;  cf.  Verg.  A.  5,  51  hitnc 
(sc.  diem)  ego  Gaetulis  agerem  si 
Syrtibus  exsul.  Pliny  ,V.  //.  5, 
26  speaks  of  this  barren  tract  as 
the  haunt  of  savage  beasts  and 
serpents. 

6  ff.  facturus  :  sc.  est.  —  fabulo- 
sus :  since  the  Hydaspes  —the  far- 
thest river  reached  by  Alexander 


in  India  —  was  famed  to  bear  gems 
and  gold,  and  the  entire  unknown 
eastern  world  for  which  the  river 
stands  was  a  land  of  marvels  and 
wonders. — lambit:  laves. 

9.  namque  me  :  introducing  the 
special  experience  —  shown  by  the 
emphatic  me  to  be  a  personal  one 
—  to  prove  the  general  statement. 
Intr.  30— Lalagen:  AuAuyiy,  '  the 
prattler.'  a  name  chosen  to  suit  the 
character  of  the  ode. 

10  f .  ultra  terminum  :  i.e.  of  his 
own  farm.  —  curis  expeditis:  cf. 
Catull.  31,70  quid  solntis  est  (tea- 
tins  curis. 

13.  quale  portentum :  such  a  mon- 
ster as,  etc. 

14.  Daunias  :  the  Greek  Aavvta, 
Apulia;    named    from    1). minis,  a 
mythical  king  of  Northern  Apulia. 


122 


CARMINA 


[I,  22,  24 


nec  lubae  tellus  generat,  leonum 
arida  nutrix. 

Pone  me  pigris  ubi  nulla  campis 
arbor  aestiva  recreatur  aura, 
quod  latus  mundi  nebulae  malusque 
luppiter  urget; 

pone  sub  curru  nimium  propinqui 
solis,  in  terra  domibus  negata  : 
dulce  ridentem  Lalagen  amabo, 
dulce  loquentem. 


Cf.  3,  30,  ni.et  qua  pauper  aquae  \ 
Daunus  agrestium  regnavit  popu- 
lonini.  Vergil  introduced  him  into 
the  Aeneid  (12,  934)  as  the  father 
of  Turnus  ;  another  legend  made 
him  the  father-in-law  of  Diomedes, 
who  assisted  him  against  the  Mes- 
sapians. 

15.  lubae  tellus  :  Mauretania. 
The  reference  is  probably  to  the 
younger  luba,  son  of  the  king  luba 
who  killed  himself  after  the  defeat 
at  Thapsus  in  46  B.C.  The  young 
prince  received  a  Roman  education 
and  was  established  on  the  throne 
of  Mauretania  in  25  B.C.  This 
barren  country  (leonum  arida  nu- 
trix) was  a  poor  return  for  the 
kingdom  his  father  lost  to  the 
Romans. 

1  6.  arida  nutrix:  a  weak  oxy- 
moron. Intr.  26  a.  Cf.  Anon.  A  nth. 
Pal.  6,  5  1  /u.*7T£/o  ep.rj,  70/77  <t>pvyiW, 


17-22.  The  same  extremes  as  3, 


3,  54ff.  visere  gestiens  \  qua  part e 
debacchentur  ignes,  \  qua  nebulae 
pluviiqnerores. — pigris  :  dull;  bar- 
ren. Cf.  Lucret.  5,  746  bruttia 
nives  affert  pigrumque  rigoretn, 
and  Ovid,  Am.  3,  6,  94  pigra 
hienis. 

19.  quod  latus:  a  parallel  con- 
struction to  quale  portentum,  v.  13. 
— latus:  inasmuch  as  Horace  here 
thinks  of  the  world  as  flat.  Cf.  3, 
24,  38  Boreae  finitimum  latus. — 
malus :  a  sullen. 

22.  domibus  negata :  in  contrast 
is  Vergil's  description  of  the  tem- 
perate zones,  G.  I,  237  f.  mor- 
talibus  aegris  \  munere  concessae 
divom. 

23  f.  Note  the  liquid  sound 
of  these  verses. — dulce  ridentem 
.  .  .  dulce  loquentem:  like  Sap- 
pho's aSv  (^wvewra?  .  .  .  yeAm- 
aas  i/xepdev.  Horace's  second 
phrase  reproduces  the  girl's  name, 
AaXay?/. 


123 


i,  23,  i]  HORATI 

23 

A  study  from  a  Greek  original ;  possibly  from  Anacreon's  verses,  of 
which  we  have  a  fragment  (51)  dyayois  out  rt  vtftpov  vto&r]\fo.  \ 
yaXaOrjvov,  OCTT'  fv  v\r)  KCpoeoxTT/s  |  a7roA.ei<£0£is  VTTO  /AT/rpos  firTorj&r). 
'Gently  as  a  new-born  fawn  unweaned,  which  quivers  from  terror,  when 
left  in  the  wood  by  its  antlered  mother.1  The  name  Chloe  (x^<»7>  "a 
young  shoot')  was  apparently  chosen  to  suit  the  character  of  the  girl, 
as  was  Lalage  in  the  preceding  ode  and  Lydia  and  Sybaris  in  i,  8. 
Metre,  73. 

Vitas  inuleo  me  similis,  Chloe, 
quaerenti  pavidam  montibus  aviis 
matrem  non  sine  vano 
aurarum  et  siluae  metu ; 

5  nam  seu  mobilibus  veris  inhorruit 

adventus  foliis,  seu  virides  rubum 
dimovere  lacertae, 

et  corde  et  genibus  tremit. 

Atqui  non  ego  te  tigris  ut  aspera 
10  Gaetulusve  leo  frangere  persequor; 

i  ff.  inuleo :  a  fawn.  —  quaerenti:  horruit,  rustled.     Cf.  Plato  A  nth. 

'lost    and    seeking,'     airo\(.L<t>Of.i<;  Plan.  16,  13  V^LKO/JLOV  irapa  rdvSf. 

above.  —  non  sine,  etc. :  a  common  Ku#i'£eo    (fxavrjifTtrav  \  ^pwro-ovauv 

form  of  litotes  with  Horace.     Cf.  TTVKIVOIS  KWVOV  vrro Ze<£upois.     'Sit 

i,  25,  1 6  non  sine  questu;  3,  13,  2  thee  down  by  this  lofty  pi.">e  tree 

mero  non  sine  floribus.     With  the  which  is  vocal  as  it  shiveis  and 

entire  expression,  cf.  Lucan  8,  5  f.  rustles  under  the   frequent  gusts 

pavet  ille  fragorem  motorum  ven-  of  Zephyrus.' 
(is  nemorum.  7.  dimovere:  have  moved  aside, 

4.  siluae:  trisyllabic,  as  Epod.  as  they  slip  through  the  brambles. 

13,  2.     Intr.  41 .  Cf.  Verg.  E.  2,  9  nunc  viridis  etiam 

5f.  veris  ...  adventus  :  i.e.  the  occulta  nt  spinet  a  lacertos. — tremit: 

blowing  of  Favonius,  the  compan-  the  subject  is  the  inuleus  of  the 

ion  of  the  spring.     Cf.  I,  4,  i  sol-  comparison,  v.  i. 
i>itur  acris  hie » is  grata  vice  veris  9  f.  atqui :  corrective  —'yet  thy 

et  Favoni ;  4,  12,  I  veris  comitfs.  fear  is  vain,  for.1  —  frangere:  liter- 

—  foliis:  instrumental abl.  with  in-  ally    'crush    between    the    teeth.1 

124 


CARMINA  [1,24,4 

tandem  desine  matrem 
tempestiva  sequi  viro. 

Cf.  //.  II,  113  f.  d>s  Se  AeW  eAa</)oto  12.  tempestiva  . . .  viro :  cf.Verg. 

Ta^eiT/s  VTJTTUI.  TfKva  \  piji'oYws  ow      A.    7,    53  iam  maturo,  viro,  iain 
ea£e,  Aa/3u>v  Kparepola-iv  68av<riv.         plenis  nubilis  annis. 


24 

A  lament  on  the  death  of  Quintilius  Varus,  the  common  friend  of 
Horace  and  of  Vergil.  He  was  an  accomplished  and,  according  to 
Horace's  words,  Epist.  2,  3,  438  fF.,  an  impartial  critic,  whose  judgment 
was  valued  by  his  literary  friends,  Quintilio  siquid  reciiares,  '  corrige 
sodes  |  hoc '  aiebat  '  et  hoc."1  meliiis  te  posse  negares,  \  bis  terque  exper- 
titm  frustra,  delere  iubebat  \  et  male  tornatos  incudi  redder e  versus. 
The  year  of  his  death  is  fixed  by  St.  Jerome's  entry  against  24  B  c. 
Quintilius  Cremonensis  Vergili  et  Horati  familiaris  moritur.  This 
ode  must  have  been  written  within  the  next  few  months.  The  Varus 
of  the  eighteenth  ode  is  probably  identical  with  Quintilius.  Metre,  72. 

Quis  desiderio  sit  pudor  aut  modus 
tarn  carl  capitis  ?     Praecipe  lugubris 
cantus,  Melpomene,  cui  liquidam  pater 
vocem  cum  cithara  dedit. 

1.  quis'desiderio,  etc. :  i.e. '  who  caput ;  Verg.  A.  4,  354  puer  As- 
can  or  would  restrain   his   tears.'  canius  capitisque  iniuria  cari.    So 
In  prose  we  should  have  the  geni-  in  Greek,  e.g.  II.  8,  281   TeCxpe. 
tive  depending  on  pudor,  while  the  <£i%/    Kc^aAiy;   and    in.  English, 
dative    is   the   natural    case    with  Shelley,    Adonais,    '  Though    our 
modus ;  here  the  constructions  are  tears  |  Thaw  not  the  frost  which 
united  because  modus  contains  the  binds  so  dear  a  head.'  —  praecipe  : 
predominant   idea;   so  in  Martial  teach    me.  —  lugubris:     indicating 
8,   64,    1 5   sit  tandem   pudor    et  the  character  of  the  strains. 
modus  rapinis.  3  f.   Melpomene  :    properly  the 

2.  tarn  cari  capitis:  for  a  soul  muse  of  Tragedy;  cf.  n.  to  i,  12, 
so  dear.     For  this  use  of  caput.  cf.  2.  —  liquidam  .   .   .  vocem  :   clear 
Epod.    5,   74    o    mult  a  fletnnim  toned;  cf.  Od.  24,  62  Moikru  Aiyeta. 

125 


,  5] 


HORAT1 


10 


Ergo  Quintilium  perpetuus  sopor 
urget !     Cui  Pudor  et  lustitiae  soror, 
incorrupta  Fides,  nudaque  Veritas 
quando  ullum  inveniet  parem  ? 

Multis  ille  bonis  flebilis  occidit, 
nulli  flebilior  quam  tibi,  Vergili ; 
tu  frustra  plus  heu  non  ita  creditum 
poscis  Quintilium  deos. 

Quid  si  Threicio  blandius  Orpheo 
auditam  moderere  arboribus  fidem  ? 


5  f .  ergo :  emphatically  intro- 
ducing the  Opfjvos,  and  expressing 
a  reluctant  conclusion,  so  then. 
Cf.  Ovid,  Trist.  3,  2,  I  ergo  erat  in 
fatis  Scythiam  quoqtte  visere  nos- 
tris.  —  perpetuus  :  unbroken,  for- 
ever. —  urget :  hold  down.  Cf. 
Premet  1,4,  16,  and  Verg.  A.  10, 
745  f.  olli  dura  quies  oculos  et 
ferreus  urget  \  soinnus ;  in  aeter- 
nam  claitduntur  lutnina  noctem.' 
—  cui :  emphatic,  '  when  shall  we 
see  his  like  again.1  —  lustitiae  soror 
.  .  .  Fides :  the  personified  virtues 
are  those  possessed  by  Quintilius  ; 
they  are  the  basis  of  every  high 
character  and  of  all  justice.  Cf.  Cic. 
de  Off.  i,  i^  fundament H»I  autein 
est  iustitiae  fides,  id  est  dictontm 
conventorumque  constantia  et  veri- 
tas. 

7.  nuda  Veritas  :  cf.  the  un  per- 
sonified English  '  naked  truth.1 

9  f.  multis  .  .  .  nulli :  depend- 
ing on  flebilis  .  .  .  flebilior.  Ad- 
jectives in  -bilis  and  -His  are  not 
infrequently  used  as  equivalent  to 


perfect  pass,  partic. ;  so  flebilis  is 
equivalent  to  defletus,  as  i,  12, 
36  nobilis  to  notus.  Cf.  Epigr. 
Gr.  215  Kaibel  TjAvfles  efc 
£T/TOV/XCVOS.  ois  a 
yap  uAyrfSwi/  €<r#Ao? 
'Thou  hast  gone  to  Hades,  missed 
by  all  thou  hast  left  behind ;  for 
thy  going  is  a  goodly  grief  to  all.1 

nf.  frustra:  with  both  plus 
and  poscis.  Intr.  100.  —  pius  :  i.e. 
in  love  for  his  friend.  —  non  ita 
creditum  :  Vergil  had  commended 
his  friend  to  the  care  of  the  gods, 
but  not  on  the  condition  (ita)  that 
they  should  bring  him  to  death. 

13  f .  quid  si :  making  the 
transition  to  the  sole  consolation 
Horace  can  offer  at  the  end,  '  All 
thy  piety  and  prayers  are  vain ; 
patience  only  can  be  thy  consola- 
tion.1—  blandius  Orpheo :  cf.  the 
passages  quoted  on  i.  1 2,  8.  Even 
Orpheus  could  not  recall  his  be- 
loved Eurydice  from  the  lower 
world.  For  the  story,  read  Vergil 
G.  4.  454-527- 


126 


CARMINA 


25. 


ij  Num  vanae  redeat  sanguis  imagini, 

quam  virga  semel  horrida, 

non  lenis  precibus  fata  recludere, 
nigro  compulerit  Mercurius  gregi? 
Durum  :  sed  levins  fit  patientia 

20  quicquid  corrigere  est  nefas. 

\ 

15.   vanae  imagini:  the  empty     cludere:     epexegetical    inf.     with 
shade,  eiStoAov.     Cf.  Od.  n,  476     lenis.     Cf.  i,  10,  7 callidtis condere 

Also  furto,  equivalent  to  collide  condit. 
Intr.  108.  —  nigro:  transferred 
from  the  gloomy  nether  world  to 
the  shades  themselves ;  cf.  4,  2, 
24  nigro  Oreo.  Intr.  99.  —  gregi: 
the '  flock '  of  shades  driven  to  their 


KU/AOVTWV. 

Verg.  A.  6,  293  admoneat  volitare 
cai>a  sub  imagine  formae. 

1 6.  virga  .  .  .  horrida :  the 
wand  (aurea  I,  10,  19)  which 
strikes  the  shades  with  terror 
(horrida),  when  Mercury  gathers 
(compulerit)  them  once  for  all 
(semel)  for  the  world  below.  Cf. 


long  home  beneath  the  earth. 

19  f.    durum :   summing   up   of 
the  whole  matter.     The  following 


Propert.    5,    n,    3   f.    cum    semel     precept   is   one   of  many   ancient 


expressions    of   the     truth. 
Soph.   Frg.  526  dAyeiva, 
8r)\ov  •   <1AA 


infer nas     intrarunt    funera    le-  expressions    of   the     truth.       Cf. 

ges,  |  non  exorato  slant  adamante 

•viae. 

17  f.    precibus :  dative  with  re-  #VT/TOUS     ovras     evTrcrtos      <f>eptiv, 

cludere ;  the  same  idea  is  expressed  '  Aye,   Procne,  it  is  clearly  hard, 

by  Propert.  5,  u,  2  panditur  ad  but  still,  as  we   are   mortals,   we 

nullas  ianua  nigra  preces.  —  re-  must  bear  what  the  gods  send.' 


25 

The  old  age  of  a  faded  courtesan,  when  lovers  leave  her  for  younger 
rivals.  Metre,  69. 

Parcius  iunctas  quatiunt  fenestras 
iactibus  crebris  iuvenes  protervi, 

i.  parcius  :  in  the  emphatic  were  fastened  with  a  bar  (sera)  at 
position,  marking  her  waning  night.  Cf.  Ovid  ex  P.  3, 3,  5  bi fores 
power.  —  iunctas  .  .  .  fenestras :  fenestras.  These  windows  were 
the  vah>ae  of  the  windows,  which  in  the  second,  or  a  higher  story  ; 

127 


i,  25,  3]  HORATI 

nec  tibi  somnos  adimunt,  amatque 
ianua  limen, 

5  quae  prius  multum  facilis  movebat 

cardines ;  audis  minus  et  minus  iam 
'  Me  tuo  longas  pereunte  noctis, 
Lydia,  dormis  ? ' 

Invicem  moechos  anus  arrogantis 
10  flebis  in  solo  levis  angiportu, 

Thracio  bacchante  magis  sub  inter- 
lunia  vento, 

cum  tibi  flagrans  amor  et  libido, 
quae  solet  matres  furiare  equorum, 
15  saeviet  circa  iecur  ulcerosum, 

non  sine  questu, 

laeta  quod  pubes  hedera  virenti 
gaudeat  pulla  magis  atque  myrto, 

therefore  the  lovers  must  attract  n  f.   Thracio :  the  Tramontana 

Lydia's     attention     by    throwing  of  to-day.    The  verb  bacchari,  hold 

sticks  or  stones    (hence   iactibus  revel,    is    especially  apt    with    a 

crebris)  from  below.  'Thracian1  wind. —  sub  inter-lunia : 

3.   amatque    limen :     hugs    the  Intr.    69.      The    common    belief 

threshold.      Cf.   Verg.  A.   5,    163  that  changes  of  the  moon    influ- 

litits  ama,  'hug  the  shore.'  ence  the  weather  is  very  ancient. 

5.   prius:    in  former   days.—  Porphyrio  remarks  on  this  word 

facilis:    modifying    quae,     'with  quia  tune  fere  concitantur  teinpes- 

ready  complaisance.1     Cf.  Tibull.  fates. 

I.  2,  7  iantta  difficilis  dothini.—  15.    ulcerosum:   inflamed,   with 

multum:  modifying  movebat.  love's  wounds.    Cf.Theo£  II,  icf. 

7  f .    The  words  of  the  serenade,  «xa)V  vTroKapbtov  e  AKO?  |  KinrpiSos 

the    TrapaK\av(TiOvpov.  —  me    tuo  CK  fieyaAas.     '  With  a  sore  in  his 

.  .  .  pereunte :  temporal,  while  /,  heart  inflicted  by  mighty  Cypris.1 
•who  am  thine,  perish,  etc.  17  f.  She  bemoans  the  fact  that 

9.    invicem  :  •  now  thy  turn  has  youth  is  preferred  to  old  age.  — 

come.'  —  anus  .   .  .  levis :  equiva-  pulla :  dusky, 770X109.    Ci.Epod.i6, 

lent  to  contempta.  46  pulla  Jicus. 

128 


CARMINA  [l,  26,  4 

aridas  frondes  hiemis  sodali 
20  dedicet  Euro. 

19  f .  aridas :  note  the  asyndeton  Euro :  a  winter  wind ;  cf.  Verg.  G. 

here,  frequently  employed  in  con-  2,  339  et  hibernis  parcebant  flati- 

trasts  and  antitheses.  —  sodali :  cf.  bus  Eurt. 
i,  28,  22  comes  Orionis  Notus. — 

26 

'  Beloved  by  the  Muses  I  can  throw  to  the  winds  all  fears  of  dangers 
from  abroad.  Sweet  Muse,  weave  a  chaplet  for  my  Lamia,  I  pray. 
My  verse  is  naught  without  thee.  Celebrate  him  in  Lesbian  song.' 

The  Lamia  here  addressed  has  been  identified  with  L.  Aelius 
Lamia,  one  of  the  two  sons  of  Cicero's  friend  and  supporter,  L.  Aelius 
Lamia  who  was  praetor  43  B.C.  (Cic.  ad  fam.  n,  16,  2;  pro  Sest. 
29).  Lamia  must  have  been  young  at  the  time  this  ode  was  written, 
for  he  was  consul  in  3  A.D.  and  praefectus  urbi  in  32  A.D.  He  died  the 
following  year.  Tacitus,  Ann.  6,  27,  mentions  him,  genus  illi  decorum 
vivida  senectus ;  Velleius  Paterculus  describes  him  (2,  116,  3),  vir  an- 
tiquissimi  moris*  el  priscam  gravitatem  semper  humanitate  temperans. 
The  most  probable  date  of  composition  is  that  suggested  by  the  refer- 
ences in  vv.  3-5,  as  30  B.C.  ;  the  words  fidibus  novis,  v.  10,  cause  some 
critics  to  regard  this  as  one  of  Horace's  earliest  attempts  in  Alcaic  verse  ; 
a  view  that  finds  support  from  the  somewhat  harsh  caesura  in  v.  1 1 
Lesbio  ||  sacrare  plectra.  Metre,  68. 

Musis  amicus  tristitiam  et  metus 
tradam  protervis  in  mare  Creticum 
portare  ventis,  quis  sub  Arcto 
rex  gelidae  metuatur  orae, 

1.  amicus:    in    the    sense   of  3  f .  portare  :  I  ntr.  107. —  quis: 
gratus*  as  3,  4,  25  vestris  amicum  nominative.     The  following  ques- 
fontibus  et  charts;   it   gives   the  tions  depend  on  securus,  v.  6.  —  sub 
reason  why   Horace  can  consign  Arcto  rex,  etc.  :  Cotiso,  king  of  the 
his  cares  to  the  winds. — tristitiam:  Dacians,  whose   threatened  inva- 
glo om  ;  cf.  1,7,  18.  sion  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Ac- 

2.  protervis:  impetuous,  rude.  tium,  31  B.C..  the  Romans  greatly 
CLEpod.  1 6.  2.2  protervus  Africiis.  feared.     Cf.  3,  6,  13  ff.  paene  oc- 
—  in  mare  Creticum:  particular! z-  cupatam  seditionibus  \  delevit  wr- 
ing.    Cf.  n.  to  i,  i,  13.  bem  Dacus  et  Aethiops,  \  hie  classt 

HOR.  CAR.  —  9  1 29 


1,26,5] 


HORATI 


5  quid  Tiridaten  terreat,  unice 

securus.     O  quae  fontibus  integris 
gaudes,  apricos  necte  flores, 
necte  meo  Lamiae  coronam, 

Pimplea  dulcis.     Nil  sine  te  mei 
10  prosunt  honores.     Hunc  fidibus  novis, 

hunc  Lesbio  sacrare  plectro 
teque  tuasque  decet  sorores. 

formidatus, tile  \  missilibu s melior  6.    fontibus     integris:      fresh, 


sagittis  ;  Verg.  G.  2,  497  coniurato 
descendens  Dae  us  ab  Histro.  He 
was  finally  crushed  by  P.  Crassus 
in  the  campaigns  of  30-28  B.C. 

5.  Tiridaten:  not  long  before 
the  battle  of  Actium,  Tiridates  suc- 
cessfully revolted  against  Phraates, 
king  of  the  Parthians,  and  suc- 
ceeded him  on  the  throne.  In  30 
B.C.  Phraates  returned  to  the  con- 
test and  forced  his  rival  to  flee  for 
safety  to  Augustus,  who  was  at  that 
time  in  Egypt.  Cf.  Mon.  Anc.  5, 54  ff. 
ad  me  supp\li~\ces  conftig\erunf\ 
reges  Part/torn m  Tirida  \tes  et  po- 
st ea]  Phrat\es\  regis  Phrati {s  fi- 
liiis].  The  accounts  of  Justin  and 
DioCassius,  our  chief  authorities  for 
these  points,  are  conflicting,  but 
apparently  Tiridates  was  again 
placed  on  the  throne  in  29  B.C.  — 
cf.  3,  8,  19  f.  Medus  infest  us  sibi 
Incttiosis  |  dissidet  armis  —  only  to 
be  displaced  again  in  27  B.C.  by 
Phraates,  who  had  collected  a  large 
force  of  friendly  Scythians  to  aid 
him.  Tiridates  then  fled  to  Au- 
gustus, who  was  in  Spain.  — unice 
securus :  perfectly  at  ease. 


pure  fountains  shall  furnish  the  in- 
spiration of  his  new  song  (fidibus 
novis).  The  same  figure  Lucret. 
I,  927  iuvat  integros  accedere 
fontis  atque  haurire. 

7.  necte  flores,  etc. :  i.e.  exalt 
him  in  song.  Cf.  Pind.  O.  6,  86  f. 
av8pa.(TLV  al^fjMTaiai  TrXfKwv  \  Trot- 

KJ.A.OV  V/J.VOV. 

9  f .  Pimplea  :  Muse  of  Pim- 
plea ;  named  from  a  fountain  of  the 
Muses  in  Pieria  near  Mt.  Olympus. 
Cf.  Orph.  46  A.  IIi/A7r A^iaSes-  — 
mei  honores :  i.e.  conferred  by 
my  verse.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  9,  446 
fortiinati  ambo  !  si  quid  mea  car- 
mina  possunt. —  hunc  .  .  .  hunc: 
Lamia. 

ii.  Lesbio  .  . .  plectro  :  marking 
his  new  verse  (fidibus  nobis)  as 
modelled  on  that  of  Alcaeus.  Cf.  i, 
I,  34  Lesboum  .  .  .  bar  bit  on.  The 
plectrum  was  a  small  ivory  or 
metal  instrument  with  which  the 
strings  of  the  lyre  were  struck. 
—  sacrare:  consecrate;  'canonize.' 
Cf.  Stat.  St/v.  4.  7,  7  f.  si  tuas 
cantu  Latio  sacravi,  \  Pindare, 
Thebas. 


130 


CARMINA 


[i,  27,  6 


,::..._,'       27  ,itoi 

A  dramatic  picture  of  a  comissatio  at  which  the  poet  tries  to  check 
his  hot  companions  ;  when  they  fill  their  cups  and  will  make  him  drink, 
he  parries  their  impetuosity  by  refusing,  unless  his  neighbor  tell  him  the 
name  of  his  love.  The  whispered  secret  makes  him  exclaim  in  pity. 

The  ode  is  based  on  a  similar  one  by  Anacreon,  according  to  Por- 
phyrio  ;  possibly  the  one  of  which  Athenaeus  (10,  42,  7)  has  preserved  to 
us  a  fragment  {Frg.  63)  aye  Si/tire  /XT/KCT'  ourw  |  Trarayw  re 
2Ku#iK7?v  TTWTLV  irap"  olv<a  \  /xcAeToJ/Ltcv,  dAAa  KaAoT 

'Come,  now,  let  us  no  longer  with  din  and  shout  practice  Scythian  drink- 
ing at  our  wine,  but  sip  it  while  we  blithely  sing.'  The  exhortation  to 
moderation  in  the  use  of  wine  (1-8)  is  similar  to  the  theme  of  i,  18. 
Metre,  68. 

Natis  in  usum  laetitiae  scyphis 
pugnare  Thracum  est  :  tollite  barbarum 
morem,  verecundumque  Bacchum 
sanguineis  prohibete  rixis. 

5  Vino  et  lucernis  Medus  acinaces 

immane  quantum  discrepat  :  impium 


1.  natis:  a  favorite  figure  ;  cf.  3, 
21,  i  nata  mecum  testa  ;  Epist.  2, 
i,  233  versus  male  nati.     Trans- 
late,  intended  by  nature.  —  scyphis  : 
large   two-handled   drinking  cups 
used  only  by  heavy  drinkers.    Ma- 
crobius    5,  21,    16  notes    scyphus 
Herculis  poculum  est  ita  ut  Liberi 
patris  cantharus.    Here  they  char- 
acterize  the  drinking  bout  as  unre- 
strained.     In  Epod.  9,  33  the  poet 
demands  capaciores  .    .    .  scyphos 
with  which  to  celebrate  the  victory 
over  Sextus  Pompey. 

2.  Thracum:  predicate  to  pug- 
nare  ;  cf.  the  2<Kv6iKr)v  TTOO-LV  in  the 
fragment  quoted  above.     For  the 
heavy   drinking  and  quarrelsome 


character  of  the  Thracians  see  n. 
to  I,  18,  9. 

3  f.  verecundum  .  .  .  Bacchum: 
the  god  who  requires  moderation  in 
his  devotees  ;  modtcus  Liber  I,  18, 
7.  Hence  the  drunken  shouting 
(impium  clamorem,  v.  6)  is  an 
offense  against  him.  —  prohibete: 
save  from. 

5  f  .  Medus  acinaces  :  the  short 
sword  of  the  Medes;  probably 
taken  from  the  Greek  original. 
The  wearing  of  the  sword  at  a 
banquet  or  drinking  bout  was  a 
distinctly  barbarian  custom  to  the 
Roman,  who  was  forbidden  by  law 
to  carry  weapons  within  the  city. 

—  immane  quantum  :  ts  a  mon~ 


i.  27,  7] 


HORATI 


lenite  clamorem,  sodales, 
et  cubito  remanete  presso. 

Voltis  severi  me  quoque  sumere 
10  partem  Falerni  ?     Dicat  Opuntiae 

frater  Megillae  quo  beatus 
volnere,  qua  pereat  sagitta. 

Cessat  voluntas  ?     Non  alia  bibam 
mercede.     Quae  te  cumque  domat  Venus, 
15  non  erubescendis  adurit 

ignibus,  ingenuoque  semper 

amore  peccas.     Quicquid  habes,  age 
depone  tutis  auribus.  —  A  miser, 


strous  anomaly  amid  (Smith). 
The  phrase  had  become  fixed  and 
like  nescio  quid  had  lost  its  inter- 
rogative character  before  Horace's 
time.  Cf.  Sallust.  Frg.  2,  44  M. 
immane  quantum  aniini  cxarsere: 
so  Liv.  2,  I,  ii  id mirum  quantum 
profuit  ad  concordiam. 

8.  cubito  .  .  .  presso :  the  Ro- 
mans regularly  reclined  at  table. 
With  the  phrase,  cf.  Petron.  27 
hie  est  apud  quern  cubitiim  pone- 
tis. 

9  ff.  'Shall  I  too  join  you? 
Only  on  one  condition.'  —  severi : 
strong,  8pi/xv?.  Cf.  Catull.  27,  i  f. 
minister  vetuli  puer  Falerni  \ 
inger  mi  calices  amariores.  Two 
kinds  of  Falernian  are  mentioned 
by  Athen.  i.  26  C.  €t8rj  8vo,  6 
awrnjpos  KOI  !>  y\vKa£(av,  three  by 
Pliny  N.  H.  14.  8,  6\.\\taus(erttm 
(equivalent  to  scverum),  duhe, 


tenue.  —  dicat :  i.e.  that  we  may 
drink  a  toast;  cf.  Mart,  i,  71, 
i  Naevia  sex  cyathis,  septern 
lustina  bibatur.  —  Opuntiae  frater 
Megillae :  a  similar  designation, 
3,  9,  14  Thurini  Calais  filii(s 
Ornyti.  The  mention  of  the 
presumably  pretty  Megilla  is  quite 
in  keeping  with  the  occasion  and 
would  direct  the  attention  of  all 
to  the  comrade  addressed. 

ii  f.  beatus  .  .  .  pereat:  dies 
a  blessed  death. 

13  f.  cessat  voluntas :  falters 
his  will? — mercede:  terms.— 
cumque:  cf.  n.  to  I,  6,  3.  —  Venus  : 
in  same  sense  as  i,  33,  13  melior 
Venus  ;  also  Verg.  E.  3.  68  parta 
meae  Veneri  sunt  mini  era. 

1 6  f.  ingenuo  .  .  .  amore : 
'  love  for  a  freeborn  girl,'  i.e.  not 
a  libertina  (i,  33,  15)  or  an  an- 
cilla  (2,  4,  i). — peccas  :  thy  iveak- 


'32 


CARMINA 


[1,28 


quanta  laborabas  Charybdi, 
digne  puer  meliore  flamma ! 

Quae  saga,  quis  te  solvere  Thessalis 
magus  venenis,  quis  poterit  deus  ? 
Vix  inligatum  te  triform! 
Pegasus  expediet  Chimaera. 


ness  is  for.  —  quicquid  babes,  etc. : 
Horace  leans  back  to  his  friend 
reclining  above  him  on  the  couch, 
who  after  a  moment's  hesitation 
whispers  his  loved  one's  name. — 
tutis  auribus:  abl.  Intr.  95.  —  a 
miser :  in  pity  for  the  youth's  hard 
lot. 

19  f .  Charybdi :  for  the  com- 
parison of  a  mistress  to  Charybdis, 
cf.  Anaxilas,  Frg.  22  K.  17  8e 
Qpvvr)  rrjv  XapvjSStv  oi^i  Tropput 

7TOV    7TOICL,    |    TOV     TC    VaVK\Tf)pOV    Aa- 

fiovcra  *caTa7r€7ra>K  aura)  <TKa.<f>€i ; 
'  But  Phryne  does  not  fall  far  be- 
hind Charybdis ;  she  has  caught 
the  captain  and  engulfed  him  boat 
and  all.1  —  laborabas:  cf.  i,  17, 
19.  The  imperfect  expresses  the 
state  which  has  continued  to  the 
present  moment.  You  were  strug- 


gling (all  the  time).    Cf.  the  Greek 
imperfect  with  apa.   • 

21  f.  saga,  .  .  .  magus,  .  .  . 
deus  :  a  comic  climax,  wise  woman, 
.  .  .  enchanter,  .  .  .  god.  —  Thes- 
salis .  .  .  venenis :  potions ;  in- 
strum.  abl.  The  mountains  of 
southern  Thessaly  are  the  home 
of  medicine  in  Homer;  in  Greek 
writers  of  the  classical  period  the 
source  of  love  philters  and  en- 
chantments of  all  kinds. 

23  f .  inligatum :  entangled.  — 
triformi:  cf.  //.  6,  181 
iOev  Sc  Spd.K<av, 
translated  by  Lucret.  5, 
905  prima  leo,  postrema  draco, 
media  ipsa  Chimaera.  Bellero- 
phon  killed  the  chimaera  with  the 
aid  of  Pegasus,  who  was  given  him 
for  this  purpose  by  Hera. 


28 

This  ode  also  is  in  dramatic  form,  but  its  interpretation  has  puzzled 
both  ancient  and  modern  critics.  The  best  explanation  is  that  it  con- 
sists of  two  parts,  probably  studies  based  on  Greek  models,  which  Hor- 
ace never  worked  into  a  unified  whole,  but  hastily  put  together  when 
arranging  his  odes  for  publication.  The  first  ;  fragment'  comprises  vv. 
1-22.  The  scene  is  the  Apulian  seashore  east  of  Venusia.  by  the  grave 
of  the  philosopher  Archytas.  A  spirit  whose  unburied  body  lies  on  the 


I,  28,  i]  HORATI 

shore  addresses  Archytas  (1-6),  who  in  spite  of  all  his  wisdom,  which 
enabled  him  to  measure  heaven  and  number  the  very  sands,  now  lies 
under  a  little  earth  ;  this  leads  the  shade  to  moralize  on  the  universality 
of  death,  which  comes  to  all  without  distinction  (7-22).  The  last  two 
verses  of  this  part  close  the  illustrations  with  the  speaker's  personal  ex- 
perience in  the  true  Horatian  manner.  In  the  second  part  (23-36)  the 
spirit  appeals  to  a  passing  sailor  to  throw  a  little  dust  on  its  unburied 
body,  that  it  may  find  rest  in  Hades. 

Archytas  was  a  statesman,  general,  and  philosopher  of  Tarentum  : 
according  to  tradition  a  friend  of  Plato.  As  a  member  of  the  Pythago- 
rean school  he  tried  to  explain  the  physical  universe  by  mathematics. 
Metre,  77. 

Te  maris  et  terrae  numeroque  carentis  harenae 

mensorem  cohibent,  Archyta, 
pulveris  exigui  prope  litus  parva  Matinum 

munera,  nee  quicquam  tibi  prodest 
5        aerias  temptasse  domos  animoque  rotundum 

percurrisse  polum  morituro. 

i  ff.  The  opening  verses  are  simi-  row  tomb.     Cf.  Verg.  G.  4,  86  f.  hi 

lar  to  Simias1  epigram  on  Sopho-  motus  animorum  atque  haec  cer- 

cles  Anth.  Pal.  7,  2 1  o-c  . .  .  TOV  rpa-  lamina    lanta    \   pulveris  exigui 

yi/oys    MOIKTT/S   doWpa  .  .  .  Tu/u./3os  iacttt  compressa  qniescunt. — Ma- 

c^ei  KM  y»/s  oAi'yov  /tepos. —  numero  tinum  :  explained  by  Porphyrio  as 

carentis  arenae  mensorem  :  note  the  a  mountain  or  promontory  of  Apu- 

slight  oxymoron.     Possibly  there  lia;  it  is  uncertain  which, 
is  a  reminiscence  of  Archimedes1  5.  aerias  temptasse  domos,  etc. : 

treatise  i/rafi/i<T7^,  in  which  he  main-  i.e.  to  have  explored  in  his  astro- 

tained  against  his  opponents  that  nomical  studies.     The  verb  temp- 

the  sands  could  be  counted  ;  or  this  tasse  itself  implies  boldness  on  Ar- 

subject  may  have  been  treated  in  chytas' part  in  venturing  to  extend 

a  philosophical  work  by  Archytas  his  researches  to  the  heavens.— 

himself.      In  any  case  there  is  a  animo:  in  spirit;  to  be  taken  with 

certain  irony  in  this  reference  to  both  infinitives. — morituro :  agree- 

the  vanity  of  human  effort,  which  ingwithtibi.  Its  position  at  the  end 

the    contrast     in    the    succeeding  throws  emphasis  on  the  vanity  of 

cohibent  (hold  fust)  emphasizes.  Archytas1  wisdom, — 'Whatavailed 

3.  pulveris . .  munera :  the  small  it  thee  to  practice  all  thy  science  ? 

gift  of  a  little  dust',  i.e.  his  nar-  Thou  wert  destined  to  die  none 

'34 


CARMINA 


[i,  28,  12 


10 


Occidit  et  Pelopis  genitor,  conviva  deorum, 
Tithonusque  remotus  in  auras, 

et  lovis  arcanis  Minos  admissus,  habentque 
Tartara  Panthoiden  iterum  Oreo 

demissum,  quamvis  clipeo  Troiana  refixo 
tempora  testatus  nihil  ultra 


the  less.1  Cf.  2,  3,  4  moriture  Delli 
and  n.  Intr.  23. 

6f.  Examples  to  prove  the  gen- 
eral statement  implied  in  morituro, 
•all  must  die.1  —  occidit  :  emphati- 
cally presenting  the  main  idea  — 
dead  too  is,  etc.  Cf.  //.  21,  107 
KarOavt.  KO.L  XlarpoKAos,  OTTfp  crio 
TroAAov  d//.«Vo)v.  —  Pelopis  genitor  : 
Tantalus,  who  shared  the  very  ta- 
ble of  the  gods  until  their  favor 
made  him  arrogant.  Cf.  Find.  O. 
1  ,  54  f  .  ei  8k  817  TIV  avopa.  OVO.TOV 

'OA.V/A7TOU      (TKOTTOl     |      eTlfJUXTdV,    rjv 

TavToAos  OUT09.  i  If  the  guardians 
of  Olympus  honored  any  mortal, 
that  man  was  Tantalus.1  Eurip. 
Orest.  8  ff.  (TavroAos)  u>s  p.tv  Xtyov- 


e^wv  icrov,     O.KO- 


Aatrrov  t<r\€  ywcrtrav,  ao~)(um}V 
voaov.  4  Men  say  that  because  Tan- 
talus, though  mortal,  shared  their 
table  with  the  gods  in  equal  honor, 
he  had  an  unbridled  tongue,  most 
shameful  plague/  And  Antli.  Lat. 
931,  9  f.  Tantalus  infeli.\\  dicnnt, 
comriva  deorum  \  mine  qnoqne 
apud  Manes  victima  sacra  loi'i  es. 
8.  Tithonus  :  Laomedon's  son 
and  brother  of  Priam.  He  was  loved 
by  Eos,  who  obtained  for  him  from 
Zeus  the  gift  of  immortality,  but 


forgot  to  ask  the  boon  of  eternal 
youth  :  so  Tithonus  wasted  away 
until  he  was  a  mere  voice.  Cf.  2,  16, 
30  longa  Tithonum  minuit  senec- 
tus.  Mimnermus  Frg.  4 


Zeus  |  yr)pa<i,  o  Kai  0a.va.Tov  piyiov 
dpyoAcou.  '  To  Tithonus  Zeus 
granted  an  eternal  bane,  old  age, 
which  is  more  painful  than  grievous 
death.1 

9.  Minos:  Od.  19,  179  Atos  /ie- 
yoAov  oapto-TT/s  ('  the  friend  1).  He 
was  instructed  by  Jove  himself  in 
the  laws  which  he  gave  the  Cretans. 

10  ff.  Tartara  :  here  the  place 
of  the  dead  simply,  equivalent  to 
Hades,  Orcus.  So  Verg.  G.  I,  36, 
nam  te  nee  s  per  ant  Tartara  regent. 
—  Panthoiden:  Euphorbus,  who 
was  killed  by  Menelaus  (//.  17,  i- 
60).  His  shield  was  hung  up  in 
the  temple  of  Hera  at  Argos.  Now 
Pythagoras  claimed  that  he  was  the 
reincarnated  Trojan  hero,  and  to 
prove  his  claim  went  to  the  temple 
and  took  down  Euphorbus1  shield, 
recognizing  it  as  the  one  he  had 
carried  when  formerly  on  earth. 
Yet  his  reincarnation  could  not  save 
him  from  a  second  return  to  Orcus 
(iterum  Oreo  demissum),  although 
he  yielded  not  his  spirit,  but  only 


1, 28, 13] 


HORATI 


20 


nervos  atque  cutem  morti  concesserat  atrae, 

iudice  te  non  sordidus  auctor 
naturae  verique.     Sed  omnis  una  manet  nox 

et  calcanda  semel  via  led. 
Dant  alios  Furiae  torvo  spectacula  Marti, 

exitio  est  avidum  mare  nautis  ; 
mixta  senum  ac  iuvenum  densentur  funera;  nullum 

saeva  caput  Proserpina  fugit. 
Me  quoque  devexi  rapidus  comes  Orionis 

Illyricis  Notus  obruit  undis. 
At  tu,  nauta,  vagae  ne  parce  malignus  harenae 

ossibus  et  capiti  inhumato 


sinews  and  skin  (nervos  atque  cu- 
tem) to  death.  There  is  a  certain 
irony  in  the  patronymic  as  applied 
to  Pythagoras.  For  the  dative 
Oreo,  see  Intr.  88. 

14.  iudice  te :  Archytas  was  reck- 
oned in  later  times  the  most  dis- 
tinguished Pythagorean,  and  hence 
most  fit  to  judge. — non  sordidus 
auctor :  no  mean  master. 

15.  naturae:     here    'nature    of 
the     universe.1  —  sed :     the     list 
ends  with  the  general  statement, 
'  but     in    spite    of   their    wisdom 
and   station   all   must   die.'  —  una 
nox:  cf.  Catull.  5,  6  nox  per  pet  ua 
una  dormienda. 

17  if.  The  various  forms  of  death, 
closing  with  the  speaker's  personal 
experience  (21  f.). — alios:  the  cor- 
relative aliis  which  we  expect  is 
represented  by  nautis.  —  spectacu - 
la:  as  a  show;  cf.  ludo  i,  2,  37. 

19.  mixta  .  .  .  densentur  funera : 
the  funeral  trains  are  crowded 


in  confusion  together.  The  verse 
was  imitated  nearly  six  centuries 
later  by  Corippus  B.  Afr.  1016 
mixti  senibus  densentur  ephebi. 

20.  fugit :  lets  pass.  For  the 
tense,  see  Intr.  103.  According 
to  a  common  belief  no  one  could 
die  until  a  lock  of  hair  had  been 
cut  from  his  head  as  an  offering 
to  Proserpina  (cf.  Verg.  A.  4, 
698).  —  me  quoque:  the  personal 
experience.  Cf.  i,  5,  13.  —  de- 
vexi: cf.  3,  27,  1 8  promts  Orion. 
Orion  began  to  set  early  in  No- 
vember, when  severe  storms  were 
common.  — Orionis  :  with  this  long 
initial  vowel,  cf.  Epod.  15,  7  Orion. 
'Intr.  34. 

23.  At  this  point  the  address  to 
the  passing  sailor  begins.  —  vagae  : 
emphasizing  the  cheapness  of  the 
boon  asked .  —  ne  parce  malignus  : 
be  not  so  churlish  ax  to  grudge  the 
gift,  etc.  —  capiti  inhumato  :  for 
the  hiatus,  see  Intr.  43. 


136 


CARMINA 


i,  28,  36 


25      particulam  dare :  sic,  quodcumque  minabitur  Eurus 

fluctibus  Hesperiis,  Venusinae 
plectantur  silvae  te  sospite,  multaque  merces 

unde  potest  tibi  defluat  aequo 
ab  love  Neptunoque  sacri  custode  Tarenti. 
30  Neglegis  immeritis  nocituram 

postmodo  te  natis  fraudem  committere  ?     Fors  et 

debita  iura  vicesque  superbae 
te  maneant  ipsum  :  precibus  non  linquar  inultis, 

teque  piacula  nulla  resolvent. 

35      Quamquam  festinas,  non  est  mora  longa  :  licebit 
iniecto  ter  pulvere  curras. 


25  f .  sic : '  if  you  grant  my  prayer/ 
See  n.  to  i,  3,  i .  —  fluctibus  Hespe- 
riis :  apparently  the  Adriatic.  Since 
Italy  was  called  Hesperia,  any  waves 
that  beat  on  its  shore  may  be  called 
by  this  name. — Venusinae:  the 
woods  near  Horace's  birthplace, 
about  forty  miles  inland  on  the 
ridge  of  the  Apennines,  and  so  ex- 
posed to  the  winds. 

27  f.  plectantur,  etc. :  i.e.  'may 
the  wind  spend  its  fury  on  the 
woods,  and  thou  be  safe  from 
harm.1  The  abl.  abs.,  te  sos- 
pite, is  the  important  part  of  the 
prayer.  —  merces :  reward.  —  unde : 
referring  to  ab  love.  Cf.  I,  12, 

'7- 

29  f.  custode  Tarenti :  Taras.the 
mythical  founder  of  Tarentum.  was 
said  to  be  the  son  of  Neptune  and 


a  local  nymph.  Some  Tarentine 
coins  bear  the  figure  of  the  sea  god 
seated  on  a  dolphin.  Next  to 
Jove,  Neptune  is  naturally  the  god 
who  could  confer  most  benefits  on 
the  sailor.  —  neglegis  committere: 
wilt  than  carelessly  commit  ?  The 
question  is  asked  as  the  sailor 
starts  to  turn  away. 

32.  f.  debita  iura.  etc. :  thy  just 
obligations;  i.e.  the  right  of  the 
dead  to  burial,  withheld  by  the 
sailor  in  case  he  refuses  the  wraith's 
request.  —  vices  superbae:  stern 
requital.  —  linquar :  sc.  a  te. 

36.  ter:  the  sacred  number  in 
offices  due  the  dead.  Cf.  Verg. 
A.  6,  229  and  506  magna  Mam's 
ter  voce  vocai'i.  Likewise  in  other 
religious  rites,  cf.  C.  S.  23,  Epist. 


137 


I,  29]  HORATI 

,,i  ,<»&;  ,.;••     |       29     -••'•  •  •".•;-.,::«<,;    * 

'  What,  Iccius,  now  envious  of  the  Arabs'  wealth  and  ready  for  their 
conquest !  Hast  thou  already  chosen  thy  share  of  captured  spoils  ? 
Upon  my  word,  all  Nature  may  go  topsy-turvy,  when  thou  dost  barter 
all  thy  philosophic  lore  for  a  breastplate.  I  had  thought  better  of  thee.' 
These  bantering  verses  are  addressed  to  Horace's  friend  Iccius,  a 
philosophic  dilettante,  who  suddenly  showed  an  interest  in  the  prepara- 
tions for  a  campaign  against  Arabia  Felix,  under  the  direction  of  Aelius 
Callus.  The  attempt  terminated  unsuccessfully  in  24  B.C.  The  date 
of  composition  therefore  may  be  approximately  fixed  as  26  B.C.  or  early 
25  B.C.  Five  or  six  years  later,  in  20  B.C.,  Epist.  \,  12  was  addressed 
to  the  same  friend,  who  then  was  manager  of  Agrippa's  Sicilian  estates. 
Metre,  68. 

Icci,  beatis  nunc  Arabum  invides 
gazis  et  acrem  militiam  paras 
non  ante  devictis  Sabaeae 
regibus,  horribilique  Medo 

5  nectis  catenas  ?     Quae  tibi  virginum 

sponso  necato  barbara  serviet  ? 
Puer  quis  ex  aula  capillis 
ad  cyathum  statuetur  unctis, 

i.  Icci:  note  the  emphatic  posi-  51  neu  sinas  Medos  equitare  inul- 

tion,  expressing  Horace's  surprise,  tos. 

'Iccius  !  are  you,1  etc.  —  beatis:  the  5.  nectis  catenas:  as  Florus 
adjective  which  expresses  properly  (3,  7)  says  the  elder  Antony  car- 
the  condition  of  the  person  is  here  ried  fetters  ready  made  in  his  ex- 
transferred  to  the  cause  of  the  pedition  against  the  Cretans,  so 
Arabs'  good  fortune,  gazis.  Intr.  confident  was  he  of  success.  — 
99.  Arabia  was  the  ancient  El  quae  .  .  .  virginum  .  .  .  barbara : 
Dorado.  Cf.  3,  24,  I  f.  intactis  equivalent  to  quae  virgo  barbara ; 
opuUntior  \  thesauris  Arabum. —  a  favorite  form  of  expression  with 
nunc:  in  contrast  to  his  former  Horace.  Cf.  Epod.  10,  13  Graia 
philosophic  interests.  victorum  matins. 

3  f .    Sabaeae  :    the   Sheba   of  7  f .   puer  ex  aula  :  page  from 

the  Old  Testament.     Kings  1,10;  royal  court.  —  ad   cyathum:     the 

Pliny  N.  H.  6,   16.  — horribilique  'cupbearer.'  a  page  who  drew  the 

Medo  :  i.e.  the  Parthians  ;  so  i,  2,  wine  from  the  mixer  (crater)  with 

138 


CARMINA 


[1-3° 


'5 


doctus  sagittas  tendere  Sericas 
arcu  paterno  ?     Quis  neget  arduis 
pronos  relabi  posse  rivos 
montibus  et  Tiberim  reverti, 

cum  tu  coemptos  undique  nobilis 
libros  Panaeti  Socraticam  et  domum 
mutare  loricis  Hiberis, 
pollicitus  meliora,  tendis? 


the  cyathns  into  the  cups.  His 
title  appears  in  inscriptions  as  a 
cyatho.  For  Iccius  only  a  cap- 
tured prince  will  do,  when  he  is 
enriched  with  Arabian  spoil. 

9.  doctus :  the  page's  training 
has  not  been  to  menial  service, 
but  to  speed  (tendere)  the  arrow 
with  his  father's  bow.  —  Sericas  : 
with  this  adjective  Horace  pokes 
fun  at  his  friend's  extravagant  ex- 
pectations ;  the  whole  East  to 
China  is  to  be  subdued. 

10  ff.  Proverbial ;  cf.  Epod.  16, 
25  ff.  ;  Eurip.  A  fed.  410  avw  irora- 
(iwv  icptov  \<apovcri  Trayat ;  Ovid. 
Her.  5.  29  f.  cum  Paris  Oenone 
poterit  spirare  relicta  \  ad  fontein 
Xanthi  versa  recurret  aqua.  — 


pronos :  now  gliding  downward 
—  arduis  .  .  .  montibus :  abl.  of 
the  way  by  which,  up  the  steep, 
etc. 

13  ff.  coemptos  undique  .  .  . 
libros  :  hitherto  Iccius'  efforts  have 
been  solely  to  acquire  a  philo- 
sophical library.  —  nobilis  .  .  . 
Panaeti :  Panaetius  of  Rhodes, 
the  leading  Stoic  philosopher  of 
the  second  century  B.C.,  was  a 
friend  of  the  younger  Scipio  and 
of  Polybius  and  had  a  great  influ- 
ence at  Rome.  Cicero  in  his  de 
officiis  followed  Panaetius'  treatise 
on  t)uty.  —  domum  :  school.  — 
loricis  Hiberis :  the  iron  and  steel 
of  Hispania  Tarraconensis  rivaled 
that  of  Noricum.  Cf.  i,  16,  9. 


30 

A  prayer  to  Venus  to  leave  her  home  in  Cyprus  and  take  up  her 
abode  in  Glycera's  shrine.  The  motive  is  probably  taken  from  a  Greek 
vp.vo<;  KAr/riKo?.  hymn  of  invocation.  Cf.  Anacreon  Frg.  2.  w  Vu£.  u» 
8u/AaAr;s  *Epws  |  KCU  Nu/i<£cu  Ki'uvwTriScs  |  Trop<f>vptr)  T'  '  A.<j>po8iTf)  \  cru/x- 
7rat£ou<rii/,  CTricrrpe'^eai  8'  |  vi/'T/Xaiv  /copulas  opfow,  \  •yowovpai  tre  •  <ru 
8'  ev/men/s  |  e\$'  rip.iv,  Ke\api(Tfj.fvrfs  8'  |  tu^wA^s  €7raKOV€ii/.  '  O  prince 

'39 


I,  jo,  ij  IIURATI 

with  whom  sport  Love  the  subduer,  the  dark-eyed  nymphs,  and  rosy 
Aphrodite,  thou  art  wandering  on  the  lofty  mountain  heights.  I  be- 
seech thee,  come  in  kindness  to  us,  accept  and  listen  to  our  prayer.' 
Metre,  69. 

O  Venus,  regina  Cnidi  Paphique, 
sperne  dilectam  Cypron  et  vocantis 
ture  te  multo  Glycerae  decoram 
transfer  in  aedem. 

5  Fervidus  tecum  puer  et  solutis 

Gratiae  zonis  properentque  Nymphae 
et  parum  comis  sine  te  luventas 
Mercuriusque. 

1.  Cnidi:  a  center  of  the  wor-      man     Frg.    21    Kvirpov 
ship  of  Aphrodite  in  Caria.     In  her      Anrowra  KM.  lld<f>ov 

shrine  there  was  a  statue  of  the  4.   aedem :   the   private  shrine 

goddess    by   Praxiteles,  of  which  that  Glycera  has  established, 

the  Vatican  Venus  is  a  copy.  —  5-    fervidus  .  .   .  puer :    Cupid 

Paphi :  Aphrodite's  ancient  home  who  inflames   men  with    love.  — 

in  Cyprus,  where    tradition    said  solutis  Gratiae  zonis :  the  Graces 

the  goddess   was  born   from  the  were  in  early  art  represented  with 

foam  of  the  sea.     Cf.  Od.  8, 362  f.  flowing    garments.     Cf.    Sen.    de 

rj  8'  apa  Kvrrpov  txave  <£iA.o/A/J.ci8?7«  Benef.  I,  3  quoted  on  1,4,  6. 

77,  |  es  IIa<£ov,  tvOa  Tf.  01  7.   luventas:  "H/ify.     Cf.  Horn. 

/3<i>fu><;    re     0V7/WS,     also  hymn  to  Apollo  quoted  on  I,  4,  5. 

Verg.  A.  I,  415   f.  ipsa  Paphum  —parum:  cf.   I,   12,  59  and  n.  to 

sublimis    abit,    sedesque    revisit  \  I,  2,  27. 

laeta  suas.  8.  Mercurius:  associated  with  Yc- 

2.  sperne:  abandon.     Cf.  Ale-  nus  as  god  of  persuasive  eloquence. 

31 

'  The  poet's  prayer  to  enshrined  Apollo  is  not  for  wealth  of  land  or 
store.  He  only  asks  for  simple  fare,  for  health  of  body  and  of  mind  ; 
an  old  age  not  deprived  of  song.' 

This  ode  is  Horace's  hymn  to  Apollo  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication 
of  his  temple  on  the  Palatine,  Oct.  24,  28  B.C.  The  temple  was  vowed 
eight  years  before,  and  the  belief  that  the  victory  at  Actium  was  due  to 
Apollo's  aid  gave  his  worship  new  significance.  With  the  temple  was 

140 


CARMINA  [i,  31,  8 

united  a  Greek  and  Latin  public  library.  The  decoration  of  its  porticoes 
is  described  by  Propertius  3,  29 ;  the  interior  was  adorned  with  busts 
and  statues  of  famous  writers.  The  statue  of  the  god  was  a  work  of 
Scopas  brought  from  Greece,  described  by  Plin.  JV.  H.  36,  28.  See  also 
Baumeister  1,99.  The  motive  of  the  ode  may  be  compared  with  Find. 
N.  8,  37  ff.  xpv&ov  ti'^ovTui,  TreSt'ov  8'  (repot  [  aTrepavrov  •  eyto  8'  doTofc 
d8<W  Ktti  \8ovi  yvui  /caAv^ut/j.'  |  uivitav  aivr/ra,  /xo/x<^av  8'  l7runr(.ipwv 
dAtTjOois.  '  For  gold  some  pray  and  some  for  land  unlimited  ;  but  as  for 
me  I  hope  that  I  may  shroud  my  frame  in  earth  beloved  by  rny  towns- 
men, praising  what  is  praiseworthy  and  sowing  blame  for  evil-doers.' 
Metre,  68. 

Quid  dedicatum  poscit  Apollinem 
vates  ?     Quid  orat  de  patera  novum 
fundens  liquorem  ?     Non  opimae 
Sardiniae  segetes  feracis, 

s  non  aestuosae  grata  Calabriae 

armenta,  non  aurum  aut  ebur  Indicum, 
non  rura  quae  Liris  quieta 

mordet  aqua  taciturnus  amnis. 

1.  dedicatum :  lately  enshrined.  into  the  mountains  of  Lucania  and 
Cf.  Epod.  7,  2  enses  conditi,  and  n.  Samnium.     Cf.  Epod.  I,  27  f.  pe- 
The  god  and  his  temple  are  here  cusve   Calabris  ante  sidus  fervi- 
confused  as  in  Cic.  de  D.  N.  2,  61  dum  \  Lucana  inutet  pascuis. 

ut  Fides,  »t  Metis,  quas  in  Capi-  6.    ebur :  this  expensive    mate- 

tolio  dedicatas  indemns.  rial  was  used  for  decoration  in  the 

2.  vates:    inspired  bard.     Cf.  houses  of  the  wealthy.     Cf.  2,  18, 
n.  to  i,  i,  35.  —  novum:  new  wine  I  f.  non  ebur  neque  aureum  \  mea 
was   regularly   used   in   libations.  renidet  in  domo  lacunar. 

Cf.  Petron.   130  spumabit  pater  is  yf.  The  lower  valley  of  the  Liris 

hornns  liquor.  produced    fine    wines.  —  mordet : 

3f.    opimae:    with   segetes.—  the  same  figure  as  Lucret.  5,  256 

Sardiniae:    Sardinia,    Sicily,    and  et  ripas  radentia  flumina  rodunt. 

Africa,  Cicero  calls  pro  leg.  Man.  Note  the  doubling  of  epithets,  qui- 

34  tria  frtimentaria  subsidia  rei  eta  .  .  .  taciturnus.      Cf.     Silius 

publicae.  Ital.  4,  348  ff.  Liris  .   .   .  qui fonte 

5.    Calabriae  :  Calabria  was  the  quieto  \  dissiinulat  cursum  ac  niello 

best  winter  grazing  ground  in  Italy;  mutabilis  imbri  \  perstringit  tad- 

in  summer  the  herds  were  driven  tas  gemmanti  gnrgite  ripas. 

141 


HORATI 


10 


Premant  Galena  falce  quibus  dedit 
Fortuna  vitem,  dives  et  aureis 
mercator  exsiccet  culullis 
vina  Syra  reparata  merce, 

dis  carus  ipsis,  quippe  ter  et  quater 
anno  revisens  aequor  Atlanticum 
impune  :  me  pascunt  olivae, 
me  cichorea  levesque  malvae. 

Frui  paratis  et  valido  mihi, 
Latoe,  dones  et,  precor,  integra 


9-16.  The  contrast  between 
the  luxury  of  the  rich  and  Horace's 
simplicity  is  emphasized.  —  pre- 
mant :  check,  prune ;  used  by  poets 
for  the  prose  putant ;  e.g.  Verg. 
G.  I,  157  run's  opaci  falce  pretties 
umbras.  —  Galena  falce  :  cf.  I,  20, 
9.  —  quibus  dedit :  sc.  premere. 

11.  culullis:  according  to  Por- 
phyrio,  these  were  properly  earth- 
enware cups  used  by  the  pontifices 
and  the  Vestal  Virgins  in  religious 
rites.      But  the  merchant  grown 
rich  with  trade  uses  cups  of  solid 
gold. 

12.  Syra    merce:    spices,   un- 
guents,  and  costly  perfumes  im- 
ported from  the  Orient. 

13  f.  quippe  .  .  .  revisens: 
surely  for  he  .  .  . ,  giving  the  rea- 
son for  the  previous  ironical  state- 
ment dis  carus  ipsis.  This  par- 
ticiple with  quippe  is  equivalent  to 
the  common  '•qnippe  gut"1  explana- 
tory clause. — aequor  Atlanticum: 
Gades  (Cadiz),  but  a  short  distance 


outside  the  straits  of  Gibraltar,  was 
practically  the  limit  of  navigation 
for  the  Romans  ;  the  Atlantic  was  an 
unknown  and  fearful  ocean.  With 
the  thought,  cf.  Aristot.  apnd  Iamb. 
Protrep.  6  ou  8«  8  a  xp-rjfjMTwv  fj.cv 


KOt     TToAAttKlS      KlV&VVtVClV,     Sttt      §€ 

(frpovrpriv  fJiffitv  Trovf.lv  /XT^C  SUTTU- 
vav.  '  Nor  for  wealth  need  one 
sail  to  the  pillars  of  Heracles  and 
risk  his  life  many  times,  but  for 
prudence'  sake  he  should  not  toil 
or  spend  (overmuch).1 

15!  me:  the  position  of  the 
personal  pronoun  emphasizes  the 
contrast.  Cf.  n.  to  1.  1,  29.  Intr. 
30.  —  leves  :  digestible.  Cf.  Kpod. 
2,  57  f.  gravi  \  malvae  salubres 
corpori. 

17  f  .  paratis  :  equivalent  to  par- 
tis, my  possessions.  —  valido  .  .  . 
integra  cum  mente  :  cf.  the  familiar 
words  of  J  u  ve  nal  (10,356)  orandum 
est  lit  sit  mens  sana  in  cot-port 
sano. 


142 


CAKM1NA 


C».  32-  5 


cum  mente  nee  turpem  senectam 
degere  nee  cithara  carentem. 


19  f .  nee  turpem  senectam,  etc. : 
cf.  Dobson's  verses  to  Longfel- 
low, '  Not  to  be  tuneless  in  old 
age !  Ah  surely  blest  his  pil- 
grimage, |  Who,  in  his  Winter's 
snow,  |  Still  sings  with  note  as 
sweet  and  clear  |  As  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  year  |  When  the  first 
violets  blow  ! '  Also  Eurip.  H.  F. 


676  fjirj  £,un)V  ft.(.T  d/iou<na9,  |  uiei 
6"  tv  <7Tt<t>dvot<nv  fi  |  rjv  •  «TI  TCI 
yipiav  dot  (  8os  KeAuSu)  Mva/iocruvav 
'  Heaven  grant  that  I  may  not 
live  without  the  harmony  of  life, 
but  among  garlands  ever  spend 
my  days ;  and  still  when  I  am 
old  will  I  as  bard  celebrate  the 
goddess  Mnemosyne.' 


32 

'  We  are  asked  fora  song.  Come,  my  lyre,  if  ever  we  have  sung  light 
strains  that  shall  live,  now  raise  a  true  Latin  song,  like  those  Alcaeus  sang 
of  old.  In  war  and  shipwreck  still  he  sang  of  wine  and  love.  Sweet 
shell,  beloved  by  Jove  supreme,  solace  of  toil,  hear  me  when  I  duly  call/ 

This  ode  may  have  been  written  as  a  prelude  of  some  serious  ode  or 
collection  such  as  the  first  six  of  the  third  book,  to  which  '  Latinum 
carmen '  may  refer.  Horace  quotes  his  great  model  to  show  that  songs 
of  love  and  wine  are  not  inconsistent  with  serious  poetry.  Metre,  69. 

Poscimur.     Si  quid  vacui  sub  umbra 
lusimus  tecum,  quod  et  hunc  in  annum 
vivat  et  pluris,  age  die  Latinum, 
barbite,  carmen, 

5  Lesbio  primum  modulate  civi, 


i.  poscynur.  Horace's  friends 
may  have  asked  him  to  write  a 
thoroughly  Roman  ode  and  not 
simply  studies  from  Greek  models. 
—  vacui :  with  light  heart,  free 
from  care  and  anxieties. 

2  f .  lusimus  :  appropriate,  with 
vacui,  to  light  poetry.  Cf.  Verg. 
E.  I,  \Qluderequaevellemcalamo 
permisit  agresti.  —  vivat :  shall 


live.  Cf.  Epist.  I,  19,  2  f .  nulla 
placere  din  nee  vivere  carmina 
possunt  |  quae  scribuntur  aquae 
potoribus.  —  die  :  of  instrumental 
music;  cf.  Cic.  de  dii>.  2,  122  si 
velim  canere  vel  voce  vel  fidibus. 

5.  Not  that  Alcaeus  (Lesbio  .  .  . 
civi)  was  the  first  to  play  the  lyre, 
but  the  first  to  perfect  lyric  poetry. 
—  civi :  referring  to  Alcaeus'  patri- 


I,  32,  6] 


HORATI 


qui  ferox  bello  tamen  inter  arma, 
sive  iactatam  religarat  udo 
litore  navim, 

Liberum  et  Musas  Veneremque  et  illi 
10  semper  haerentem  puerum  canebat 

et  Lycum  nigris  oculis  nigroque 
crine  decorum. 

O  decus  Phoebi  et  dapibus  supremi 
grata  testudo  lovis,  o  laborum 
15  dulce  lenimen,  mihi  cumque  salve 

rite  vocanti ! 


otism  that  made  him  take  a  vigor- 
ous part  in  the  politics  of  Mytilene, 
especially  against  the  tyrants  Myr- 
tilus  and  Pittacus.  His  sentiments 
were  expressed  in  political  odes, 
orcwriamKa,  of  which  we  have  a 
few  fragments,  15-33  B.  Cf.  4,  9, 
7  Alcaei  minaces  Camenae. 

6  ff.   With  these  verses   cf.   2, 
13,  26  ff.  et  te  sonantem  plenius 
anreo,  \  Alcaee,  plectra  dura  navis, 
dura  fugae  mala,   dura   belli. — 
ferox   bello :    against  the    tyrants 
named    in    last    note,    and     also 
against  the  Athenians  in  the  Troad. 
The  following  tamen  shows  that 
the  phrase  is  concessive.  —  inter 
arma,  sive,  etc. :  '  in  war  or  exile.' 

7  f .    religarat  .  .  .  litore :    cf. 
Verg.  A.  7,  106  religarat  ab  aggere 
classem.     Intr.   95.  —  udo :     sea- 
beaten. 

9  ff .  '  Wine  and  love  were  still 
the  subjects  of  Alcaeus'  song,  as 
they  must  be  of  mine.' 

ii  f.    Lycum:  a  favorite  of  Al- 


caeus.  Cf.  Frg.  58  written  ap- 
parently in  anger,  OUKCT'  ryw 
AUKOV  tv  MoiffTtus  oAeyw.  —  nigris 
oculis,  etc. :  points  of  beauty. 
Note  the  shift  of  quantity  nigris 
.  .  .  nlgro.  The  description  is 
repeated  Epist.  2,  3,  37  spectan- 
dum  nigris  oculis  nigroque  capillo. 
13  ff.  A  renewed  invocation.  — 
dapibus  supremi,  etc. :  cf.  //.  1,602  f. 

OVflV  Tt  0V/10S  (8tVtTO  &ZITOS  eiCTT/S   | 

ov  fjJev  <£6p/uuyyo?  7repiKuAA«x;  rjv 
t\  'ATrdAAwi/.  —  testudo :  cf.  Ar- 
nold's verses,  quoted  on  I,  10,  6. 

15  f .  cumque :  tem|x>ral.  modi- 
fying vocanti  and  equivalent  to 
quandocuinque  te  votabo.  No 
parallel  can  be  adduced  to  this  use 
of  cumque  as  an  independent 
word,  hut  we  can  safely  accept 
Porphyrio's  explanation,  who  did 
not  find  the  phrase  unintelligible. 
—  mihi  salve :  accept  my  greeting. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  u,  97  f.  salve  aeter- 
tirtm  mihi,  max  u  ma  Palla,  \  aeter- 
numque  vale. 


144 


CAKM1NA 


[».  33. 


33 

'Albius,  thou  shouldst  not  grieve  that  Glycera  prefers  another,  for 
Venus  finds  delight  in  binding  together  strange  mates ;  I  too  have  suf- 
fered from  her  whims.' 

The  Albius  addressed  is  probably  Tibullus,  the  elegiac  poet,  a  con- 
temporary and  friend  of  Horace.  The  fact  that  the  name  Glycera  is 
not  found  in  Tibullus'  poems  does  not  make  against  the  identification, 
which  is  as  old  as  the  first  century  A.D.  There  is  no  indication  of  the 
date  of  composition.  Metre,  72. 

Albi,  ne  doleas'  plus  nimio  memor 
immitis  Glycerae,  neu  miserabilis 
decantes  elegos,  cur  tibi  iunior 
laesa  praeniteat  fide, 

5  insignem  tenui  fronte  Lycorida 

Cyri  torret  amor,  Cyrus  in  asperam 


i  ff .  ne  doleas  . . .  neu  decantes  : 
depending  on  the  examples  ad- 
duced in  vv.  5  ff.  Translate,  You 
should  not  grieve  .  .  -.for.  — plus 
nimio:  over  much;  connect  with 
doleas.  Cf.  I,  18.  15  et  tollens  vac- 
uum plus  nimio  gloria  verticem. 

2.  immitis:  unkind,  unfaithful, 
to  thee.  Note  the  contrast  between 
the  epithet  and  the  name,  Glycera. 
—  decantes :  drone  and  drone. 
The  compound  with  de-  acquired 
the  meaning  of  continuously  sing- 
ing the  same  note  or  strain.  Here 
it  is  especially  appropriate  with 
miserabilis,  gloomy.  —  elegos :  re- 
ferring simply  to  the  form,  a  couplet 
ibrmecl  of  a  hexameter  and  a  pen- 
tameter ;  the  Alexandrian  poets 
associated  this  form  with  sentiment 
and  love.  For  the  development 

HUR.  CAR.  —  10  145 


of  Roman  elegy  and  its  relation  to 
its  model,  see  Sellar,  pp.  201-223. 

3  f .  cur,  etc.  :  the  complaint  Al- 
bius repeats  in  his  verses,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  reason  for  his 
sorrow.  For  the  construction,  cf. 
Epist.  I,  8, 9 f.  irascar  amicis  \  cur 
me  funesto  properent  arcere  ve- 
terno.  —  laesa  fide :  a  second  cause 
for  Albius'  grief. 

5ff.  The  following  may  have 
been  suggested  by  Moschus  6,  i  ff. 
r)pa.ro  Ilav  A^ais  ras  •yetVovos. 
rjpaTO  8'  'A^oo  |  (TKipTY/To.  2ari;pw. 
Sarvpos  o'  fTrefj.ijva.TO  A.VOO,  •  |  a»s 
TOV  Dam,  TOCTOV 
v  'Ax<ii.  |  KOI  AvSu 
(TKOV  •  *Epa>s  §'  eer/xv^e  T'  ap.oi.fta.. 
'Pan  loved  his  neighbor  Echo; 
Echo  loved  |  A  gamesome  Satyr ; 
he,  by  her  unmoved,  |  Loved  only 


i,  33.  7]  HORAT1 

declinat  Pholoen  ;  sed  prius  Apulis 
iungentur  capreae  lupis 

quam  turpi  Pholoe  peccet  adultero. 
10  Sic  visum  Veneri,  cui  placet  imparis 

formas  atque  animos  sub  iuga  aenea 
saevo  mittere  cum  ioco. 

Ipsum  me  rrielior  cum  peteret  Venus, 
grata  detinuit  compede  Myrtale 
15  libertina,  fretis  acrior  Hadriae 

curvantis  Calabros  sinus. 

Lyde;  thus  through  Echo,  Pan,  |  13 ff.  ipsum  me:  the  usual  per- 
Lyde,  and  Satyr,  Love  his  circle  sonal  experience.  Intr.  30.  — me- 
ran '  (Myers).  lior  Venus  :  in  the  same  sense  as  i, 
—  tenuifronte;  a  point  of  beauty,  27,  20  meliore  flamma.  The  con- 
as  Lycus1  black  hair  and  eyes  of  the  trast  is  furnished  by  libertina  v.  15. 
preceding  ode.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  7,  26  15 f-  fretis  acrior  Hadriae:  con- 
nigros  angusta  fronte  capillos ;  Pe-  cessive.  The  same  figure  is  used 
tron.  126  frons  minima  et  quae  3,  9,  22  f.  improbo  \  iracundior 
apices  capillor  urn  retro  flexerat. —  Hadria.  The  Adriatic  was  pro- 
Lycorida:  the  name  is  apparently  verbially  rough.  Cf.  I,  3,  15;  2, 
taken  from  the  elegies  of  Gallus,  14,  14. — curvantis:  when  it  hol- 
as  Pholoe  from  those  of  Tibullus  lows  out ;  i.e.  in  time  of  storm. 
(1,8,69).  Cf.  Ovid  Met.  n,  229  est  sinus 
7.  declinat :  sc.  a  Lycoride.  Haemoniae  ctirvos  falcatns  in 
9.  turpi  .  .  .  adultero  :  low-born  arcns.  —  sinus  :  the  accusative 
lover.  —  peccet:  cf.  1,27, 17 ingenuo  expresses  the  result  of  the  verb's 
amore  peccas.  action. 

34 

'Careless  of  Heaven,  devoted  to  a  mad  philosophy.  I  was  forced  by 
a  bolt  in  the  clear  sky  to  change  my  course  and  to  remind  myself  that 
God  can  put  down  the  mighty  and  exalt  the  low.' 

The  ode  tells  its  own  story  and  must  not  be  taken  too  seriously,  for 
it  may  have  been  based  on  a  Greek  model.  For  Horace's  religious  views, 
see  Sellar.  p.  159  ff.  Metre,  68. 

146 


CARM1NA 


[if  34,  12 


Parcus  deorum  cultor  et  infrequens, 
insanientis  dum  sapientiae 

consultus  erro,  nunc  retrorsum 
vela  dare  atque  iterare  cursus 

cogor  relictos.     Namque  Diespiter, 
igni  corusco  nubila  dividens 
plerumque,  per  purum  tonantis 

egit  equos  volucremque  currum, 

» 

quo  bruta  tellus  et  vaga  flumina, 
quo  Styx  et  invisi  horrida  Taenari 
sedes  Atlanteusque  finis 

concutitur.     Valet  ima  summis 


2  fi .  insanientis  .  .  .  sapientiae  : 
Epicurean  philosophy,  according  to 
which  the  gods  lived  a  life  apart, 
undisturbed  by  interest  in  mortals. 
Note  the  oxymoron.  —  consultus: 
an  extended  use  from  such  phrases 
as  iuris  consultus,  '  skilled  in  the 
law.'  —  cursus  .  .  .  relictos  :  the 
old  national  religion,  faith  in 
which  was  no  longer  held  by  men 
of  Horace's  education. 

5.  Diespiter:  the  ancient  name 
for  Jupiter,  according  to  Varro.  Cf. 
our  'Father  of  light.1 

7.  plerumque :  with  dividens. 
Note  the  emphasis  given  this  by 
position,  as  i,  31,  14  f.  revise  us  ae- 
quor  Atlanticum  \  impune.  Intr. 
23. —  per  purum  tonantis :  Lucretius 
closes  his  argument  that  thunder 
and  lightning  come  from  natural 
causes  with  the  words  ^6,  400  f. ) 
denique  cur  numquam  caelo  tacit 


undique  puro  \  luppiter  in  terras 
fnlmen  sonitusqtie  profnndit? 

9  f .  bruta :  inert ;  contrasted  with 
vaga.  Cf.  3,  4,  45  terra  iners. — 
Taenari :  the  southern  promontory 
of  Laconia,  to-day  Cape  Matapan, 
where  a  cleft  in  the  rocks  was  said 
to  be  the  entrance  to  the  lower 
world.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  4,  467  Tae- 
narias  etiam  fauces,  alta  ostia 
Ditis. 

11.  Atlanteus  finis:    equivalent 
to  Euripides1  reproves  'ArAavriKot 
(Hippol.  3),  the  western  boundary 
of  the  world. 

12.  valet  ima  summis,  etc. :  di- 
vinity's power  to  humble  and  exalt 
is  a  commonplace  of  Greek  poetry. 
E.%.  Od.  1 6,  21 1  f.  p-r)iBiov  8e  Otolcri, 
TOI  ovpavov   tvpvv   I^OVCTIV, 
KvSrjvai  OvrfTov  /SpOTov  rjBf 

and  Archil.  Frg.  56  B.  TOIS 

riOu    TO.    TTttVTU  •    TToAAa/ClS    p.€V    €K 


1.  34,  13] 


HOKAT1 


mutare  et  insignem  attenuat  deus, 
obscura  promens ;  hinc  apicem  rapax 
Fortuna  cum  stridore  acuto 
sustulit,  hie  posuisse  gaudet. 


dv&pas  opOovaiv  p.(.\aivrj 
CTTI  \6ovi,  |  7roAAa*as  8' 
KUI  /AaA'  tv  (3f(3r)K6- 
Ttt?  |  VTTTIOUS  KAtVow'.  '  Intrust 
all  things  to  the  gods.  Ofttimes 
from  misfortune  they  set  upright 
men  who  lie  prostrate  on  the 
gloomy  ground  ;  ofttimes  too  they 
overthrow  and  cast  down  even 
those  who  have  prospered  ex- 
tremely.1 Also  from  the  Magnifi- 
cat, St.  Luke  i,  52  'He  hath  put 


down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
and  exalted  them  of  low  degree." 

14.  apicem:  properly  the  coni- 
cal cap  worn  by  the  rlamines,  but 
used  here  as  3,  21,  20  regum 
apices,  equivalent  to  tiara,  the 
symbol  of  royal  power. 

15  f.  stridore  acuto  :  'the  shrill 
whir'  of  Fortune's  wings.  Cf.  Verg. 
A.  i,  387  of  the  swans  stridentibus 
alis.  —  sustulit :  gnomic  perfect, 
has  often  before  now.  Intr.  103. 


35 

<O  Goddess.  Queen  of  Antium,  who  canst  exalt  or  humble.  All 
court  thy  favor,  the  poor  man  and  the  prince,  the  wild  Dacian  and 
Scythian,  the  sturdy  Latin  stock,  lest  thou  bring  wild  discord  (1-16). 
Fierce  Destiny  goes  before  with  wedge  and  clamp  (17-20).  but  Hope 
and  Faith  are  thy  companions  (21-24)  ?  yet  at  sign  of  thy  disfavor  the 
fickle  crowd  and  false  friend  flee  (25-28).  Protect  Caesar,  we  pray,  in 
his  campaign  against  the  Britons ;  guard  our  youth  from  dangers  in  the 
East  (29-32).  May  we  expiate  the  crimes  of  civil  strife  with  swords 
new  forged  against  our  eastern  foes  (33-40).' 

The  motive  of  this  prayer  is  probably  taken  from  Pindar.  O.  12,  1-6 
A<Wo/xcu,  Trai  Zi^vos  'EAcv&ptW  |  'Ifjitpav  ivpvaOtvt*  a/A<£i7roA«i.  2w- 
Tttpa  Tu^a.  |  TIV  yap  ev  TTOVTW  Kv(3tpv<avTai  Ooa.1  \  vaes.  lv  xtprrtu  re  Aai- 
{(/r)pol  7roA«/u.oi  |  Kayopal  f$ov\a<f>6poi.  a.1  ye  /J.tv  avSpOiv  \  TroAA*  avw. 
TJL  8'  au  Kara),  t/fevSr;  /tCTO/iwvta  ra/nvoiaai,  KuAiVSmr*  eArrt'Ses.  4 1  beseech 
thee,  daughter  of  Zeus  the  Deliverer,  Saving  Fortune,  guard  wide-ruling 
Himera.  For  at  thy  beck  the  swift  ships  are  piloted  on  the  sea, 
and  on  the  land  fierce  wars  and  council-giving  assemblies.  The  hopes 
of  men  are  tossed,  often  up,  but  again  down,  as  they  cut  their 
way  through  the  high  waves  of  falsity.'  Horace's  ode  forms  the  basis 

148 


CAKMINA 


[«.  35.  6 


of  Gray's  Ode  to  Adversity,  while  Wordsworth  used  Gray's  poem  as  a 
model  for  his  Ode  to  Duty. 

The  expedition  referred  to  in  v.  29  f.  was  undertaken  by  Augustus 
in  27  B.C.,  when,  according  to  Dio  C.  53,  22,  e^top/AT/o-e  fj.lv  ws  KOI  e's  rrjv 
BpiTTaviav  (TTpaTtvatav.  €s  8«  89  rois  FaAurtas  f\0iav  fVTavOa  Si£Tp«//tv. 
The  following  year  he  again  laid  plans  for  the  invasion,  but  was  kept 
back  by  an  uprising  in  Spain.  In  this  year,  too,  preparations  were 
being  made  for  the  expedition  of  Aelius  Callus  against  the  Arabians  to 
which  vv.  30-32  refer  (cf.  ode  29  of  this  book).  26  B.C.  is  therefore 
the  most  probable  date  of  the  ode.  Metre,  68. 

O  diva,  gratum  quae  regis  Antium, 
praesens  vel  imo  tollere  de  gradu 
mortale  corpus  vel  superbos 
vertere  funeribus  triumphos: 

5  te  pauper  ambit  sollicita  prece 

ruris  colonus,  te  dominam  aequoris 


1.  diva:  Fortune,  the  goddess 
who  rules  at  will  the  vicissitudes 
of  life,  is  here  identified  with  the 
Fortunae  Antiates,  whose  temple 
at  Antium  was  a   famous   shrine 
until  late  times.     With  this  shrine 
was  associated  a  popular  oracle ; 
therefore  the  goddesses  were  called 
by  Mart.  5,  i.,  3  veridtcae  sorores. 
For   representations   of  the  god- 
desses  on   coins,  see  Baumeister 
nos.  606  and  607. 

—  gratum :  probably  equivalent 
to  dilectnin,  '  beloved  by  thee ' ;  cf. 
i,  30,  2  dilectam  Cypron.  It  may, 
however,  refer  to  the  beauty  of 
the  place,  for  Cicero  speaking  of  it 
says  (ad.  Att.  4, 8  a,  I ),  nihil  qnie- 
tius,  nihil  alsius,  nikil  amoenins. 

2.  praesens  .  .   .  tollere:  with 
power,  praesens  being  equivalent 
to  patens.    Intr.  108.  —  imo  tollere 


de  gradu  :  these  words  might  sug- 
gest to  the  Roman  reader  the 
story  of  Servius  Tullius,  as  the 
following  superbos  .  .  .  triumphos 
would  surely  call  to  his  mind  the 
case  of  Aemilius  Paullus,  the  vic- 
tor at  Pydna,  whose  two  sons  died 
on  the  day  of  his  triumph. 

3  f .  mortale  corpus  :  mans  mor- 
tal clay.  —  vertere  :  change  into. 
Cf.  Epist.  2, 3,  226-uertereseria  ludo. 

5  f .  te  .  .  .  te :  note  the  fre- 
quent and  emphatic  anaphorae  in 
this  ode,  by  which  the  goddess 
addressed  is  constantly  made 
prominent.  Intr.  28  c.  —  ambit : 
courts.  —  ruris  colonus:  the  farmer 
and  the  sailor  (v.  7)  are  types  of 
men  especially  dependent  on  the 
whims  of  Fortune,  the  former  for 
his  crops,  the  latter  for  his  life  as 
well  as  livelihood. 


'49 


'.  35.  7] 


HORATI 


quicumque  Bithyna  lacessit 
Carpathium  pelagus  carina ; 

te  Dacus  asper,  te  profugi  Scythae 
10  urbesque  gentesque  et  Latium  ferox 

regumque  matres  barbarorum  et 
purpurei  metuunt  tyranni, 

iniurioso  ne  pede  proruas 
stantem  columnam,  neu  populus  frequens 
15  ad  arma  cessantis  ad  arma 

concitet  imperiumque  frangat. 

Te  semper  anteit  saeva  Necessitas, 
clavos  trabalis  et  cuneos  manu 

gestans  aena,  nee  severus 
20  uncus  abest  liquidumque  plumbum. 


7  f .  Bithyna  .  .  .  Carpathium : 
specializing,  as  I,  I.  13  trade  Cy- 
pria  Myrtoum  .  .  .  secet  mare. 
—  lacessit :  vexes. 

9  ff.  The  wild  Dacian  and  the 
nomad  (profugi)  Scythian  are 
contrasted  with  civilized  peoples 
(urbesque  gentesque  et  Latium 
ferox).  —  profugi:  best  explained 
by  3,  24,  9  f.  campestres  .  .  .  Scy- 
thae, \  quorum  plaustra  vagus  rite 
trahunt  domos.  —  ferox :  fearless. 
Cf-  3,  3,  44  Roma  ferox. 

ii  f.  regumque  matres  barba- 
rorum :  as  Atossa,  the  mother  of 
Xerxes  in  Aeschylus'  /'ersians; 
and  the  mother  of  Sisera  \n  Judges 
5,  28.  —  purpurei  .  .  .  tyranni : 
the  color  of  the  dress  being  the 
symbol  of  power;  cf.  Verg.  (.!.  2. 
495  'V/*f/«  non  P»puli  fasces,  non 
pur  pur  a  reguvi  \flexit. 


13  f.  iniurioso :  insolent,  v(3pi 
columnam :  symbolical  of 
stability.  Cf.  Sen.  Troad.  6  f. 
columen  eversum  occidit  \  pollentis 
Asiae. 

15.  ad  arma  ...  ad  arma  :  re- 
peating dramatically  the  cry  or 
the  mob.  Cf.  Ovid  Met.  12,  241 
certatimque  omnes  nno  ore  '  arma, 
arma '  loqiiuntur. 

17  ft.  clavos.  cuneos,  uncus. 
plumbum  :  these  devices  for  fasten- 
ing together  building  material  — 
the  spikes,  wedges  for  loose  joints, 
and  clamps  fastened  with  lead — 
are  symbolical  of  the  power  of 
stern  Necessity,  who  precedes 
Fortune,  as  the  lictors  go  before 
the  Roman  consul.  —  clavos: 
claviim  figere  was  used  proverbi- 
ally of  that  which  was  unalterably 
fixed  by  fate ;  cf.  Cic.  I'err.  2,  53 


150 


CARMINA 


35»  30 


Te  Spes  et  albo  rara  Fides  colit 
velata  panno,  nee  comitem  abnegat, 
utcumque  mutata  potentis 
veste  domos  inimica  linquis ; 

at  volgus  infidum  et  meretrix  retro 
periura  cedit,  diffugiunt  cadis 
cum  faece  siccatis  amici 
ferre  iugum  pariter  dolosi. 

Serves  iturum  Caesarem  in  ultimos 
orbis  Britannos  et  iuvenum  recens 


ut  hoc  beneficium,  quein  adinodnm 
dicilur,  trabali  davo  figeret.  — 
manu  .  .  .  aena :  cf.  the  English 
'  iron  hand.1  —  severus  :  unyield- 
ing, harsh. 

21  ff.  The  constancy  of  Hope 
and  Faith,  even  when  Fortune 
denies  her  favor,  is  set  over 
against  the  fickleness  of  the  com- 
mon crowd,  the  harlot,  and  false 
friends.  —  Spes  .  .  .  Fides:  both 
had  temples  at  Rome;  tradition 
said  that  it  was  King  Numa  who 
established  the  festival  to  Fides 
(Livy  i,  21). — rara:  since  fidelity 
is  seldom  found. — albo  velata 
panno :  in  offering  sacrifices  to 
Fides  the  priest  wrapped  his  right 
hand  in  a  white  cloth.  It  is  for 
this  reason,  according  to  Servius, 
that  Vergil,  A.  i,  292,  calls  Fides 
can  a.  —  nee  comitem  abnegat : 
this  is  obscure,  but  the  simplest 
interpretation  is  to  supply  se: 
'even  in  adversity.  Faith  does  not 
refuse  to  be  man's  companion/ 

23  f.   There   were   not   simply 


Fortunae  of  places,  cities,  etc., 
but  also  Fortunae  of  private 
families.  —  mutata  .  ,  .  veste : 
'changed  from  festal  to  mourning 
garb.'  —  inimica  :  predicative. 

25.  volgus  infidum :  proverbial ; 
cf.  I,  i,  7  inobiliitm  turba  Quiri- 
tium. 

26  f.  With  the  idea  expressed, 
cf.  the  Greek  proverb  £tt  x^Tpa, 
£77  <f>iAia.  'Friendship  lives  only 
so  long  as  the  pot  boils.' 

28.  pariter  :  modifying  ferre, 
which  itself  depends  on  dolosi,  too 
false  to  share.  The  metaphor 
ferre  iugum  is  a  common  one.  Cf. 
Val.  Max.  2,  i,  6  impari iugocari' 
tatis. 

29  f.  ultimos  orbis  Britannos : 
cf.  4, 14, 47  remoti  .  .  .  Britanni. 
Catull.  II,  ii  ultiini  Britanni. 
Britain  was  practically  a  terra  in- 
cognita to  the  Roman  until  the 
time  of  Claudius  ;  the  expeditions 
of  Julius  Caesar  had  had  no  per- 
manent result  except  to  arouse 
a  desire  for  Britain's  conquest 


ft" 


«•  35.  30 


HOKATI 


examen  Eois  timendum 
partibus  oceanoque  rubro. 

Eheu  cicatricum  et  sceleris  pudet 
fratrumque.     Quid  nos  dura  refugimus 
35  aetas  ?     Quid  intactum  nefasti    • 

liquimus  ?     Vnde  manum  iuventus 

metu  deorum  continuit  ?     Quibus 
pepercit  aris  ?     O  utinam  nova 
incude  diffingas  retunsum  in 
40  Massagetas  Arabasque  ferrum. 


—  recens :  i.e.  newly  recruited 
for  the  expedition  of  Aelius 
Callus. — timendum:  part  of  the 
prayer. 

32  f.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  8,  686  vic- 
tor ab  Anrorae  populis  et  litore 
rubro.  —  cicatricum  et  sceleris  .  .  . 
fratrumque :  note  the  cumulative 
force  — '  the  scars  of  civil  strife 
are  our  shame,  a  crime,  a  crime 
against  our  brothers.'  Cf.  similar 
cumulations  I,  5,  n  ;  3,  5,  10. 

34  ff.  quid  nos  dura,  etc. :  re- 
producing the  spirit  of  the  first  part 
of  Epod.  1 6. 

38  ff.  0  utinam,  etc. :  undoubt- 
edly Horace  expresses  in  this  form 
his  own  deepest  feeling,  which 
was  shared  by  his  more  earnest 
and  wiser  contemporaries.  The 


disastrous  effects  of  thirty  years  of 
civil  war  were  everywhere  appar- 
ent, and  the  new  order  introduced 
by  Augustus  was  the  only  promise 
of  a  security  that  would  enable 
the  state  to  recover  its  prosperity. 
Deeper  than  all  this  were  the  hor- 
rors of  the  struggle  just  ended  in 
which  members  of  the  same  family 
had  been  set  in  armed  opposition 
to  each  other.  (Cf.  the  story  of 
the  two  brothers  in  Livy  I'er.  79.) 
These  did  not  fail  to  move  even 
the  insensitive  Romans. 

39  f .  retunsum :  i.e.  in  civil 
strife.  —  in  Massagetas  :  depen- 
dent on  diffingas,  forge  anew 
against.  The  UTassagetae  were  an 
Oriental  people  east  of  the  Cas- 
pian Sea. 


36 

A  greeting  to  Numida,  lately  returned  from  the  wars  in  Spain.  Nu- 
mida  here  appears  as  the  warm  friend  and  contemporary  of  Aelius  Lamia  ; 
therefore  considerably  younger  than  Horace  (cf.  introductory  n.  to  i,  26). 

152 


CARMINA 


[if  36, 


The  occasion  for  the  ode  may  have  been  a  dinner  given  by  Lamia  in 
honor  of  his  friend;  the  date  is  unknown.     Metre,  71. 

Et  ture  et  fidibus  iuvat 

placare  et  vituli  sanguine  debito 
custodes  Numidae  deos, 

qui  mine  Hesperia  sospes  ab  ultima 
5  cans  multa  sodalibus, 

nulli  plura  tamen  dividit  oscula 
quam  dulci  Lamiae,  memor 

actae  non  alio  rege  puertiae 
mutataeque  simul  togae. 

10  Cressa  ne  careat  pulchra  dies  nota, 

neu  promptae  modus  amphorae 


i  f .  ture  et  fidibus :  the  regular 
accompaniments  of  sacrifice.  Cf. 
4,  i,  21-24  *Hic  plurima  naribns  \ 
ditces  tura,  lyraeque  et  Berecyn- 
thiae  \  delectabere  tibiae  \  mixtis 
car  minibus  non  sine  fistula.  —  de- 
bito :  i.e.  vowed  to  the  gods  if  Nu- 
mida  should  have  a  safe  return.  Cf. 
2,7, 17  obligatam  redde  lovidapetn. 

4!  Hesperia  .  .  .  ab  ultima :  from 
the  Romans1  point  of  view  Spain 
was  the  '  farthest  west  land ' ;  for 
the  Greeks,  Italy. 

6.  plura:  a  larger  share. — •  di- 
vidit :  properly  used  of  allotting  to 
each  his  portion. 

8.  rege  :  captain,  leader  in  their 
sports.  —  puertiae  :  syncopated  as 
2,  2,  2  lamnae. 

9.  mutatae  .  .  .  togae :  the  toga 
praetexta  was  usually  given  up  for 
the  toga  "uirilis  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
or  seventeen  years ;  the  occasion 
was  made  a  family  festival.     The 


phrase,  therefore,  is  equivalent  to 
our '  coming  of  age.1  —  cressa :  terra 
creta,  chalk.  White  was  the  color 
of  joy,  and  happy  days  were  given 
a  white  mark.  Cf.  Catull.  107,  6 
o  liicem  candidiore  nota.  Cf. 
our  '  red-letter  day.'  We  are  told 
that  another  way  of  marking  the 
course  of  one^  life  was  to  drop 
each  day  a  pebble  in  an  urn  — 
white  for  the  happy,  black  for  the 
sad.  References  in  literature  are 
not  infrequent ;  e.g.  Catull.  68,  148 
quern  lapide  ilia  dietn  candidiore 
notet]  Plin.  Epist.  6,  u  o  diem 
laetum  notandutnque  mihi  candi- 
dissimo  calcnlo.  Similar  customs 
are  reported  as  existing  among  the 
Thracians  and  Scythians.  —  ne 
careat,  etc. :  best  regarded  as  a 
purpose  clause  dependent  on  the 
following  verses,  11-16. 

n.  neu  .  .  .  neu:  the  repetition 
of  the  word  six  times  marks  the 


153 


i.  36. 


HORATI 


neu  morem  in  Salium  sit  requies  pedum, 
neu  multi  Damalis  meri 

Bassum  Threicia  vincat  amystide, 
15  neu  desint  epulis  rosae 

neu  vivax  apium  neu  breve  lilium. 
Omnes  in  Damalin  putris 

deponent  oculos,  nee  Damalis  novo 
divelletur  adultero, 
jo  lascivis  hederis  ambitiosior. 


poet's  eagerness. — promptae:  pro- 
leptic :  '  open  the  jar  and  let  no 
bounds  restrain.' — amphorae :  dat., 
cf.  i,  24,  i. 

12.  morem  in  Salium  (  =  Sali- 
areni)  :   the  Salii  were  priests  of 
Mars  who  danced  in  triple  meas- 
ure in  worship  of  the  god.     Here 
the  phrase  means  no  more  than  ;in 
the  dance.1 

13.  multi  Damalis  meri :  TroAuoi- 
vos.     Cf.  3,  9,  7  multi  Lydia  nomi- 
tiis;  S.  i,  i,  33   magni  formica 
laboris ;  Cic  adfam.  9, 26  non  multi 
cibi  hospitem .  —  Damalis :  Sa/xoAis, 
a  heifer.     A  common  name  for  a 
libertina.      In  the  columbarium  of 
Livia's  freedwomen  were   placed 
the  ashes  of  a  Damalis  Liviae  sar- 
cinatrix. 

14.  '  Bassus  shall  drink  deep  to- 
day, deeper  than  the  expert  Da- 


malis.'— amystide:  afivarl  irivf.iv. 
To  drink  a  bowl  of  wine  at  a 
draught  was  a  diversion  learned 
from  the  intemperate  Thracians. 
Cf.  Anacreont.  8,  2  irulv,  TTLUV 
d/xuori.  Cf.  intr.  n.  to  i,  27  above. 

15  f.  Flowers  for  garlands.  — 
vivax  .  .  .  breve :  chosen  for  the 
antithesis. 

1 7  f .  '  Damalis  shall  be  the  object 
of  all  eyes,  but  none  shall  win  her 
from  Numida.' — putris :  swimming. 
Porphyrio  says,  putres  vino  intel- 
lege.  — nee  :  '  yet  Damalis  will  not.' 

19 f.  adultero:  lover,  i.e.  Nu- 
mida ;  abl.  of  separation.  —  lascivis : 
wandering.  —  ambitiosior :  wore 
clinging  than.  Cf.  Epod.  15,  5 
artitts  atqite  hedera  procera  ad- 
stringiturilex.  Catull.  61,  34  f.  ;// 
tenaxhedera  hue  et  hue  \  arborem 
implicat  errans. 


37 

'  Now  is  the  time  to  drink,  to  dance,  to  render  thanks  unto  the  gods, 
my  friends.  Good  cheer  had  no  place  with  us  so  long  as  the  mad  queen 
with  her  base  following  threatened  harm  to  Rome  (1-12).  But  the 
flames  of  her  ships  checked  her  madness,  and  Caesar  followed  her  in 

154 


CARMINA  [i,  37,  4 

her  flight  as  hawk  pursues  a  clove  (12-21).  Yet  she  was  no  humble 
woman ;  she  did  not  shudder  at  the  sword  nor  shrink  at  serpent's  bite. 
She  scorned  to  grace  a  Roman  triumph  (21-32).' 

The  ode  begins  as  a  song  of  exultation  on  hearing  the  news  of  Cleo- 
patra's death,  which  reached  Rome  in  September,  30  B.C.  But  in  v.  21, 
after  applying  the  opprobrious  fat  ale  inonstruin  to  the  queen,  Horace 
suddenly  changes  to  a  feeling  ot  admiration  for  the  heroic  courage  with 
which  she  faced  death  and  cheated  the  Romans  of  half  the  glory  of  their 
triumph.  With  this  ode  should  be  compared  Epod.  9,  written  in  celebra- 
tion of  the  victory  at  Actium.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  neither  is  An- 
tony mentioned,  the  poet  forbearing  to  glory  over  a  fellow  Roman.  The 
poem  is  probably  modeled  on  Alcaeus'  ode  on  the  death  of  the  tyrant 
Myrsilus ;  in  any  case  the  enthusiastic  verses  with  which  Horace  opens 
were  suggested  by  the  verses  of  Alcaeus  preserved  by  Athen.  10,430  A. 
{frrg-  2O  )  vvv  xprj  /xe^ucr^r/v  KO.L  nva  TT/OOS  (3tiav  \  iriavyv,  eir(.i8rj  KarOavf. 
Mv/xriAos-  '  Now  must  we  drink  deep  and  riotously  carouse,  for  Myrsi- 
lus is  dead.'  Metre,  68. 

Nunc  est  bibcndum,  nunc  pede  libero 
pulsanda  tellus,  nunc  Saliaribus 
ornare  pulvinar  deorum 

tempus  erat  dapibus,  sodales. 

1.  nunc:  the  triple  repetition  of  bial.     Cf.  2, 14,  28  mero  pontificum 
this  word  strengthens  the  contrast  potiore  cents;  Porphyrio  remarks 
with  antehac  nefas  of  the  following  on  this  verse,  in  proverbio  est  Sa- 
strophe.  — libero :  freed,  as  if  the  Hares  cenas  dicer e  opiparas  et  copi- 
dangers  that  threatened  the  state  osas. 

had  fettered  the  very  feet  of  its  3-  ornare  pulvinar  deorum:   in 

citizens.  celebrating     a    lectisternium     in 

2.  pulsanda :  the  same  expres-  thanksgiving  to  the  gods,  images 
sion,  3,  1 8,  15  f.  gaudet  .  .  .  pepu-  of  the  divinities  were  placed  on 
lissefossor  \  ter  pede  terram.  Cf.  i ,  couches  (pulvinaria).  before  which 
4,  7  t  err  am  quatiunt. — Saliaribus  rich   banquets  were  offered  for   a 
. . .  dapibus  :  feasts  such  as  the  Salii  number  of  days  ;  with  this  was  asso- 
enjoy.     In  the  later  republic  and  ciated  a  dinner  for  the  priests, 
under  the  empire  the  chief  sacred  4-  tempus  erat:    the  imperfect 
colleges  were  very  wealthy  and  be-  expresses  surprise  that  this  has  not 
came  in  certain  senses  select  clubs ;  been  done  already,  '  Why  have  we 
the  luxury  of  the  banquets  of  the  not  .  .  . ,  for  it  was  time.'    So  Aris- 
Salii  and  pontifices  were  prover-  toph.  Eccl.  877  TI  -noff  avSpes  ov^ 

155 


'.  37.  5] 


HORATI 


10 


Antehac  nefas  depromere  Caecubum 
cellis  avitis,  dum  Capitolio 
regina  dementis  ruinas 
funus  et  imperio  parabat 

contaminate  cum  grege  turpium 
morbo  virorum,  quidlibet  impotens 
sperare  fortunaque  dulci 
ebria.     Sed  minuit  furorem 


rjKov(Tiv;  wpa  8'  rjv  TroAui.  Ovid 
Am.  3,  I,  23  f.  temptis  erat  thyrso 
pulsum  graviore  mover  i,  \  cessatum 
satis  est,  incipe  mains  opus.  This 
interpretation  is  not  inconsistent 
with  the  following  antehac  nefas. 

5.  antehac:  dissyllabic.      Intr. 
38.     This  synizesis,  as  well  as  the 
neglect  of  the  regular  caesura  in  5 
and  14.  probably  marks  this  ode  as 
one  of  Horace's  earlier  essays  in 
Alcaic  measure. — Caecubum:   cf. 
Epod.  9,  I  ff.  qitando  repostum  Cae- 
cubum ad  festas  dapes . . .  tecum  . . . 
Maecenas . . .  bibam. 

6.  dum  Capitolio.  etc. :  there  was 
genuine  fear  at  Rome  that  Augus- 
tus would  not  be  able  to  defend 
Italy  against  Antony  and  Cleopa- 
tra; cf.  Fast.  Amit.  to  Aug.  i,C.I.L. 
i,  p.  yfi,feriae  ex  s(enatus)  c(on- 
sulto),  q(uod)  e(o)  d(ie)  imp.  Cae- 
sar divi  f(iUiis)  rein  public(ani) 
tristissimo  periculo  liberal .     1 1  was 
even  said  that  Cleopatra  had  vowed 
she  would  yet  administer  justice  on 
the -Capitol,  and  that  Antony  had 
promised  her  the  Roman  empire 
as  a  marriage  portion.     The  Capi- 
tolium  was  the  symbol  of  Rome's 


lasting  power.  So  Horace,  in  de- 
claring his  fame  shall  be  eternal, 
says,  3,  30,  8ff.  dum  Capitolium 
scandet .  .  .  pontifex,  .  .  .  dicar  .  .  . 
deduxisse  modos,  etc. 

7.  regina:  even  more  hateful 
than  rex;  cf.  Prop.  4,  1 1, 47  ff.  quid 
nunc  Tarquinii  fractas  iuvat  esse 
secures  \  nomine  quern  simili  vita 
super ba  notat,  \  simulier  patienda 
fuit;  and  the  scornful  emancipatus 
feminae,  Epod.  9,  12.  —  dementis 
ruinas  :  again  the  transferred  ad- 
jective. Cf.  I,  3,  40  iracunda 
fulmina.  Intr.  99. 

gf.  contaminato  grege, etc.:  the 
spadones  rugosi  of  Epod.  9,  1 3  and 
the  roue's  of  Cleopatra's  court  are 
meant.  —  turpium  morbo.  etc.:  de- 
filed* with  lust.  Catullus  (57,  6) 
reviles  Marmurra  and  Caesar  for 
their  dissolute  lives  with  the  words, 
morbosi  pariter.  —  virorum:  in 
this  connection  is  ironical. 

10.  impotens :  weak  enough  to 
hope;  her  passion  had  blinded  her 
judgment. 

12.  ebria:  cf.  Demos.  /'////.  1,49 
ul/juu  (Kfivov  p.f.9vf.iv  TW  fjityedtt  rlav 


1S6 


(.  A  KM  IN  A 


vix  una  sospes  navis  ab  ignibus, 
mentemque  lymphatam  Mareotico 
redegit  in  veros  timores 
Caesar,  ab  Italia  volantem 

remis  adurgens,  accipiter  velut 
mollis  columbas  aut  leporem  citus 
venator  in  campis  nivalis 
Haemoniae,  daret  ut  catenis 

fatale  monstrum.     Quae  generosius 
perire  quaerens  nee  muliebriter 
expavit  ensem  nee  latentis 
classe  cita  reparavit  oras ; 


13.  vix  una  sospes:  the  fact 
that  hardly  a  single  ship  escaped. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  Cleopatra  es- 
caped with  sixty  ships,  while  An- 
tony's fleet  was  burned.  It  may 
be  that  the  first  news  of  the  battle 
reported  the  destruction  of  Cleopa- 
tra's ships  as  well. 

14  ff.  Her  drunken  madness  was 
changed  into  genuine  terror  by  Cae- 
sar's pursuit.  —  lymphatam:  vvp.- 
^>6A?p-Tos,  distracted.  The  word 
owes  its  origin  to  the  belief  that 
those  who  caught  sight  of  water 
nymphs  were  bewitched  and  de- 
prived of  their  senses. — Mareotico: 
sc.  vino;  the  best  wine  produced 
near  Alexandria. 

i6f.  volantem:  sc.  earn.  —  re- 
mis  adurgens :  an  exaggeration,  as 
Octavian  did  not  pursue  Antony 
and  Cleopatra  at  oncevbut  went  in 
the  autumn  of  31  B.C.  to  Asia,  win- 
tered at  Samos,  and  only  reached 


Egypt  in  the  summer  of  30  B.C.  — 
accipiter  velut  :  a  Homeric  figure. 
Cf.  //.  22,  I39f.  rjvrf.  KipKos  ope- 


Sl'toS  OLfJirjCTf.  fJifTO.  TprjpWVU  TTf\f.UlV. 

igf.  nivalis  Haemoniae  :/>.Thes- 
saly  in  winter,  the  hunting  season. 
—  monstrum  quae  :  construction  ac- 
cording to  sense.  Cf.  Cic.  ad  fatn. 
1,9,  15  ilia  furia  mitliebrimn  re- 
ligionum  gut,  etc. 

21  f.  At  this  point  Horace  sud- 
denly changes  to  admiration  for 
Cleopatra's  courage,  that  made  her 
prefer  death  to  capture.  —  genero- 
sius perire  :  to  die  a  nobler  deatli.  — 
nee  muliebriter  expavit  :  nor  like 
a  woman  did  she  fear.  Plutarch 
{Ant.  79)  says  that  on  the  approach 
of  Proculeius.  Octavian's  emissary, 
Cleopatra  tried  to  stab  herself. 

23  f.  nee  latentis,  etc.:  there  is 
a  tradition  (Dio  C.  51,  6;  Pint. 
Ant.  69)  that  Cleopatra  thought  of 


'57 


'.37.  25 J 


HORATI 


ausa  et  iacentem  visere  regiam 
voltu  sereno,  fortis  et  asperas 
tractare  serpentes,  ut  atrum 
corpore  combiberet  venenum, 

deliberata  morte  ferocior, 
saevis  Liburnis  scilicet  invidens 
privata  deduci  superbo 

non  humilis  mulier  triumpho. 


escaping  through  the  Red  Sea.  Yet 
it  may  well  be  questioned  whether 
Horace  knew  of  such  plans  on  the 
queen's  part ;  he  simply  means  to 
say  that  she  had  no  fear  of  death, 
and  did  not  run  away.  —  reparavit: 
exchange ;  i.e.  in  return  for  the  king- 
dom she  had  lost.  Cf.  i ,  3 1 , 1 2  vina 
reparata  merce. 

25  f .  Note  the  emphatic  posi- 
tion of  ausa  .  .  .  fortis. —  iacentem: 
ruined,  razed  to  the  ground.  — trac- 
tare: dependent  on  fortis,  coura- 
geous enough  to.  Intr.  108. 

27  f .  atrum :  the  '  deadly '  color. 
Cf.  i,  28,  13  morti. .  .atrae;  2, 14, 
1 7  ater. . .  Cocytos ;  3,  4,  17  atris  vi- 
per is.  — corpore :  in  her  body ;  abl . 
of  instrument.  —  combiberet :  the 
compound  is  intensive,  '  drinking 
deep.1  So  Cicero  (defin.  3, 9)  says 
figuratively,  quas  (artes)  si,  dum 
est  tener,  combiberit,  ad  niaiora 
veniet  paratior. 

29.  The  more  courageous  when 
once  resolved  to  die. 

30  ff.  The  condensation  of  these 


verses  makes  translation  especially 
difficult.  —  Liburnis:  dat.  with  in- 
videns. These  were  small  swift 
ships,  modeled  after  those  of  the 
Liburnian  pirates,  and  proved  suc- 
cessful against  the  unwieldy  ships 
of  the  enemy  at  Actium.  Cf.  Epod. 
i.  i  and  n.  —  scilicet:  no  doubt.— 
invidens :  cf.  Shakespeare,  Ant.  and 
Cleopatra,  5,  2  '  Shall  they  hoist 
me,  |  And  show  me  to  the  shouting 
varletry  |  Of  censuring  Rome  ?'- 
privata:  'no  longer  a  queen,'  con- 
trasted with  superbo  triumpho.  — 
deduci:  the  object  of  invidens. — 
non  humilis  mulier:  translate  as 
parenthetical  and  in  the  predicate 
—  no  humble  woman  she !  Cf.  Te  n- 
nyson's  Dream  of  Fair  II  'omen, '  I 
died  a  Queen.  The  Roman  soldier 
found  |  Me  lying  dead,  my  crown 
about  my  brows,  |  A  name  for 
ever!'  It  is  said  that  Cleopatra 
frequently  cried  ou  Qpuififtevaofuii. 
In  Octavian's  triumph  in  August, 
29  B.C.,  an  effigy  of  the  queen  ap- 
peared. 


IS8 


C  A  KM  IN  A 


[i, 


38 

In  contrast  with  the  triumphant  note  of  the  preceding  ode  the  book 
quietly  closes  with  this  little  ode,  in  which  Horace  declares  again  his 
love  of  simplicity.  '  Not  orient  display  nor  garlands  rich  please  me,  but 
simple  myrtle  crown  and  cup  of  wine  beneath  the  arbor's  shade.'  Metre, 
69. 

Persicos  odi,  puer,  apparatus  ; 

displicent  nexae  philyra  coronae ; 
mitte  sectari  rosa  quo  locorum 
sera  moretur. 

Simplici  myrto  nihil  adlabores 
sedulus  euro ;  neque  te  ministrum 
dedecet  myrtus  neque  me  sub  arta 
vite  bibentem. 


i.  Persicos:  the  adjective  sug- 
gests Oriental  luxury.  Probably 
Horace  had  in  mind  unguents  and 
perfumes  from  the  east.  —  philyra: 
strips  of  the  inner  bark  of  the  lin- 
den were  used  to  fasten  together 
the  flowers  of  elaborate  chaplets. 
Cf.  Ovid,  Fasti  5,  335  ff.  tempora 
sutilibMs  cinguntur  iota  coronis  \  et 
latet  iniecta  splendida  mensa  rosa.  \ 
ebrius  incinctis  philyra  conviva 
cnfiillis  I  saltat. 


3  f.  mitte :  equivalent  to  omitte. 
—  sectari :  hunting,  —  rosa  sera :  the 
rose  out  of  season,  another  symbol 
of  luxury. 

5f.  myrto:  dat.  with  adlabores, 
which  is  equivalent  to  laborando 
addas:  embellish.  The  subjunctive 
is  independent,  parallel  to  euro.  — 
nihil :  with  adlabores.  —  sedulus  : 
with  care,  predicate  to  adlabores. 

7.  arta:  thick  grown. 


As  the  first  three  odes  of  the  first  book  are  given  in  order  to  Maece- 
nas, Octavianus,  and  Vergil,  so  this  book  opens  with  odes  addressed  to 
three  friends,  Pollio,  Sallustius  Crispus,  and  Dellius.  The  place  of 
honor  is  given  to  C.  Asinius  Pollio.  who  was  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  his  time ;  born  in  76  B.C.  he  belonged  in  his  youth  to 
the  literary  circle  of  Catullus,  Calvus,  and  China.  He  had  an  honorable 
political  and  military  career,  attaining  the  consulship  in  40  B.C.  ;  his 
military  services,  in  the  course  of  which  he  served  under  Caesar  and 
after  Caesar's  murder  under  Antony,  culminated  in  a  successful  cam- 
paign against  the  Parthini,  a  tribe  in  Dalmatia,  in  39  B.C.  With  the 
booty  gained  he  founded  the  first  public  library  in  Rome. 

From  this  time  he  gave  himself  up  to  literary  and  forensic  pursuits, 
maintaining  with  honor  a  neutral  position  in  the  struggle  between 
Octavianus  and  Antony.  Quintilian,  Seneca,  and  Tacitus  praise  his 
oratory  (cf.  13  f.)  in  which  he  had  hoped  to  rival  Cicero;  his  tragedies 
(11-12)  were  celebrated  in  39  B.C.  by  Vergil  (E.  8,  10)  as  sola  Sophocleo 
tua  carmina  digna  cotlutrno.  Horace  refers  to  them  in  the  verse  (S. 
I,  10, 42  f.)  Pollioregum  \  facia  canit  pede  ter percusso.  Following  pos- 
sibly the  example  of  Sallust,  he  undertook  to  write  a  history  of  the  civil 
wars,  with  the  first  triumvirate.  60  B.C.,  as  his  starting  point.  We  do 
not  know  to  what  date  Pollio  intended  to  bring  his  work  —  it  undoubt- 
edly included  Pharsalus,  Thapsus.  and  probably  Philippi,  —  or  whether 
he  completed  his  plan,  whatever  it  may  have  been ;  for  while  the  work 
is  referred  to  by  Tacitus  and  Suetonius,  it  is  to  us  entirely  lost.  Our 
knowledge  of  his  literary  ability  is  based  solely  on  his  letters  to  Cicero 
(ad.fam.  10,  31-33)  which  show  a  stiff  and  archaic  style;  an  attempt 
in  recent  years  to  ascribe  to  him  the  helium  Africnm  and  a  portion  of 
the  helium  Ale.vandrinutn  has  utterly  failed.  Pollio  first  introduced 
the  practice  of  reading  portions  of  one's  works  to  a  circle  of  friends 
(recitationes},  which  became  a  regular  habit  under  the  empire,  and  we 

1 60 


HORATI   CARMINA 


[2,  I,  6 


may  well  believe  that  Horace  had  in  this  way  heard  portions  of  the 
work  he  praises,  apparently  the  parts  dealing  with  Pharsalus,  Thapsus, 
and  Cato's  death  (17-28). 

The  date  of  the  ode  is  wholly  uncertain,  but  it  is  noteworthy  that 
vv.  29-36  express  the  same  weariness  of  civil  strife  and  bloodshed  that 
we  find  C.  i,  2,  and  14.  Epod.  9  and  16.  Metre,  68. 

Motuin  ex  Metello  consule  civicum 
bellique  causas  et  vitia  et  modos 
ludumque  Fortunae  gravisque 
principum  amicitias  et  arma 

5  nondum  expiatis  uncta  cruoribus, 

periculosae  plenum  opus  aleae, 


i  i .  motum :  disturbance,  in- 
cluding all  the  troubles  from  the 
time  of  the  first  triumvirate. — ex 
Metello  consule :  L.  Afranius  and 
Q.  Caecilius  Metellus  Celer,  coss. 
60  B.C.  —  belli:  modifying  the 
three  following  nouns,  —causas  : 
the  defeat  and  death  of  Crassus  at 
Carrhae  (53  B.C.).  Still,  the  death 
in  54  B.C.  of  Julia,  Caesar's  daugh- 
ter and  Pompey's  wife,  had  al- 
ready broken  the  last  personal 
bond  between  these  two  mem- 
bers of  the  coalition. — vitia:  mis- 
takes. —  modos :  phases. 

3  f .  ludum  Fortunae  :  here  con- 
ceived as  the  goddess  who  delights 
in  the  arbitrary  exercise  of  her 
power ;  she  is  so  described  3,  29, 
49  fF.  Fortuna  saevo  laeta  negotio 
et  |  ludum  insolentem  ludere  per- 
tinax  |  transmutat  incertos  ho- 
nores,  \  nunc  mihi,  mine  alii 
benigna.  The  varied  fortunes  and 
tragic  deaths  of  Caesar,  Crassus, 

HOR.  CAR. —  it  161 


and  Pompey  were  eminent  exam- 
ples of  Fortune's  wanton  sport.  — 
gravisque  principum  amicitias : 
the  first  triumvirate,  in  which  the 
compact  and  subsequent  quarrels 
between  the  leading  citizens  (prin- 
cipum) were  of  serious  import  to 
the  state.  Cf.  Caelius,  ad  fain. 
8.  14,  2  sic  illi  ainores  et  invidiosa 
coniunctio  (sc.  inter  Caesarem  et 
Pompeiutit)  non  ad  occidtam  re- 
cidit  obtrectationem,  sed  ad  helium 
se  erupit.  Also  Lucan,  i,  84  ff.  — 
arma  :  i.e.  those  used  at  Pharsalia. 
Thapsus,  Philippi. 

5.  nondum  expiatis  :  the  sin  of 
fraternal  strife  is  still  to  be  atoned 
for.  Cf.  i,  2,  29 ;  Epod.  7,  3.  19  f. 
—  cruoribus:  the  plural  empha- 
sizes the  different  instances. 

6  if.  opus :  in  apposition  with 
the  foregoing  sentence.  While 
Octavian  was  clearly  victor  after 
Actium,  the  struggles  of  the  civil 
war  were  too  recent  to  allow  a 


2.  1.  7] 


HORATI 


10 


tractas  et  incedis  per  ignis 
suppositos  cineri  doloso. 

Paulum  severae  musa  tragoediae 
desit  theatris  ;  mox  ubi  publicas 
res  ordinaris,  grande  munus 
Cecropio  repetes  coturno, 

insigne  maestis  praesidium  reis 
et  consulenti,  Pollio,  curiae, 
cui  laurus  aeternos  honores 
Delmatico  peperit  triumpho. 


frank  historical  treatment;  old 
wounds  would  be  torn  open  and 
old  animosities  revived.  The  ex- 
pression per  ignis,  etc.,  is  prover- 
bial. Cf.  Callim.  Epig.  44,  2  -jrvp 
UTTO  Trj  aTro&iy,  Propert.  i,  5,  4  f . 
infelixi  properas  ultima  nosse 
mala  \  et  miser  ignotos  vestigia 
ferre  per  ignes.  Macaulay,  Hist. 
Eiig.  c.  6.  '  When  the  historian 
of  this  troubled  reign  (that  of 
James  II)  turns  to  Ireland,  his 
task  becomes  peculiarly  difficult 
and  delicate.  His  steps  —  to  bor- 
row the  fine  image  used  on  a  similar 
occasion  by  a  Roman  poet  —  are 
on  the  thin  crust  of  ashes  beneath 
which  the  lava  is  still  glowing.' 

9  if.  Note  how  skillfully  Horace 
introduces  these  complimentary 
allusions  to  Pollio's  other  literary 
attainments.  -  paulum :  for  a 
little:  i.e.  until  the  history  shall 
lie  finished.  —  severae :  solemn.  — 
desit:  the  public  will  miss  the 
tragedies.  —  theatria  :  with  the 
plural,  cf.  I,  2,  15  f.  This  is  not 


proof  that  Pollio\s  plays  were 
acted ;  they  were  probably  in- 
tended to  be  read. 

ii  f.  ordinaris  :  set  in  order,  i e. 
have  arranged  the  details  of  thy 
work.  —  repetes :  thou  shalt  re- 
sume thy  glorious  task  (grande 
munus).  —  Cecropio  coturno  :  the 
high  buskin  (cothurnus)  was  worn 
by  actors  in  tragedy,  the  low  slipper 
(soccus)  in  comedy.  The  adjective 
Cecropio  is  appropriate,  as  Athens 
was  the  place  where  tragedy  came 
to  its  highest  perfection. 

13  f.  praesidium  .  .  .  reis : 
eight  of  the  nine  titles  of  Pollio's 
speeches  are  for  the  defense.  This 
verse  was  probably  in  Ovid's  mind 
when  he  wrote  of  Germanicus 
Fasti  i,  22  ci-uica  pro  trepidis  cum 
tulit  arma  reis.  —  consulenti :  in 
its  delihf  rut  ions.  The  phrase  in- 
signe praesidium  is  still  applicable 
here,  as  Pollio's  advice  was  a  de- 
fense to  the  welfare  of  the  state. 

16.  Cf.  introductory  note  to 
this  ode. 


162 


CAKM1NA 


[2,  I,  20 


25 


lam  nunc  minaci  murmure  cornuum 
perstringis  auris,  iam  litui  strepunt, 
iam  fulgor  armorum  fugacis 
tcrret  equos  equitumque  voltus. 

Audire  magnos  iam  videor  duces 
non  indecoro  pulvere  sordidos 
et  cuncta  terrarum  subacta 

praeter  atrocem  animum  Catonis. 

luno  et  deorum  quisquis  amicior 
Afris  inulta  cesserat  impotens 


17.  iam  nunc  :  Horace  dramati- 
cally represents  himself  as  actually 
listening  to  the  reading  of  the  his- 
tory. 

1 8  f.  perstringis:  dinnest.— 
fulgor  armorum :  cf.  the  Homeric 
\I\KOV  o-TepoTTT/,  and  Quint.  10, 
30  fulgor  em  qui  t err  eat,  qua  Us  est 
ferri,  quo  metis  sitmil  vtsiisque 
praestringitur.  —  fugacis  :  pro- 
leptic  with  terret,  —  '  throws  the 
horses  into  terrified  flight.1  - 
equos  equitumque  :  cf.  Tennyson's 
similar  assonance  •  while  horse 
and  hero  fell.1  —  voltus  :  by  zeugma 
with  terret,  daunts  the  riders  gaze, 
etc.  To  make  this  refer  to  the 
story  that  Caesar  ordered  his  sol- 
diers at  Pharsalus  to  strike  at  the 
faces  of  the  young  nobles  in  the 
opposing  army  is  strained  and  un- 
natural. The  phrase  is  intended 
simply  to  give  us  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  panic  stricken  horsemen. 

21  ff.  audire  .  .  .  videor:  'as 
you  read,'  continuing  the  vividness 
of  iam  nunc,  v.  17. — duces  .  .  .. 


cuncta  .  .  .  subacta :  both  the 
objects  of  audire  —  to  hear  the 
story  of. 

23  f.   cuncta   terrarum  :    cf.  4, 

12,  \tyamara  cur  arum.  — atrocem  : 
stubborn ;  in  praise,  as    Sil.    Ital. 

13,  369  atrox  virtus. — Catonis: 
the  canonized  object  of  praise  by- 
stoics  and  rhetoricians.     Cf.  n.  to 
i,  12,35. 

25  ff.  The  mention  of  Cato  re- 
calls Thapsus  and  the  long  history 
of  wars  in  Africa.  Juno  was  the 
patron  goddess  of  Carthage,  in  the 
Aeneid  the  opponent  of  Aeneas, 
and  so  hostile  to  Italy.  With 
this  strophe  Horace  passes  to  ex- 
pressions of  regret  for  the  civil 
struggles  that  form  the  subject  of 
Pollio's  history. 

—  cesserat:  note  the  tense. 
'  Once  the  gods  had  been  forced 
to  withdraw  from  the  doomed 
African  cities,  powerless  (impo- 
tens) to  help  them ;  now  they 
have  had  their  revenge.1  The 
Romans  had  a  rite  (evocatio)  foi 


163 


2,  I,  27] 


HORATI 


35 


tellure  victorum  nepotes 
rettulit  inferias  lugurthae. 

Quis  non  Latino  sanguine  pinguior 
campus  sepulcris  impia  proelia 
testatur  auditumque  Medis 
Hesperiae  sonitum  ruinae? 

Qui  gurges  aut  quae  flumina  lugubris 
ignara  belli  ?     Quod  mare  Dauniae 
non  decoloravere  caedes  ? 

Quae  caret  ora  cruore  nostro  ? 


calling  forth  from  a  beleaguered 
city  of  the  enemy  the  local  divini- 
ties, whose  departure  was  neces- 
sary before  the  town  could  be 
captured.  When  the  gods  had 
gone,  the  city  was  doomed.  Cf. 
Vergil  A.  2,  351  f.  (of  Troy)  ex- 
cessere  oMiies,  adytis  arisque  re- 
lictis.  |  di,  guibtis  itnperiitnt  hoc 
steterat,  and  Tac.  Hist.  5,  13,  of 
the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus. 

27.  victorum  nepotes.  etc. :  the 
commander  of  the  Pompeian  army 
at  Thapsus  was  Metellus  Scipio, 
grandson  of  the  Metellus  Numidi- 
cus  who  commanded  (109-107 
B.C.)  in  the  war  against  Jugurtha. 
The  Pompeians  who  fell  at  Thap- 
sus, ten  thousand  in  number,  are 
here  described  as  offerings  at  the 
tomb  of  the  Numidian  king.  It  is 
interesting  to  remember  in  this 
connection  that  Sallust  had  pub- 
lished \ivs>Jngurtha  in  recent  years. 

29.  Latino  sanguine  :  cf.  Epod. 
7,  3  f.  parumne  campis  atqne 


Neptnno  super  \  fusnm  est  Latini 
sangninis  / — pinguior :  falter.  Cf 
Verg.  G.  I,  491  f.  nee  f n it  hidig- 
nuin  stiperis,  bis  sanguine  nostro  \ 
Einathiam  et  latos  Haeini  pin- 
guescere  cainpos. 

30.  impia :  as  pietas  denotes 
the  proper  relation  between  rela- 
tives, the  adjective  unholy  is  espe- 
cially applicable  to  the  unnatural 
struggles  of  the  civil  war.  Cf. 
Epod.  1 6.  9  itnpia  .  .  .  aetas. 

31  f.  auditumque  Medis.  ?tc.  : 
the  Parthians  would  naturally  re- 
joice at  the  internal  quarrels  of 
Rome.  Cf.  Epod.  7,  9  f.  sett  tit  se- 
cundiim  vota  Parthoruni  sua  \ 
urbs  haec  periret  dexter  a.  —  He- 
speriae :  i.e.  the  western  world, 
Italy. 

33  f  •  gurges :  flood,  but  often 
nothing  more  than  the  poetic 
equivalent  of  mare.  Cf.  Verg.  G. 
4,  387  in  Carpathio  Neptnni  gttr- 
gite.  —  Dauniae:  Apulian,  in  the 
sense  of  Italian.  Cf.  n.  to  i,  22,  14. 


164 


CARMINA  [2, 2 

Sed  ne  relictis,  musa  procax,  iocis 
Ceae  retractes  munera  neniae; 

mecum  Dionaeo  sub  antro 
40  quaere  modos  leviore  plectro. 

37  ff.   Horace  suddenly  checks  38.   Ceae  retractes  munera  ne- 

himself;  as   the   poet  of  love   he  niae :  assume  again  the  functions 

must  not  allow  his  muse  to  raise  a  of  the  Cean  dirge.     Simonides  of 

strain  of  grief.   In  a  similar  fashion  Ceos    (556-467   B.C.)   was   noted 

he  suddenly  stops  his  serious  verses  for  the  pathos  of  his  elegies  (Bprj- 

3,  3,  69  f.  non  hoc  iocosae  conveniet  voi),  such  as  he  wrote  on  those 

lyrae;  \  quo,  Musa,  tendis? —  ne  who  fell  at  Thermopylae  and  Sal- 

. . .  retractes :  dependent  on  quaere,  amis. 

etc.     You  must  not, . .  .  but  rather,  39  f .   Dionaeo  sub  antro  :  Dione 

etc.    Cf.  1,33,  iff. — procax:  bold,  was   the  mother  of  Venus.     The 

here  hardly  to  be  distinguished  in  poet  of  love  naturally  seeks  his 

meaning  from  lascivus,  applicable  inspiration  in  her  grotto.  —  leviore 

to   the   muse   of   love   poetry.  -  plectro:  cf.  Ovid.  Met.  10,  150  f. 

iocis  :  Trcu'yvia,  songs  of  love  and  where  Orpheus  says  cecini  plectro 

wine,  as  e.g.  the  fourth  ode  of  this  graviore  gigantas,  \  nitnc  opus  est 

book.     Cf.  3,  3,  69  iocosa  lyra.  leviore  fyra. 


'Silver  shines  from  use,  Crispus.  not  when  hidden  in  the  earth. 
Proculeius  has  won  eternal  fame  by  his  generosity.  He  who  curbs 
his  eager  soul  is  more  a  ruler  than  the  lord  of  Africa  and  Europe  ;  ava- 
rice like  dropsy  grows  by  indulgence.  True  wisdom  counts  not  happy 
even  Phraates  seated  on  the  throne  of  Cyrus,  but  reckons  king  only 
him  who  has  no  lingering  look  for  heaps  of  gold.' 

The  ode  is  addressed  to  C.  Sallustius  Crispus,  the  grandnephew  and 
adopted  son  of  Sallust  the  historian,  whose  great  wealth  he  inherited 
in  36  B.C.  At  first  he  was  a  partisan  of  Antony,  but  later  attached  him- 
self to  Augustus  and  became  his  most  trusted  confidant  next  to  Maece- 
nas ;  like  the  latter  he  was  content  with  equestrian  rank,  enjoying 
in  reality  greater  power  and  position  than  senatorial  dignity  could  have 
brought  him.  The  moderation  in  expenditures  here  attributed  to  him  is 
hardly  consistent  with  the  statement  of  Tacitus,  whose  full  account 
(A tinal.  3,  30)  is  as  follows,  atqite  illc,  quaitiquam  prompt o  adcapessen- 
dos  honor es  aditu,  Maecenatein  aeinitlatus,  sine  dignitate  senator ia  inultos 

165 


2,  2,  i]  HORATI 

trinntphaliitm  constilarimnqtie  potentia  antciit,  diversits  a  veteniin 
institute  per  cultum  et  nninditias  copiaque  et  affluent/a  Ittxu  propior. 
Suberat  tamen  vigor  animi  ingentibus  negotiis  par,  eo  acrior,  quo  sotn- 
num  et  inertiam  magis  ostentabat.  His  generosity  is  celebrated  in  an 
epigram  of  Crinagoras,  Anth.  Pal.  16,  40  yeiroi/cs  ou  Tpwcrai  fiovvov 
Tv^ai  Zirptirov  efvai,  |  Kp«T7re,  fia.O\nr\ovTOv  OT/S  evtKtv  KpaoY^s,  |  oAAa 
Kai  at  TTOIVTWV  Tratrai  •  TI  yap  avBpi  T<xro»8c  |  dpKe'cm  ets  irapwv  /xupiW 
iv^tpotrvvrjv ;  \  vvv  8e  ae  *cut  TOUTGOV  rtpe'cro-wv  eVi  fj.ti£ov  ae^oi  |  Kaiaap  • 
TI'S  Kttvov  xwP^s  "PW*  Tl'X77-  '  Not  three  goddesses  of  Fortune  alone 
should  be  thy  neighbors,  Crispus,  for  thy  rich  and  generous  heart,  but 
rather  every  kind  of  Fortune  in  every  event  should  be  thine.  For  what 
can  be  enough  for  such  a  man  to  reward  his  endless  kindness  toward 
his  friends?  Nay,  now  may  Caesar  who  is  mightier  than  these,  exalt 
thee  still  more ;  what  Fortune  is  pleasing  without  his  favor  ?' 

The  ode  is  an  expansion  on  the  Stoic  paradox,  'the  wise  alone  is 
rich.'  The  date  of  composition  is  probably  fixed  by  17  If.  as  soon 
after  27  B.C.  Metre,  69. 

\J     Nullus  argento  color  est  avaris 
abdito  terris,  inimice  lamnae 
Crispe  Sallusti,  nisi  temperate 
splendeat  usu. 

5  Vivet  extento  Proculeius  aevo, 

notus  in  fratres  animi  paterni ; 

1.  An   imitation   of  the   verse  came  common  in  the  late  republic 
quoted  by  Plutarch  Trepi  8u<ro>7rtas  when  the  praenoinen  was  omitted  ; 
10.  OVK  cor'  ev   avrpoK  AevKos.  w  it  possibly  belonged  to  familiar  ad- 
£ev',    apyvpos.  —  color:    luster. —  dress,  but   Cicero   uses   it  in   his 
avaris  :    the   adjective   describing  speeches  as  well  as  in  his  letters, 
the   greed   of  the    miser   is    here  3  f .    nisi  .    .   .   splendeat :    the 
applied  to  the   earth,  that   hides  protasis  to  inimice  lamnae. 

the  silver  from  the  light.    Intr.  99.  5  f .  extento  aevo :  with  life  pro- 

2.  terris:  abl.     For  the  senti-  longed   beyond  the  grave.     Gen- 
ment,  cf.  S.  i,  i,  41  f.  quid  iwrnt,  erosity     secures     immortality.  — 
inntensuin   te   argenti  pom/in-    et  Proculeius:  the  brother-in-law   of 
aitri  |  furtini    defossa    timiditm  Maecenas  and  one  of  the  closest 
deponere  terra  f  —  lamnae  :    bid-  friends  of  Augustus.     He  divided 
//>'«. — Crispe  Sallusti :  the  inver-  his  property  equally  with  his  two 
sion  of  nomen  and  cognomen  bo-  brothers  Caepio  and  Murena,  who 

166 


CARMINA 


f.2,  2,  2C, 


10 


ilium  aget  penna  metuente  solvi 
fama  superstes. 

Latius  regnes  avidum  domando 
spiritum  quam  si  Libyam  remotis 
Gadibus  iungas  et  uterque  Poenus 
serviat  uni. 

Crescit  indulgens  sibi  dirus  hydrops, 
nee  sitim  pellit,  nisi  causa  morbi 
fugerit  venis  et  aquosus  albo 
corpore  languor. 

Redditum  Cyri  solio  Phraaten 
dissidens  plebi  numero  beatorum 
eximit  Virtus  populumque  falsis 
dedocet  uti 


had  lost  their  wealth  in  the  civil 
wars.  —  animi  paterni :  genitive  of 
specification,  giving  the  reason 
for  his  fame  (notus).  Intr.  93. 

7  f .  metuente  solvi :  i.e.  in- 
dissolnbili ;  '  bear  on  wing  that 
will  not  flag.'  The  idea  of  '  fear- 
ing' in  metuente  has  in  this 
phrase  faded  to  that  of  'shrink- 
ing,1 « hesitating.1  Cf.  3,  u,  10 
met  nit  tangi  =  intacta.  —  super- 
stes :  'ever  surviving'  and  so 
'  immortal.' 

9.  Cf.  Proverbs  16,  32  '  He  that 
ruleth  his  spirit  is  mightier  than  he 
that  taketh  a  city.' 

ii  f.  iungas:  i.e.  as  king  and 
owner.  —  uterque  Poenus  :  expand- 
ing the  previous  phrase.  Horace 
means  the  Carthaginians  of  Africa 
and  of  Spain.  —  uni :  sc.  ttbi. 


13.  indulgens  sibi:  the  means 
by  which  avarice,  like  dropsy, 
grows.  —  hydrops:  the  disease  is 
almost  personified. 

15  f.  fugerit :  be  driven  from  ; 
virtually  the  passive  of  fngare.  — 
aquosus  .  .  .  languor :  -weariness 
caused  by  the  water.  —  albo  :  pallid, 
from  the  disease. 

17.  redditum :  probably  in  27 
B.C.  Cf.  n.  to  i.  26,  5.  Note 
the  emphasis,  '  for  all  his  return.1 

1 8  f.  beatorum:  'the  really 
fortunate  and  rich.'  Note  the 
hypermetric  line.  —  Virtus  :  right 
reasoning,  i.e.  the  opinion  of  the 
wise  and  good  —  the  Stoics  — 
opposed  to  the  estimates  of  the 
vulgar  herd  (dissidens  plebi). 

20.  dedocet:  teaches  the  people 
to  give  up  the  use  of,  etc. 


167 


2,  2,  21]  HORATI 

vocibus,  regnum  et  diadema  tutum 
deferens  uni  propriamque  laurum, 
quisquis  ingentis  oculo  inretorto 
spectat  acervos. 

21  ft.   falsis  .  .  .  vocibus:  'to  went   around   the   Persian   king's 

call  a  man  beatus  simply  because  tiara. 

he  is  rich  or  powerful  is  a  misuse  22.  uni :  to  him  and  hint  alone, 
of  the  term.  Wealth  and  power  who.  —  propriam:  as  his  sure  POS- 
are  the  sure  possession  of  him  session,  repeating  the  idea  ex- 
alone  who  is  not  moved  by  greed.'  pressed  in  tutum. 
Cf.  Sen.  Thy.  389  f.  rex  est,  gut  23  f.  'Whoever  can  look  at 
cupiet  nihil;  \  hoc  regnum  sibi  great  heaps  of  treasure  (and  pass 
quisque-dat. — regnum  .  .  .  defe-  on)  without  one  backward  glance.' 
rens  :  the  method  by  which  -virtus  —  inretorto  :  a  compound  made 
drives  home  her  lesson.  —  dia-  by  Horace  with  the  negative  prefix 
dema  :  properly  the  blue  band  that  in-  and  the  participle  of  retorqueo. 


In  the  preceding  ode  Horace  expanded  a  Stoic  maxim;  in  this  he 
gives  us  a  similar  treatment  of  a  favorite  Epicurean  principle,  'enjoy 
life  while  you  may,  but  never  too  extravagantly,  for  death  is  close  at 
hand.  Neither  riches  nor  family  can  save  us  from  the  common  doom.' 

The  Dellius  addressed  is  undoubtedly  Q.  Dellius,  whom  Messala 
nicknamed  desitltor  bellorum  civilium  because  of  his  frequent  changes 
of  allegiance  during  the  civil  wars.  In  31  B.C.  he  returned  finally  to 
Octavian's  side,  and  later  became  one  of  his  trusted  courtiers.  The 
place  of  the  ode  here  was  determined  both  by  the  similarity  of  its  sub- 
ject with  that  of  2,  and  especially  by  Horace's  desire  to  give  Dellius  a 
place  next  Sallust.  Cf.  intr.  n.  to  2,  i. 

The  date  of  composition  cannot  be  determined,  but  is  clearly  later 
than  the  reconciliation  between  Dellius  and  Octavianus.  Metre,  68. 

*  Aequam  memento  rebus  in  arduis 
servare  mentem,  non  secus  in  bonis 

i    f.      aequam    .    .    .    mentem,      place.     Cf.  Archil.  Frg.   66 
etc.:  'a  calm  and  even  spirit  is  a       VLKW    afJL<f>d&7jv    dyaAAto    | 
defense   against  every  change  of       viKrjOiis  eV  OIKW  KaraTrtalav  oBvpto 
life.'     The  sentiment  is  a  common-      '  Rejoice  not  openly  when  victori 

168 


CARMINA 


[2,  3.  10 


ab  insolent!  temperatam 
laetitia,  moriture  Belli, 

seu  maestus  omni  tempore  vixens, 
seu  te  in  remote  gramine  per  dies 
festos  reclinatum  bearis 
interiore   nota  Falerni. 

Quo  pinus  ingens  albaque  populus 
umbram  hospitalem  consociare  amant 


cms,  nor  when  defeated  lie  down 
and  weep  within  thy  house.1  — 
arduis :  placed  at  the  end  of  the 
verse  to  contrast  with  aequam,  an 
even  mind,  .  .  .  a  steep  and  toil- 
some path.  Intr.  27. —  non  secus 
.  .  .  temperatam :  and  no  less  to 
keep,  etc.  —  in  bonis  :  in  position 
as  well  as  in  thought  contrasted 
with  in  arduis.  Intr.  27. 

3  f .  insolenti :  unwonted,  and  so 
extravagant.  —  moriture  :  equiva- 
lent to  cum  morititrns  sis.  The 
knell  that  gives  the  reason  for  the 
previous  advice.  Intr.  no. 

5  f .  seu  .  .  .  seu :  following  on 
moriture,  not  memento.  With 
the  sentiment  of  the  strophe,  cf. 
an  anonymous  epigram  to  Ana- 
creon  Anth.  Pal.  7.  33  'TroXXa 

TTltoV  TfOvr)KO.<i.  'AvOLKptOV.'       '  dAAa 

Tpve^cras'  I  /cat  o~i>  Se  fjJrj  TTIVWV  f&at 
eis  'AiS^v.1  '  Deep  hast  thou  drunk 
and  art  dead,  Anacreon.1  '  Yet  I 
enjoyed  it.  And  thou,  though 
thou  drink  not  at  all,  wilt  still 
come  to  Hades.'  --in  remoto 
gramine :  on  some  retired  and 
grassy  spot.  Cf.  I,  17,  17  in  rc- 
ducta  valle.  —  per  dies  festos  :  the 


preposition  is  distributive,  —  on 
every  festal  day.  Cf.  2,  14,  \$per 
antumnos. 

8.  interiore  nota  :  -with  an  inner 
brand.  The  wine  after  fermenta- 
tion was  drawn  from  the  dolia  into 
amphorae,  which  then  were  sealed 
with  the  name  of  the  consuls  of 
the  year.  Cf.  3,  21.  I  o  nata 
mecum  consule  Manlio  (sc.  testa) . 
The  sealed  amphorae  were  stowed 
away  in  the  apotheca ;  and  those 
in  the  farthest  part  of  the  store- 
room (hence  interiore)  naturally 
contained  the  oldest  and  best 
wine.  —  Falerni :  cf.  n.  to  i,  27,  9. 

9-12.  After  vv.  6-8  Horace 
dramatically  imagines  that  he  and 
his  friend  are  already  lying  on  the 
grass  with  cups  in  hand,  and  puts 
the  questions  naturally  suggested 
by  the  surroundings,  'Why  do 
these  things  exist  except  for  our 
enjoyment  ? '  —  quo :  ivhy.  —  pinus 
.  .  .  populus :  the  tall  Italian 
pine  with  its  dark  shade  forms  an 
artistic  contrast  to  the  white  pop- 
lar with  its  trembling  leaves.  For 
the  order,  see  Intr.  20.  —  consoci- 
are: to  entwine.  —  amant:  literally, 


169 


4.3.  "1 


IIORATI 


ramis  ?     Quid  obliquo  laborat 
lympha  f ugax  trepidare  rivo  ? 

Hue  vina  et  unguenta  et  nimium  brevis 
flores  amoenae  ferre  in  be  rosae, 
15  dum  res  et  aetas  et  sororum 

fila  trium  patiuntur  atra. 

Cedes  coemptis  saltibus  et  domo 
villaque  flavus  quam  Tiberis  lavit, 

cedes  et  exstructis  in  altum 
2c  divitiis  potietur  heres. 


not  equivalent  to  solent.  —  quid 
oblique,  etc. :  why  does  the  fleeting 
water  fret  its  quiver  ing  way  along 
the  -winding  stream  ?  —  trepidare  : 
for  the  infin.,  see  Intr.  107 ;  for 
the  order,  21. 

13  f.  nimium  brevis,  etc.  : 
'  Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye 
may  ;  |  Old  time  is  still  a  Hying ;  | 
And  this  same  flosver  that  blooms 
to-day,  |  To-morrow  will  be  dy- 
ing.1 With  brevis  cf.  i,  36,  16 
breve  lilinni.  The  adjective  em- 
phasizes the  fleeting  character  of 
life,  expressed  in  the  following 
dum  .  .  .  patiuntur. 

15  f.  res :  fortune,  affairs,  in 
general.  —  aetas:  i.e.  before  old 
age  conies  on  us.  Cf.  i,  9,  17 
donee  virenti  c unities  abest  tnorosa. 
—  sororum :  the  Fates  who  spin  the 
threads  of  life.  Cf.  Lowell  Villa 
Franca, '  Spin,  spin,  Clotho,  spin  ! 
Lachesis  twist  !  and,  Atropos, 
sever!' — atra  :  because  the  cutting 
of  the  thread  brings  death.  Cf.  n. 
to  i.  37,  27  atrnm  venenum. 


17  ff.  cedes . . .  cedes  :  thou  shall 
give  up...,  aye,  give  up.  Intr.  28c. 
'All  thy  riches  cannot  save  thee.' 
—  saltibus :  upland  pastures,  in  the 
mountain  valleys  between  the  hills, 
valuable  for  grazing.  Cf.  Epist. 
2.  2,  177  ff.  quidve  Calabris  \  salti- 
bus adiecti  Lucani  (sc.  prosunf),  si 
inetit  Orcus  \  grandia  cum  par-vis, 
non  exorabilis  auro? — domo  villa- 
que :  the  city  residence  and  country 
seat  alike. 

19  f .  The  dreaded  specter  of  the 
heir  who  enters  into  the  fruits  of 
his  predecessor's  labors  is  common 
enough  in  Horace's  moralizing.  Cf. 
2,  14,  25;  3,  24,  62;  4,  7,  19.  So 
Ecclesiastes,2,  19 'And  who  know- 
eth  whether  he  shall  be  a  wise 
man  or  a  fool  ?  yet  shall  he  have 
rule  over  all  my  labour  wherein  1 
have  laboured,  and  wherein  I  have 
shewed  wisdom  under  the  sun.' 
Ecclesiasticus  14,  4  '  He  that  gath- 
ereth  by  defrauding  his  own  soul 
gathereth  for  others,  that  shall 
spend  his  goods  riotously.' 
170 


t 'A  KM  IN  A 


[2-4 


Divesne  prisco  natus  ab  Inacho 
nil  interest  an  pauper  et  infima 
de  gente  sub  divo  moreris, 
victima  nil  miserantis  Orci. 

Omnes  eodem  cogimur,  omnium 
versatur  urna  serins  ocius 

sors  exitura  et  nos  in  aeternu'm 
exsilium  impositura  cumbae. 


21  f.  divesne,  etc.:  predicate  with 
natus  and  dependent  on  nihil  in- 
terest ;  the  verb  is  supplied  by  mo- 
reris below.  —  Inacho:  Inachus, the 
mythical  king  pf  Argos,  typical  of 
antiquity.  Cf.  3,  19,  i.  'An  an- 
cient noble  line  is  of  no  more  avail 
than  a  poor  and  humble  one.' 

23  f .  sub  divo  :  beneath  the  light 
of  day,  'under  the  canopy.'  Cf.  i, 
i,  25  sub  love-  —  moreris :  '  this  life 
is  but  an  inn,  no  home.'  Cf.  Cic. 
C.M.  84  commorandi  enim  natnra 
devorsorium  nobis,  non  habit andi 
dedit.  —  victima,  etc. :  grammati- 
cally in  apposition  to  the  subject 
of  moreris  ;  but  from  its  position 
at  the  end  of  the  strophe  it  ac- 
quires an  effective  emphasis  — for 
none  the  less  (ho it  art,  etc. 

25  f.  omnes  .  .  . ,  omnium  :  Intr. 


28  c. — cogimur:  the  souls  of  the 
dead  are  driven  by  Mercury  like 
cattle.  Cf.  i,  24,  1 8  nigro  compu- 
ler  it  Mercurius  gregi.  —  versatur 
urna:  in  ancient  determinations  by 
lot  small  billets  of  wood  or  pebbles 
(sortes),  each  of  which  had  a  name 
written  on  it,  were  cast  into  a  jar. 
This  was  then  shaken  until  one  of 
the  lots  leaped  out.  —  serius  ocius  : 
sooner  or  later :  in  such  combina- 
tions, asyndeton  is  common. 

27  f.  aeternum  :  with  this  hyper- 
metric  verse,  cf.  2,  2,  18.  — exil- 
ium :  'death  is  an  exile  from  the 
joys  of  life ;  thence  no  man  re- 
turns.'—  cumbae:  Charon's  boat. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  ys^ferruginea  sub- 
•vectat  corpora  cuinba,  and  Prop.  4, 
1 8,  24  scandendast  torvi  publica 
cuinba  senis. 


Horace  teases  one  of  his  friends  who  has  fallen  in  love  with  a  maid- 
servant, and  in  mock-heroic  style  brings  his  victim  precedents  from  the 
age  of  heroes.  'Achilles,  Ajax,  and  even  mighty  Agamemnon  have 
been  smitten  with  captive  hand-maidens  before  you.  Be  sure  that  your 
flame,  like  theirs,  is  the  child  of  royal  parents  ;  she  must  be  noble,  she  is  so 
true.  What,  jealous  !  Bless  you,  I'm  too  old  to  play  the  part  of  rival. 

171 


2,  4,   I] 


HORATI 


Who  Horace's  friend  was  is  quite  unknown.  The  name  Xanthias 
of  Phocis  is  an  invention,  like  '  Cnidius  Gyges '  in  v.  20  of  the  follow- 
ing ode.  The  date  of  composition  is  fixed  by  v.  23  f.  as  about  25  B.C. 
Metre,  69. 

Ne  sit  ancillae  tibi  amor  pudori, 

Xanthia  Phoceu,  prius  insolentem 
serva  Briseis  niveo  colore 
movit  Achillem, 

5  movit  Aiacem  Telamone  natum 

forma  captivae  dominum  Tecmessae ; 
arsit  Atrides  medio  in  triumpho 
virgine  rapta, 

barbarae  postquam  cecidere  turmae 
10  Thessalo  victore  et  ademptus  Hector 


i  ff.  ne  sit  :  a  negative  purpose 
clause,  depending  on  the  following 
illustrations.  Cf.  I,  33,  I  ff.  ;  4,  9, 
i  .  We  may  translate,  You  need 
not  be  ashamed  .  .  .,  for  Briseis, 
etc.  —  ancillae  :  objective  geni- 
tive with  amor.  —  prius:  used  ad- 
verbially, belonging  to  all  three 
examples;  'you  are  not  the  first.' 
—  insolentem  :  for  all  his  haughti- 
ness. Cf.  Horace's  directions  for 
the  portrayal  of  Achilles,  Epist.  2, 
3,  1  20  ff.  scriptor  si  forte  reponis 
Achillem,  \  impiger,  iraciindtis, 
inexorabilis,  acer  \  iura  neget  sibi 
H  at  a,  nihil  non  arroget  arm  is.  — 
niveo  colore:  instrumental  abl.  with 
movit.  So  Helen's  fair  beauty  was 
described  by  the  Alexandrians, 


4ff.  movit  .  .  .  movit  .  .  .  arsit  : 
1  ntr.  28  c.  —  Telamone  natum  :  the 
Homeric 


forma :  connect  with  Tecmessae. 
—  captivae  dominum:  the  contrast 
is  emphasized  by  the  juxtaposi- 
tion. Intr.  26. — Tecmessae:  for 
the  quantity,  cf.  Intr.  34. 

8.  virgine  rapta :  Cassandra,  who 
was  torn  from  the  altar  of  Athena 
by  Ajax  Oileus  ;  in  the  division  of 
the  spoils  after  the  capture  of  Troy 
she  fell  to  Agamemnon's  share. 

9-12.  The  strophe  fixes  the  time 
and  gives  the  details  of  the  triumph 
in  the  midst  of  which  the  victor  was 
humbled  by  love  for  his  captive. — 
barbarae  :  i.e.  Phrygiae,  a  term  fre- 
quently used  by  the  Latin  poets  in 
imitation  of  the  Greek. — cecidere 
.  .  .  Thessalo  victore :  i.e.  when 
Achilles  returned  to  the  battle  after 
1'atroclus'  death,  and  drove  the 
Trojans  in  flight  before  him.— 
ademptus  Hector:  the  lots  of  Hec- 
tor. Cf.  i,  3.  29  and  n. 


172 


' 


CARM1XA 


[2,  4,  24 


20 


tradidit  fessis  leviora  tolli 
Pergama  Grais. 

Nescias  an  te  generum  beati 
Phyllidis  flavae  decorent  parentes; 
regium  certe  genus  et  penatis 
maeret  iniquos. 

Crede  non  illam  tibi  de  scelesta 
plebe  dilectam,  neque  sic  fidelem, 
sic  lucro  aversam  potuisse  nasci 
matre  pudenda. 

Bracchia  et  voltum  teretisque  suras 
integer  laudo  :  fuge  suspicari 
cuius  octavum  trepidavit  aetas 
claudere  lustrum. 


ii.  fessis :  i.e.  with  the  ten  years1 
war.  —  leviora  tolli :  an  easier  prey. 
Intr.  108.  Horace  seems  to  have 
had  in  mind  //.  24,  243  f.  prftrtpoi 
yap  fjuiXXov  ' A^atoLffiv  817  tafcrOf. 
Kftvov  T£0VT/u>Tos  fvaipffjifv. 

13  f.  nescias:  potential, you  can- 
not tell,  it  may  well  be  that.  — 
generum  :  in  bantering  tone,  •  you 
really  will  marry  her.'  —  beati:  cf. 
n.  to  2,  2,  18. — flavae  :  a  point  of 
beauty.  Cf.  I.  5,  4.  —  decorent:  in 
contrast  to  the  ne  .  .  .  sit  amor  pu- 
dori  with  which  the  ode  opens. 

15.  regium  certe  genus :  in  the 
same  construction  as  Penatis  ini- 
quos :  the  nnkindnessof  her  Penates. 
'  Phyllis  will  prove  to  be  of  no  less 
royal  birth  than  Briseis,  Tecmessa, 
and  Cassandra.1 


17  ff.  Another  proof  of  noble 
lineage.  —  scelesta  plebe:  the  vol- 
gus  infidum,  on  whom  doubtless 
Xanthias  looked  with  scorn. — sic 
...  sic :  in  mocking  irony,  as  she 
is.  —  lucro  aversam :  likewise  in 
mockery,  for  Phyllis'  class  was 
noted  for  its  greed. 

21  f.  teretis,  shapely.  —  integer : 
heart-whole*  as  3,  7,  22  (Gyges) 
adhuc  integer.  —  fuge  suspicari : 
Intr.  104. 

23  f .  trepidavit :  a  favorite  word 
with  Horace.  Cf.  its  use,  2,  3,  12. 
1 1 ,  4 :  4,  1 1 ,  1 1 .  His  life  has  hur- 
ried to  the  verge  of  forty  years. 
Horace  says  this  almost  with  a 
sigh, '  I  am  too  old,  or  faith.  I  would 
have  been  your  rival.1  —  claudere: 
Intr.  107. 


173 


2,  s,  i] 


HORATI 


'  Lalage  is  too  young  to  bear'the  yoke  of  love.  Wait  a  bit,  and  she 
will  follow  you  and  outshine  your  former  loves.' 

The  comparison  of  the  young  Lalage  to  the  heifer  and  the  unripe 
grape,  as  well  as  the  bluntness  of  expression,  did  not  offend  the  ancient 
as  it  does  the  modern  taste.  The  ode  lacks  the  unity  of  the  better 
lyrics,  for  the  last  strophe  distracts  our  attention  from  the  central  object. 
There  is  no  hint  of  the  date  of  composition.  Metre,  68. 

Nondum  subacta  ferre  iugum  valet 
cervice,  nondum  munia  comparis 
aequare,  nee  tauri  ruentis 
in  venerem  tolerare  pondus. 

j  Circa  virentis  est  animus  tuae 

campos  iuvencae,  nunc  fluviis  gravem 
solantis  aestum,  nunc  in  udo 
ludere  cum  vitulis  salicto 


10 


praegestientis.     Tolle  cupidinem 
immitis  uvae  ;  iam  tibi  lividos 


if.  The  figure  is  as  old  as  Homer, 


girl  ;  so  Sa/iuAt?  and  Tropris  in  la- 
ter  writers.  —  valet:  the  indefinite 
subject  is  to  be  supplied  from  the 
context,  either  puella,  iuvenca,  or 
Lalage.  —  munia:  continuing  the 
figure  of  the  first  line,  —  'to  do  her 
part  in  dragging  the  plow.1 

5.  circa  ...  est  :  is  busy  with; 
an  extension  of  the  local  use,  first 
found  in  Horace  ;  evidently  in  imi- 
tation  of  the  Greek  emu  irf.pt  TI. 

6f  .  nunc  .  .  .  nunc  :  now  .  .  .  again. 
—  fluviis  :  instrumental  abl.  with 
solantis. 


jf.  udo  .  .  .  salicto:  i.e.  which 
grows  on  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

9  f.  praegestientis  :  a  doubly  em- 
phatic  compound,  in  place  of  the 
simple  gestio,  expressing  eager  de- 
sire.  Lalage's  only  thought  is  to 
gambol  with  her  mates.  —  cupidi- 
nem  .  .  .  uvae:  the  figure  of  the 
heifer  is  abandoned  for  that  of  the 
unripe  grape,  made  familiar  by 
Alexandrian  poetry.  Ci.Antk,Pal. 
5,  19,  3f.  to;  /LU/T*  ofj.<jxi£  /HT/T'  nun-ci- 
<£is •  17  Sc  7r«7r«po<;  ]  €?  Ku7rpi8o<» 
^oXa/iois  wpui  KaAAocrvn^.  '  May 
she  be  neither  a  green  nor  an  over- 
ripe  grape  ;  but  let  her  beauty  be 


CARMINA  t2*  5'  24 

distinguet  autumn  us  racemos 
purpureo  varius  colore. 

lam  te  sequetur ;  currit  enim  ferox 
aetas,  et  illi  quos  tibi  dempserit 
15  adponet  annos  ;  iam  proterva 

fronte  petet  Lalage  maritum, 

dilecta  quantum  non  Pholoe  fugax, 
non  Chloris,  albo  sic  umero  nitens 

ut  pura  nocturne  renidet 
20  luna  mari,  Cnidiusve  Gyges, 

quern  si  puellarum  insereres  choro, 
mire  sagacis  falleret  hospites 
discrimen  obscurum  solutis 
crinibus  ambiguoque  voltu. 

ready,  full  grown  for  Cypris'  bow-  the  comparisons  that  occupy  the 

ers.'  —  iam:  presently.  first  three  strophes. 

12.  purpureo . . .  colore :  the  color  17  ff.  '  Then  when  she  comes  of 

of  the  ripening,  not  the  ripe,  grape.  her  own  accord,  she  will  be  dearer 

Cf.  Ovid.  Met.  3,  484  f.  ///  variis  than  any  of  thy  former  loves.'— 

solet  m>a  racetnis  \  ducere  purpit-  fugax :  coquettish. 
reit»i,  nondum  malura,  color  em. —  19.  pura:  unclouded. 

varius  :  many-colored,  with  almost  21  f.  si ...  insereres :  as  Achilles 

active  meaning.  was  concealed  by  his  mother  among 

13!  sequetur:  sc.  Lalage.  —  fe-  the  daughters  of  Lycomedes,  king 

rox  aetas  :  not  Lalage's  youth,  but  of  Scyros.  that  he  might  not  go  to 

time  in  general,  that  unrelentingly  Troy.      Cf.  n.  to  i,  8.  13.  —  mire: 

hurrieson. — tibi  dempserit,  etc. :  as  with    falleret.  —  hospites:    stran- 

if  time  took  from  the  lover's  years,  gers ;  with  reference  to  Ulysses  and 

of  which  too  many  already  have  Diomedes,  who  came  in  disguise  to 

gone,toaddtothechild'sSmallsum.  Lycomedes'  court  that  they  might 

15 f.  proterva  fronte:    half  re-  find  Achilles. 

turning  to  the  figure  of  the  heifer.  24.  crinibus  .  .  .  voltu :  ablative 

Lalage :    the  name  is  reserved  to  of  means  with  obscurum,  which  is 

this  point  to  avoid  conflict  with  equivalent  to  obscmratunt. 

'75 


' 


2,  6,  I]  HORATI 


Addressed  to  the  poet's  devoted  friend  Septimius,  probably  the  same 
whotn  he  commends  to  Tiberius,  Epist.  i,  9;  he  is  also  named  in  a 
letter  by  Augustus  to  Horace,  of  which  a  fragment  has  been  preserved 
by  Suetonius  in  his  life  of  Horace  (p.  297  R.).  A  melancholy  strain 
runs  through  the  ode  :  the  poet  is  filled  with  thoughts  of  his  old  age  and 
prays  that  Tivoli,  or  if  that  spot  be  refused,  beautiful  Tarentum,  may  be 
the  home  of  his  last  years.  There  Septimius  shall  shed  a  tear  over  the 
ashes  of  his  friend. 

The  exact  date  of  composition  cannot  be  determined,  but  it  has  been 
conjectured  with  good  reason  that  the  ode  was  written  during  an  illness, 
or  when  Horace  was  oppressed  with  fears  of  early  death ;  it  was  cer- 
tainly at  a  time  when  he  felt  his  position  established  so  that  he  could 
speak  of  himself  as  '  votes,"1  i.e.  it  was  after  the  publication  of  the  epodes. 
Possibly  the  reference  in  v.  2  may  fix  the  date  as  between  27  and  25 
B.C.  See  n.  below.  Metre,  69. 

Septimi,  Gadis  aditure  mecum  et 
Cantabrum  indoctum  iuga  ferre  nostra  et 
barbaras  Syrtis,  ubi  Maura  semper 
aestuat  unda : 

5  Tibur  Argeo  positum  colono 

sit  meae  sedes  utinam  senectae, 

1.  Gadis:    the  modern  Cadiz;  Augustus    conducted     campaigns 
'to  the  limits  of  the  world.'     Cf.  against  them  in  person  in  27-25 
2,     2,     n     remotis     Gadibus.  —  B.C.,   but   they   were    not    finally 
aditure:    who  ivouldst  go.     Intr.  subjugated  until    19   B.C.     Cf.  3, 
no.     So  Catullus  says  ironically  8,  22   Cantaber  sera  domitus  ca- 
ll, i  f.  Furi  et   Aureli,   comites  tena,  and  4,  14,  41    Cantaber  non 
Cat '» Hi,  |  sivein  extremos  penetra-  ante  dotnabilis. 

bit  Indos,  etc.  3.   barbaras   Syrtis :   so   called 

2.  iuga   ferre:    dependent    on  alike  from  their  situation  and  cruel 
indoctum.     This  figure  taken  from  nature.     Cf.   I,   22,   5  per  Syrtis 
the  breaking  of  cattle  is  a  poeti-  .  .  .  aestuosas  and  Verg.  A.  4,  41 
cal  commonplace.     The  Cantabri  inhospita  Syrtis. 

were  a  fierce  people  in  northwest-  5.    Tibur :  for    Horace's    affec- 

ern    Spain   who    successfully    re-      tion  for  Tivoli,  cf.   i.  7,  1-21.  — 
sisted  the  Romans  for  many  years.      Argeo  positum,  etc. :  i.e.  Tiburtus. 

.76 


CARMINA 


6,  14 


sit  modus  lasso  maris  et  viarum 
militiaeque. 

Vnde  si  Parcae  prohibent  iniquae, 
dulce  pellitis  ovibus  Galaesi 
flumen  et  regnata  petam  Laconi 
rura  Phalantho. 

Ille  terrarum  mihi  praeter  omnis 
angulus  ridet,  ubi  non  Hymetto 


who  with  his  brothers  came  from 
Greece  and  founded  Tiber.  Cf. 
n.  to  I,  7,  13. — qolono:  dat.  of 
agent. 

6ff.  Cf.  Mart.  4,  25,  7  voseritis 
nostrae  requies  portusque  senec- 
tae.  —  sit  .  .  .  sit :  Intr.  29.— 
utinam  :  for  the  position,  see  Intr. 
31.  —  modus  :  bound.  Cf.  Avien. 
orb.  terr.  100  H.  hie  modus  est 
orbis  Gadir.  —  lasso  :  sc.  mihi.  — 
maris  et  viarum:  cf.  Epist.  I,  u, 
6  odio  maris  atque  •viarum ;  the 
phrase  was  adopted  by  Tacitus 
Ann.  2,  14  si  taedio  viarum  ac 
maris  finem  cnpiant. 

g  S.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  7,  44  f.  par- 
vim  parva  decent :  mihi  iam  non 
regia  Roma,  \  sed  vacuum  Tibnr 
placet  aut  inbelle  Tarentum.  — 
prohibent :  sc.  me.  —  iniquae  :  '  re- 
fusing their  favor.' 

10.  pellitis  ovibus :  the  sheep 
bred  in  the  valley  of  the  Galaesus 
near  Tarentum  had  such  fine 
fleeces  that  they  were  protected 
by  skin  blankets,  according  to 
Varro  R.  R.  2,  2.  The  river  val- 
ley seems  to  have  had  an  especial 

HOR.  CAR.  — 12  177 


charm.  It  is  praised  by  Archilo- 
chus  Frg.  2 1  ou  yap  n  KuAos  ^u»pos 
ovS'  e<£i/xe/3os  |  ov8'  epuTos,  otos 
afji<f>i  2t/oios  poas.  'For  no  spot 
is  fair  or  charming  or  lovely,  as  is 
that  by  Siris'  streams.' 

ii  f.  regnata  .  .  .  rura  Pha- 
lantho :  tradition  said  that  Taren- 
tum was  founded  by  Phalanthus, 
who  led  hither  a  band  of  Lace- 
daemonian youth  after  the  second 
Messenian  war.  —  Phalantho:  dat. 
of  agent.  Intr.  87. 

13  f.  angulus :  nook,  corner,  a 
snug  retreat  for  his  old  age.  Cf. 
Epist.  I,  14,  23  angulus  iste  feret 
piper,  of  Horace's  own  farm,  and 
Prop.  5,  9, 65  f.  angulus  hie  nnindi 
.  .  .  me  .  .  .  accipit.  —  ridet :  has 
a  charm  for.  For  the  quantity, 
see  Intr.  35.  —  Hymetto:  equiva- 
lent to  melli  Hymettio.  The 
honey  of  Mt.  Hymettus  was 
famous  for  its  white  color  and  its 
sweetness.  With  this  use  of  the 
name  of  the  place  for  the  local 
product,  cf.  Venafro  v.  16,  Aulon  v. 
1 8,  and  2,  14.  28  mero  .  .  .  pontiji- 
cum  potiore  cents. 


2,  6,  I5] 


HORATl 


'5 


20 


mella  decedunt  viridique  certat 
baca  Venafro  ; 

ver  ubi  longum  tepidasque  praebet 
luppiteV  brumas  et  amicus  Aulon 
fertili  Baccho  minimum  Falernis 
invidet  uvis. 

Ille  te  mecum  locus  et  beatae 
postulant  arces,  ibi  tu  calentem 
debita  sparges  lacrima  favillam 
vatis  amici. 


15  f.  decedunt :  yield  to.  —  baca 
i.e.  the  olive.  —  Venafro  :  Vena- 
frum,  in  Campania  near  Minturnae, 
was  famed  for  its  olives. 

17  ff.  Ausonius  four  centuries 
later  praises  his  native  Burdigala 
in  the  same  terms  ord.  urb.  nobil. 
20,  9  f.  ubi  .  .  .  ver  longum  bru- 
maeque  novo  cum  sole  tepentes.  — 
Aulon  :  it  is  disputed  whether  this 
was  a  mountain  or  a  valley  near 
Tarentum,  but  in  all  probability 
it  was  a  mountain  side  suited  for 
sheep  grazing  and  the  production 
of  grapes.  Cf.  Martial's  descrip- 
tion 13,  125  nobilis  et  lanis  et  felix 
vitibus  Aulon  \  det  pretiosa  tibi 
vellera,  virta  mihi. 

19.  Baccho:  dative  with  amicus. 
—  Falernis:  cf.  n.  to  I,  27.  9. 

21  ff.  te  mecum  .  .  .  postulant : 
invite,  returning  to  the  sentiment 
of  the  first  strophe.  - —  beatae  : 
because  of  their  mild  climate 
and  productiveness.  —  ibi  tu  .  .  . 
sparges:  the  future  is  half  pro- 


phetic and  half  appealing.  Horace 
will  die  first,  he  cannot  bear  to 
lose  his  friend.  Cf.  the  appeal 
Anth.  Pal.  2,  p.  855].  fj.ifj.vto  KTJV 

£(1WHS    ffJitOtV    KOL    TTO\\aKL    TV/Jiftw 


aTroi\o/j.€vrj.  '  I  pray  thee  remem- 
ber me  even  among  the  living, 
and  let  fall  ofttimes  from  thine 
eyelids  tears  on  my  grave  as  thou 
turnest  away.' 

—  calentem  .  .  .  favillam:  when 
the  ashes  of  the  dead  were  gath- 
ered from  the  pyre  and  placed 
in  the  funeral  urn,  wine  and  per- 
fume were  regularly  sprinkled  over 
them,  but  Horace  asks  Septimius 
for  the  tribute  of  the  tear  due  their 
friendship.  —  vatis  amici  :  effec- 
tively placed  at  the  end,  the  last 
word  emphasizing  the  relation- 
ship between  them.  Cf..  however, 
4,  6.  44  vatis  Mural  i.  where  Horace 
reserves  the  mention  of  his  name 
to  the  end  for  other  reasons.  See 
n.  on  the  passage. 


178 


CAKM1NA 


A  welcome  home  to  Pompeius,  Horace's  old  companion  in  arms. 

'  Who  has  restored  thee  to  thy  home.  Pompeius  mine,  with  whom  I 
once  endured  the  dangers  of  the  field  and  shared  the  joys  of  revelry 
(1-8)?  The  hurry  of  Philippics  rout  we  knew  together.  Yes,  I  ran 
away  and  saved  myself — thanks  be  to  Mercury.  But  thee  war's  tide 
swept  off  upon  the  sea  of  further  trouble  (9-16).  Come  then,  make 
sacrifice  and  drain  full  cups  of  wine  saved  up  against  thy  coming. 
Away  with  all  restraint,  for  thou  art  home  again  (17-28)!' 

We  know  nothing  more  of  Pompeius  than  the  ode  tells  us.  Appar- 
ently Horace  had  not  seen  his  friend  from  the  year  of  Philippi  (42  B.C.) 
to  the  time  at  which  the  ode  was  written  ;  this  was  most  probably  29 
K.C.,  when  Augustus'  mild  policy  allowed  those  who  had  taken  arms 
against  him  to  return  to  Italy  in  safety.  Metre,  68. 

O  saepe  mecum  tempus  in  ultimum 
deducte  Bruto  militiae  duce, 
quis  te  redonavit  Quiritem 
dis  patriis  Italoque  caelo, 

5  Pompei,  meorum  prime  sodalium, 

cum  quo  morantem  saepe  diem  mero 
fregi  coronatus  nitentis 
malobathro  Syrio  capillos  ? 

i.   saepe:    possibly  somewhat  Quiritem:  i.e.   a  citizen,  with  no 

of  an    exaggeration    for  the   two  loss  of  civic  rights, 

years   preceding  Philippi.  —  tern-  5  ff.    Pompei :   dissyllabic,  Intr. 

pus  in  ultimum :  i.e.  into  extremest  38.  —  prime:   in    point    of    time, 

peril.     So  Catullus,  64,   151,  and  earliest.  —  morantem    .    .    .    diem 

169,  uses  tempus  supremum,  tetii-  .  .  .  fregi:  cf.  Tennyson  /;/  Mem. 

pus  extremum.  79  '  And  break  the  livelong  sum- 

2  f .    deducte  .  .  .  duce :  a  play  mer  day  |  With    banquet   in    the 

on  words  similar  to  that  in  v.  7  distant    woods.'  —  coronatus  :     a 

fregi  and  v.  1 1  fracta.  —  redonavit:  middle    participle.       Intr.    84.— 

found  only  here  and  3,  3,  33,  where  malobathro  Syrio :    connect   with 

the   sense  is  different.     Stronger  nitentis.       malobathrum     is     the 

than     the     common     reddere.—  Latinized     form    of    the     Indian 

179 


2,  7.  9] 


HOKATI 


10 


Tecum  Philippos  et  celerem  fugam 
sensi,  relicta  non  bene  parmula, 
cum  fracta  virtus  et  minaces 
turpe  solum  tetigere  mento. 

Sed  me  per  hostis  Mercurius  celer 
denso  paventem  sustulit  acre ; 
te  rursus  in  bellum  resorbens 
unda  fretis  tulit  aestuosis. 


'  tamalapattram,'  the  leaf  of  the 
'tamela'  tree,  identified  with  the 
fragrant  laurel.  Here  of  course 
the  oil  prepared  from  the  leaf. 
The  adjective  Syrius  was  applied 
in  general  to  all  oriental  goods,  for 
which  Antioch  was  the  empo- 
rium. 

9  f.  tecum  :  emphatic.  Cf.  me 
13,  tei5-  —  relicta  .  .  .  parmula: 
no  doubt  Horace  ran  away  with 
the  others  at  Philippi,  but  only 
blind  pedantry  could  take  these 
words  literally.  If  Horace  had 
been  very  earnest  he  would  not 
have  used  the  diminutive  parmula  ; 
he  was  '  reconstructed  '  and  recon- 
ciled so  that  he  was  ready  to  joke 
at  his  own  expense  after  the  model 
of  Arch  i  loch  us  Frg.  6  do-Tri'St  /tev 
2aiwv  TIS  dyaAAtTot,  rfv  irapa. 
6d.fj.v<a  |  tiro?  a.fj.<i>fjir)Tov  KaAAiTroi/ 
OVK  e#e'A.cjv  |  auros  8'  f£t<f>\<yov 
Oa.vd.Tov  TtXos  •  d<nris  tKeivr)  |  tp- 

pfTQ)   •      C^aVTl?    KTrj(TOfMU  OV  KaKld). 

'Some  Saian  glories  in  my  shield 
which  quite  against  my  will  I  left 
beside  a  bush  —  a  good  shield  too 
it  was.  Still  I  escaped  death's  end. 


The  shield  may  go ;  some  other 
day  I'll  get  one  just  as  good.1 

ii  f.  minaces:  for  all  their 
threats.  —  turpe  :  the  character  of 
their  action  —  we  might  expect  tur- 
piter  tetigere  —  is  transferred  to 
the  dust.  Intr.  99.  —  solum  teti- 
gere mento:  in  mock  heroic  imi- 
tation of  the  Homeric  phrase,  //. 
2,  418  TTp^vees  ev  Kovtrja-tv  o8o£ 
Aa£otaro  ytuav. 

13  f.  Horace  was  saved  too 
like  the  Homeric  heroes.  Cf.  //.  3, 
380  f.  TOV  8'  e£r)p7ra£'  'A<f>pooirr)  | 
pe?a  /taA.'  d>s  re  0eos,  tKaA.ui/'e  8' 
ap'  rfipi  iroXXfj.  —  Mercurius  :  the 
guardian  of  poets.  Cf.  2, 1 7, 29  viri 
Mercuriales  and  n.  —  paventem: 
another  hit  at  himself  as  imbellis. 

15  f .  te :  emphatic  contrast 
with  me  v.  13.  —  rursus  in  bellum  : 
connect  with  both  resorbens  and 
tulit.  The  figure  is  that  of  the 
retreating  billow  that  sweeps  its 
victim  out  to  sea.  Horace  says 
of  his  own  entrance  into  war, 
Epist.  2,  2,  47  civilisque  rudem 
belli  tulit  aestus  in  arma.  — 
fretis:  abl.,  with  its  boiling  flood. 


1 80 


CARMINA 


[2,  7.  28 


Ergo  obligatam  redde  lovi  dapem, 
longaque  fessum  militia  latus 
depone  sub  lauru  mea,  nee 
parce  cadis  tibi  destinatis. 

Oblivioso  levia  Massico 
ciboria  exple,  funde  capacibus 
unguenta  de  conchis.     Quis  udo 
deproperare  apio  coronas 

curatve  rnyrto  ?     Quern  Venus  arbitrum 
dicet  bibendi  ?     Non  ego  sanius 
bacchabor  Edonis ;  recepto 
dulce  mihi  furere  est  amico. 


17.  'Enough  of  these  reflec- 
tions on  the  past.  You  are  safe 
back  once  more,  so  then  (ergo) 
we'll  turn  to  revelry.'  Horace  is 
unwilling  to  awaken  in  his  friend 
bitter  memories  of  events  during 
his  long  absence  from  Italy.  — 
obligatam :  i.e.  the  offering  you 
vowed  for  your  safe  return ;  a 
technical  word  for  obligations  in- 
curred by  vows  to  the  gods. 

1 8  f.  longa  .  .  .  militia :  44- 
29  B.C.  See  the  introductory  note 
above.  —  latus  :  self.  —  lauru  mea  : 
the  scene  of  the  welcome  is  Hor- 
ace's own  farm. 

21  f .  oblivioso  :  that  brings  for- 
getfulness.  Alcaeus'  olvov  Xa$L- 
Ka&sa..  —  ciboria  :  cups  made  in 
imitation  of  the  pods  of  the  Egyp- 
tian bean.  In  the  use  of  this  for- 
eign word  some  imagine  that  there 
is  a  reference  to  Pompeius'  ser- 
vice with  Antony  in  Egypt.  — 


exple  :  fill  to  the  brim.  —  capaci- 
bus :  'abundance  shall  prevail.' 

23  f .  quis,  etc. :  hurried  ques- 
tions that  dramatically  take  us 
into  the  midst  of  the  preparations. 
—  deproperare  :  have  prepared 
•with  all  speed;  the  compound  with 
de-  is  intensive  as  i,  18,  yrixa 
.  .  .  debellata,  2,  i,  35  decolor a- 
vere  caedes.  —  apio :  the  fragrant 
parsley  was  regularly  used  in  chap- 
lets.  Cf.  Verg.  E.  6,  68  floribus 
atque  apio  crinis  ornatiis  ainaro. 

25  f.  Venus  :  i.e.  the  tact  us  Vene- 
n's,  the  best  throw  at  dice  in  which 
each  of  the  four  tali  fell  on  differ- 
ent sides.  —  arbitrum  ...  bi- 
bendi :  i.e.  to  preside  over  the  drink- 
ing bout.  Cf.  i.  4,  1 8  nee  regna 
inni  sortiere  talis  and  the  note. 

27  f.  Edonis  :  Thracians,  noto- 
rious for  their  heavy  drinking  and 
riotous  bouts.  Cf.  i,  27,  if.— 
furere :  cf.  3,  19,  18  insanire  iuvat. 


181 


2, 8,  I]  •  HORATI 

8 

To  Barine,  a  heartless  coquette.  'All  thy  false  oaths  go  unpun 
ished,  else  I  would  believe  thee.  But  with  all  thy  perjuries  thou 
growest  still  more  beautiful,  and  the  gods  of  love  laugh  in  favor 
toward  thee  (1-16).  The  number  of  thy  suitors  grows  from  day  to 
day  (i  7-24). ' 

Horace  must  not  be  taken  here  too  seriously.  For  the  depth  of  his 
love  poems,  see  Intr.  13.  There  is  no  hint  of  the  date  of  composition. 
Metre,  69. 

Vila  si  iuris  tibi  peierati 

poena,  Barine,  nocuisset  umquam, 
dente  si  nigro  fieres  vel  uno 

turpior  ungui, 

5  crederem  ;  sed  tu  simul  obligasti 

perfidum  votis  caput,  enitescis 
pulchrior  multo,  iuvenumque  prodis 

publica  cura. 

Expedit  matris  cineres  opertos 
10  fallere  ct  toto  taciturna  noctis 

i.  iuris  .  .  .  peierati:  formed  the  punishments  she  has  invoked 

after  the  analogy  of  ins  inrandum ;  on  herself  if  she  forswear.  —  eni- 

equivalent  to  peiurii.  tescis :  i.e.  thy  beauty  is  not  climin- 

3  f .  dente  .  .  .  ungui :  both  ished  (cf.  vv.  2-4),  but  becomes 

ablatives  of  degree  with  turpior.  all  the  more  brilliant. 

—  si  fieres  :  generalizing,  if  ever.  7  f.   prodis:  contest  forth,  with 

—  nigro  .  .  .  uno  :  with  both  nouns.  thy  admirers  about  thee.  — cura  : 
For  the  arrangement  of  words  see  technically  used  of  the  object  of 
Intr.  21.     The  ancients  believed  one's   love.     Cf.    Prop.    3,  25,    i 
that     perjury    was    punished    by  unica  nata  meo  pulcherrima  cura 
bodily  blemish;   and  the  Greeks  dolori,  and  Verg.  E.  10,22 tua cura 
had  the  same  superstition  which  is  Lycoris.      Pindar/'.    10,  92  says 
current  with  us,  that  white  spots  of  Hippocleas    ve'euo-iV   rt   -jrapBi- 
on  the  nails  are  caused  by  lying.  vouri  /leAr/pz. 

5   f.    simul:    cf.  n.  to  1.4.  17.  9-   expedit:    sc.    te.      'So   far 

—  obligasti:    for    this     technical  from  perjury  harming  you,  you  ac- 
\vord,  see  n.  to  2.  7.  17.—  votis:  tually  profit  by  it.'  —  matris  fal- 
dative,  equivalent  to  devotionibus,  lere,  etc. :  to  swear  falsely  t>y.  etc 

182 


CAKM1NA 


[2,  8,  20 


signa  cum  caelo  gelidaque  divos 
morte  carentis. 

Ridet  hoc,  inquam,  Venus  ipsa,  rident 
simplices  Nymphae  ferus  et  Cupido, 
semper  ardentis  acuens  sagittas 
cote  cruenta. 

Adde  quod  pubes  tibi  crescit  omnis, 
servitus  crescit  nova,  nee  priores 
impiae  tectum  dominae  relinquunt, 
saepe  minati. 


So  Propertius  swears  3,  20,  15 
ossa  tibi  iuro  per  matris  et  ossa 
parentis  \  (si  fallo,  cinis  heu  sit 
milii  uterque  gravisl)  \  me  tibi  ad 
extremas  manstirum,  vita,  tene- 
bras.  —  opertos  :  i.e.  sepultos. 
She  prays  her  mother's  shade  may 
haunt  her,  if  she  be  not  true. 

10  f .  taciturna  .  .  .  signa  :  '  the 
silent  stars '  that  look  down  on  the 
passionate  loves  of  men.  Cf. 
Epod.  15,  i  f.  and  n.  —  gelida 
divos,  etc. :  the  ad  vantage  by  which 
gods  excel  mankind. 

13.  ridet  .  .  .  rident:  Intr.  28 c. 
This  gives  the  reason  for  Barine's 
escape.     The  idea  that  the  gods 
laugh  at  lovers1  perjuries  is  old  as 
Plato,  Symp.  183  B.     Cf.  Pseudo- 
Tibul.    3,    6,    49   periiiria    ridet 
amatttiim  \  Itippiter  et  ventos  in- 
rita    ferre    inbet.       Echoed    by 
Shakespere,  Romeo  and  Juliet  2, 
2  '  At  lovers'  perjuries  |  They  say 
Jove  laughs.1 

14.  simplices:  easy  going, 

Cf.  Verg.  £".3, 9.  sedfaciles  Nymphae 


183 


risere.  — ferus . . .  Cupido :  since  he 
pitilessly  wounds  and  fires  men's 
hearts.  —  acuens  sagittas  :  Cupid  is 
represented  on  ancient  gems  as 
sharpening  his  arrows  on  a  grind- 
stone.—  cruenta:  transferred  from 
the  arrows  to  the  whetstone.  Intr. 

99- 

17 f.  adde  quod,  etc.:  in  place 
of  the  common  prose  accedit  quod. 
Translate, — to  say  nothing  of  the 
fact  that.  It  introduces  with  em- 
phasis a  new  ground  for  the  poet's 
distrust,  -7-  the  number  of  her  vic- 
tims grows  so  that  she  has  no  need 
to  be  faithful.  — pubes  .  .  .  omnis  : 
repeated  in  the  predicate  servitus 
nova,  to  be  a  new  band  of  devoted 
slaves,  thereby  expressing  the  com- 
pleteness of  Barine's  conquest. — 
crescit :  is  growing  up.  —  nee  pri- 
ores, etc. :  i.e.  while  Barine  entraps 
the  rising  generation,she  still  keeps 
her  hold  on  the  former. 

19 f.  impiae:  for  her  perjuries. 
—  saepe  minati:  her  lovers  cannot 
carry  out  their  threats  to  leave  her. 


2,  8,  21]  IIORATI 

Te  suis  matres  metuunt  iuvencis, 
te  senes  parci  miseraeque  nuper 
virgines  nuptae,  tua  ne  retardet 
aura  maritos. 

So  Horace  once  made  determined  sons.     Cf.  2,  5,  6. — senes  parci: 

vows,  but  still  returned  to  his  heart-  who  know  she  will  squeeze  their 

less  Inachia,  Epod.  \  I,  19-22.     Cf.  money    bags    if    once    she    gets 

Tibul.  2,  6,  13  f.  iuravi  quotiens  the  chance.  —  miserae  :    proleptic, 

rediturutn  ad  litnina  numquaml  \  'made  wretched  by  their  fear.'— 

cum  bene  zuravt,  pes  tainen  ipse  virgines :    like  puellae,  not  infre- 

redit.  quently    used    of    newly  married 

2iff.  te. .  .te:  Intr.  280.    Three  women.     Cf.  3,  14,  n.  —  tua  aura  : 

classes  fear  Barine  :    mothers  for  the  breath  of  thy  charm.     Cf.  i,  5, 

their  sons,  miserly  old  men  for  their  1 1  popularis  aura,  and  Propert.  3, 

money,  and  brides  for  their  new  27,  1 5  si  modo  clamantis  revocave- 

husbands.  —  iuvencis:  their  dear  rit  aura puellae. 


Horace  exhorts  his  friend  Valgius  to  give' up  mourning  for  his  favor- 
ite Mystes. 

'Winter  rains  and  winds  are  not  eternal,  Valgius.  It  is  not  always 
the  gloomy  season.  Yet  you  weep  without  ceasing  (1-12).  Not  so  did 
Nestor  mourn  for  his  Antilochus,  nor  Troilus1  relatives  for  his  loss.  Give 
up  your  weak  plaints,  and  rather  sing  the  triumphs  of  Augustus  Caesar 

(13-24).' 

The  reproof  at  the  end  runs  into  a  celebration  of  the  Emperor's  deeds, 
and  shows  the  court  poet.  The  name  Augustus  (v.  19)  proves  that  the 
date  of  composition  is  later  than  27  B.C.,  but  it  cannot  be  more  exactly 
fixed.  See.  however,  notes  to  vv.  20 ff. 

C.  Valgius  Rufus.  consul  suffectus  in  12  B.C.,  was  an  elegiac  poet 
belonging  to  Maecenas'  circle.  According  to  the  Scholiast,  Vergil  al- 
ludes to  his  elegiac  verses  in  /•.".  7.  22.  An  epic  was  apparently  expected 
from  him.  Pseudo-Tibul.  4,  i.  I79f.  est  tibi*  qiti possit  tuagnis  se  accin- 
gere  rebus,  \  I'algius:  aeterno  propior  non  alter  Homem.  We  hear 
also  of  his  rhetorical  and  medical  works,  but  none  of  his  writings  are 
preserved  to  us.  His  friendship  with  Horace  is  further  attested  by  S. 
i.  10,  8 1  f.  Plotins  et  VariHs.  Maecenas  Vergiliusque,  \  Valgius  et 
probet  haec  Octavitis.  Metre,  68. 

184 


CAKM1NA 


[2,  9,  10 


Non  semper  imbres  nubibus  hispidos 
manant  in  agros  aut  mare  Caspium 
vexant  inaequales  procellae 
usque,  nee  Armeniis  in  oris, 

amice  Valgi,  stat  glacies  iners 
mensis  per  omnis  aut  Aquilonibus 
querceta  Gargani  laborant 
et  foliis  viduantur  orni : 

tu  semper  urges  flebilibus  modis 
Mysten  ademptum,  nee  tibi  Vespero 


i  ff.  For  the  careful  arrangement 
of  words,  see  Intr.  28  c.  —  non 
semper,  etc.  :  cf.  2,  1 1,  9,  and  Her- 
rick,  'Clouds  will  not  ever  poure 
down  rain ;  |  A  sullen  day  will 
cleere  again.  |  First,  peales  of 
thunder  we  must  heare,  |  Then  lutes 
and  harpes  shall  stroke  the  eare.'  — 
hispidos  :  unkempt  and  dank ;  i.e. 
covered  with  stubble  (cf.  4,  10,  5) 
and  drenched  by  the  winter's  rains. 
The  comparison  is  between  such 
fields  and  Valgius'  countenance. 

2.  mare  Caspium:  the  stormy 
character  of  this  sea  is  mentioned 
by  Mela  3,  5  marc  Caspium  omne 
atrox,  saevum,  sine  portubus,  pro- 
cellis  undique  expositum.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  Horace's 
choice  of  this  concrete  example  and 
of  Armeniis  in  oris  (cf.  n.  to  i,  i, 
14)  was  determined  by  the  coming 
reference  to  Augustus'  successful 
diplomacy  in  the  East  (vv.  20-24). 

3!  inaequales:  gusty,  squally. 
—  usque:  temporal,  as  i,  17,  4. — 


185 


Armeniis  in  oris :  i.e.  on  Mount 
Taurus. 

5.  stat :  expressive  of  the  sta- 
bility of  the  glacier.  — glacies  iners : 
cf.  4,  7,  12  bruma  iners. 

yf.  Gargani:  with  this  Horace 
returns  to  Italy  for  his  example. 
Garganus  is  a  thickly  wooded 
mountain  in  Apulia,  especially  ex- 
posed to  storms.  Cf.  Epist.  2. 
i,  202  Garganum  mugire  putes 
nemus  aut  mare  Tuscum.  —  quer- 
ceta .  .  .  laborant:  cf.  i,  q.^silvae 
labor  antes.  —  viduantur :  are  wid- 
owed of,  the  climax  of  his  figures 
of  desolation.  The  temporal  idea, 
varied  by  semper  usque,  mensis  per 
omnis,  continues  to  the  end  of  the 
second  strophe. 

9  f.  tu  semper  :  contrasted  with 
Nature. — urges:  pursuest*  divell- 
est  on;  used  by  Propertius  (5.  n. 
i )  as  if  the  mourning  distressed 
the  dead,  desine,  Paulle,  meum  la- 
crimis  urgere  sepulcrum. 

i  off.  Vespero  surgente,  etc. :  so 


9, 


HORATI 


surgente  decedunt  amores 
nee  rapidum  fugiente  solem. 

At  non  ter  aevo  functus  amabilem 
ploravit  omnis  Antilochum  senex 
annos,  nee  impubem  parentes 
Troilon  aut  Phrygiae  sorores 

flevere  semper :  desine  mollium 
tandem  querellarum,  et  potius  nova 


Orpheus  mourned  for  his  lost  Eu- 
ridice,  Verg.  G.  4,  466  te  veniente 
die,  te  decedente  canebat.  Cf.  Hel- 
vius  Cinna's  lines,  te  matutinus 
flentem  conspexit  Eons  \  et  flentem 
paulo  vidit  post  Hesperus  idem ; 
and  Tennyson's  Mariana,  'Her 
tears  fell  with  the  dews  of  even  ;  | 
Her  tears  fell  ere  the  dews  were 
dried.1 — amores :  i.e.  his  elegies. — 
rapidum:  placed  in  contrast  with 
fugiente.  It  is  a  stock  epithet  of 
the  sun.  Cf.  Mimn.  10,  5  WKC'OS 
'HeAtoio  OKTIVCS,  and  Verg.  G.  i, 
92  rapidive  potentia  solis. 

13 ff.  ter  aevo  functus:  Nestor, 
described  //.  I,  250  ff.  TO>  8'  f)8rj 
8vo  fj.(v  ytvtai  /i«pO7rtov  dvdpwirwv  I 
e<f>6iaO\  01  01  irpo&Qfv  afJM  Tpd<f>tv 
1/8*  eyc'vovro  |  tv  IIuAai  rjyuOer),  /Ltera 
8c  TptraToiaiv  avaaerev.  Cf.  Cic. 
C.  M.  3 1  tertiatn  enim  aetatem  hotni- 
num  videbat.  —  amabilem:  placed 
here  with  adversative  force,  in  spite 
of  all  his  loveliness.  Cf.  impubem 
(v.  1 5),  a  mere  child.  The  two  adjec- 
tives doubtless  are  chosen  as  apply- 
ing also  to  Mystes,  whom  Valgius 
has  lost.  —  non  ploravit  omnis  an- 


nos :  when,  in  the  Odyssey,  Te- 
lemachus  and  his  companion  visit 
Nestor  at  his  home  in  Pylus,  they 
find  him  cheerful  in  spite  of  the 
loss  of  his  son  Antilochus,  whom 
Memnon  slew.  —  Troilon:  Priam's 
young  son,  whom  Achilles  caught 
and  slew  near  a  spring.  This  was 
a  favorite  scene  with  vase  painters 
of  the  early  fifth  century  (Baum.  p. 
1901  f.).  Troilus'  sister  Polyxena 
is  frequently  represented  as  wit- 
nessing his  death.  His  fate  was  in 
poets  the  type  of  early  death  :  cf. 
e.g.  Verg.  A.  1, 474 ff.,  where  indeed 
Vergil  is  describing  a  wall  painting, 
and  Chaucer,  T.  and  C.  5,  1806 
'dispitously  him  slough  the  fiers 
Achille.1 

17.  desine . . .  querellarum :  this 
construction  with  the  genitive  of 
separation  is  in  imitation  of  Greek 
usage  with  Xr/yw,  TTUVO/JML,  etc.  Cf. 
3,  17,  1 6  opermn  solntis  ;  3,  27, 69 
abstineto  irarunt. 

i8f.  nova  tropaea :  what  successes 
are  meant  is  uncertain.  Some  think 
of  Augustus'  campaigns  against  the 
Cantabri,  27-25  B.C.  ;  others  regard 


1 86 


CARMINA 


[2, 


cantemus  Augusti  tropaea 
Caesaris  et  rigidum  Niphaten 

Medumque  flumen  gentibus  additum 
victis  minores  volvere  vertices, 
intraque  praescriptum  Gelonos 
exiguis  equitare  campis. 


tropaea  as  a  general  term,  defined 
by  what  follows  —  Niphaten,  Me- 
dum  flumen  .  . .  volvere,  Gelonos  . . . 
equitare.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  Horace  had  no  definite  victo- 
ries in  mind,  but  wished  to  say, 
'  Come,  Valgius,  let  us  turn  to  epic 
song;  our  subject  is  ready — Au- 
gustus' new  successes  (in  general) 
and  (in  particular)  the  Niphates,' 
etc. 

20  ff.  These  were  victories  of 
diplomacy  rather  than  of  arms.  — 
rigidum  :  ice-bound.  —  Niphaten : 
according  to  Strabo  and  Dio  Cas- 
sius,  a  mountain  of  Armenia.  But 
Lucan  3, 245  and  Sil.  Ital.  1 3, 765  and 
I  uv.  6, 409  consider  it  a  river.  Verg. 
G.  3,  30  celebrates  the  same  exten- 
sion of  the  empire,  addam  urbes 
Asiae  domitas  pulsumque  Nipha- 
ten.— Medum  flumen:  the  Euphra- 
tes. The  construction  changes 
from  the  simple  accusative  to  the 
accusative  and  infinitive,  '  sing  the 


Niphates,  sing  that,1  etc.     Proper- 
tins  has  a  similar  construction,  2, 

1 ,  1 9  ff.  11011  ego  Titanas  canerem, 
non  Ossatt  Olyinpo  \  inpositam,  ut 
caeli  Pelion  esset  iter  |  .  .  .  Xerxis 
et  imperio  bina  coisse  vada. —  mi- 
nores :  in  token  of  its  submission. 
Cf.Verg.  A.  8,  726  Euphrates  that 
iain  mollior  undis. 

23.  Gelonos :  a  nomad  Scythian 
people  on  the  river  Don.  The 
poets  of  this  time,  however,  use 
tlieir  name  for  the  Scythians  in 
general.  —  exiguis:  for  they  are 
now  limited  intra  praescriptum. — 
equitare  :  ride  their  raids.  Cf.  I, 

2,  51.     The  reference  in  the  last 
two  verses  is  probably  to  an  em- 
bassy from  the  Scythians   which 
Augustus  received  at  Tarraco  in 
Spain.  Cf.  Mon.  Anc.  5, 5 1  nostrum 
amicitiam    petierunt   per  legatos 
Bastarnae  Scythaeque  et  Sarma- 
taruin  qui  sunt  citra  flumen  Ta- 
naint  et  ultra  reges. 


10 

A  series  of  sententiae  on  the  dangers  of  high  and  low  estate  and  the 
advantages  of  the  golden  mean,  which  should  be  compared  with  2.  2  and 
•>.  The  ode  is  an  expansion  of  the  Greek  /XT/Scv  ayav ;  more  weight. 

187 


2,  io,  i]  HORATI 

however,  is  laid  on  the  disadvantages  of  great   position  than  on  the 
wretchedness  of  extreme  poverty. 

Licinius  Murena,  to  whom  the  ode  is  addressed,  was  apparently  the 
son  of  the  Murena  whom  Cicero  defended;  he  was  adopted  by  M.  Te- 
rentius  Varro,  and  so  became  the  brother-in-law  of  Proculeius  (2,  2)  and 
of  Terentia,  Maecenas'  wife.  In  23  B.C.  he  was  consul  with  Augustus  ; 
during  this  year  he  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  Fannius  Caepio 
against  the  emperor,  but  was  detected  and  put  to  death.  This  is  clear 
evidence  that  Horace's  poem  was  published  before  that  date.  It  is 
said  that  he  was  inordinately  ambitious,  so  that  the  advice  here  given 
acquires  a  special  significance  in  view  of  his  later  fate.  Metre,  69. 

Rectius  vives,  Licini,  neque  altum 
semper  urgendo  neque,  dum  procellas 
cautus  horrescis,  nimium  premendo 
litus  iniquum. 

5  Auream  quisquis  mediocritatem 

diligit,  tutus  caret  obsoleti 
sordibus  tecti,  caret  invidenda 
sobrius  aula. 

Saepius  ventis  agitatur  ingens 
io  pinus  et  celsae  graviore  casu 

iff.  rcctius  :  bearing  the  empha-  nimium  et  parum. — tutus  caret, 

sis ;  more  fitly.  —  neque  altum,  etc. :  etc. :  is  safe  and  free  from  a  squalid 

the  common  allegory  of  the  voyage  tumble-down  house. 

of  life  is  a  favorite  with  Horace.  7f.  caret ...  caret :  Intr.  28  c. — 

Cf-  i,  5,  13-  34,  3 ;  3,  2,  28.  29,  62 ;  invidenda  .  .  .  aula :  cf.  3.  i,  45  f. 

Epist. 2,2,202. — urgendo :  by  press-  invidendis  postibus. — sobrius:  in 

ing  out  to,  in  contrast  to  hugging  his  temperance,  the  Greek  <rw<£ptov. 

the  shore  (premendo).  —  iniquum:  9-12.  Three  typical  illustrations 

unkind,  because  of  its  dangerous  drawn  from  nature  of  the  danger  to 

reefs.  too  great  prominence.     Cf.  Herod. 

5f.  auream  mediocritatem :  the  7,10,5.     Seneca  employs  similar 

golden  mean.     A  translation  of  the  figures  in  a  number  of  passages  in 

Greek  /i«<roTr/?.  TO  fitrpuw,  which  his  tragedies,  f.g.  Oed.  8-1 1  ut  alta 

Cicero  de  off.  i,  89  defines  media-  ventos  semper  excipiunt  iiiga  \  ru- 

critatem  illam  .  .   .  quae  est  inter  pemque  saxis   vasta    dirimentem 

1 88 


CARMINA 


[2,  10,  24 


decidunt  turres  feriuntque  summos 
fulgura  mentis. 

Sperat  infestis,  metuit  secundis 
alteram  sortem  bene  praeparatum 
pectus.     Informis  hiemes  reducit 
luppiter,  idem 

submovet ;  non,  si  male  nunc,  et  olim 
sic  erit ;  quondam  cithara  tacentem 
suscitat  musam  neque  semper  arcum 
tendit  Apollo. 

Rebus  angustis  animosus  atque 
fortis  appare ;  sapienter  idem 
contrahes  vento  nimium  secundo 
turgida  vela. 


freta  \  quamvis  quieti  verberat 
fluctus  marts,  \  imperia  sic  excelsa 
Fortunae  obiacent.  Notice  that  the 
emphasis  is  on  saepius,  ingens,  cel- 
sae  graviore,  summos.  Intr.  25. 

13  f.  'A  well-prepared  breast  can 
withstand  all  changes  of  fortune.' 

—  sperat . . .  metuit :  emphatic,  the 
subject  being  deferred  to  the  end. 

—  infestis,  secundis  :  abstract  neu- 
ters plural,  dat.  with  the  verbs. — 
alteram  sortem :  the  opposite  lot. 

15.  informis:  shapeless,  and  so 
ugly.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  3, 354  f.  sed  iacet 
aggeribus  niseis  informis  et  alto  \ 
terra  gelu.  —  reducit :  brings  back 
(in  their  due  season).  For  this 
force  of  re-,  cf.  3,  8,  9  anno  red- 
eunte.  — idem :  and  yet  he.  Cf.  v. 
22;  2,  19,  27. 


17 f.  si  male:  sc.  est.  —  olim: 
some  day,  in  contrast  to  nunc. — 
quondam:  sometimes,  in  a  general 
sense.  —  cithara :  instrumental  ab- 
lative. 

19  f.  Apollo  does  not  always 
send  war  and  pestilence  (arcum 
tendit),  but  at  times  brings  men 
song.  The  common  application 
is  to  point  the  desirability  of  com- 
bining play  with  work.  Repro- 
duced in  the  Laus  Pis.  142  f.  nee 
semper  Gnosius  arcum  \  destinat, 
exempt o  sed  laxat  cornua  nervo.  — 
rebus  angustis :  when  times  are 
hard. — sapienter  idem,  etc.:  yet 
you  will  do  wisely  to  take  in,  etc. 
Horace  closes,  as  he  began,  with 
a  figure  drawn  from  the  sea.  —  ni- 
mium :  connect  with  secundo. 


189 


II,  I] 


HORATI 


II 

Horace  will  teach  his  friend  Hirpinus  his  own  philosophy.  'Little 
is  enough  for  life,  enjoy  the  present  fleeting  moment  with  no  thought 
of  distant  dangers,  no  greed  for  useless  wealth.  Youth  quickly  flies, 
and  old  age  comes.  All  is  change.  How  useless  then  to  vex  our  souls 
with  endless  aims  and  efforts.'' 

Quinctius  Hirpinus,  apparently  the  friend  to  whom  Epist.  i,  16  is 
addressed,  is  not  further  known.  He  seems  to  have  been  ambitious  for 
wealth,  but  not  averse  to  pleasures.  The  date  of  composition  is  proba- 
bly fixed  as  26-25  B.C.  by  the  mention  of  the  bellicosus  Cantaber  v.  i. 
Metre,  68. 

Quid  bellicosus  Cantaber  et  Scythes, 

Hirpine  Quincti,  cogitet  Hadria 
divisus  obiecto,  remittas 

quaerere  nee  trepides  in  usum 

5  poscentis  aevi  pauca.     Fugit  retro 

levis  iuventas  et  decor,  arida 


i  ff.  Cantaber:  cf.  n.  to  2,  6, 
2. — Hirpine  Quincti:  for  the  trans- 
position of  nomen  and  cogno- 
men, see  n.  to  2,  2,  3.  —  Hadria 
divisus  obiecto :  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  not  simply  the  Adriatic,  but 
long  tracts  of  land  and  sea  sepa- 
rated the  Scythians  from  Italy ; 
but  Quinctius  was  too  anxious 
over  these  distant  dangers,  and 
Horace  playfully  exaggerates  — 
*  set  off  from  us  only  by,'  etc. 
The  danger  of  a  barbarian  inva- 
sion from  the  northeast  was  not 
sufficiently  present  to  the  Roman 
mind  at  this  time  to  cause  Horace 
to  speak  seriously  of  the  barrier 
the  Adriatic  would  afford.  In 
later  centuries,  however,  this  sea 
often  protected  Italy.  —  remittas 
quaerere:  cf.  i,  38,  3  mitte  sec- 


tari ;  3,  29,  11  omitte  mirari. 
There  is  probably  also  the  acces- 
sory idea  of  relaxing  the  anxious 
strain.  We  may  translate,  give  tip 
thy  anxious  questioning.  Cf.  Ter. 
And.  827  remittas  tain  me  oner  are 
iniuriis.  —  trepides  in  usum  :  and 
do  not  fret  about  the  needs,  etc. 
Cf.  1,9,  14  f. ;  3,  29.  32  f. 

5-12.  The  thought  is  a  com- 
monplace. Cf.  Theog.  985  f.  em/rot 
yap  OKTTC  vorjfui  irapfp^trui  dyAaos 
r/(3r)  •  |  ouS*  LTTirwv  op/tit;  ytVerai 
wKVTfpi).  '  For  quick  as  thought 
bright  youth  passes  ;  horses'  speed 
is  not  swifter.'  Auson.  Anth.  Lot. 
646  collige  virgo  rosas,  duni  flos 
nmms  et  nova  pubes,  \  et  tnemor  esto 
aevuin  sic  properare  titum  ;  and, 
'  Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye  may, 
|  Old  Time  is  still  a-flying,  |  And 


190 


CARM1NA 


[2,  II,  16 


pellente  lascivos  amores 
canitie  facilemque  somnum. 

Non  semper  idem  floribus  est  honor 
vernis,  neque  uno  luna  rubens  nitet 
voltu.     Quid  aeternis  minorem 
consiliis  animum  fatigas  ? 

Cur  non  sub  alta  vel  platano  vel  hac 
pinu  iacentes  sic  temere  et  rosa 
canos  odorati  capillos, 

dum  licet,  Assyriaque  nardo 


this  same  flower,  that  smiles  to- 
day, |  To-morrow  will  be  dying.1 

6  f .  levis  :  smooth  cheeked,  iin*- 
berbis.  Cf.  4,  6,  28  levis  Agyieu. 
—  arida  .  .  .  canitie  :  sapless,  with- 
ered, and  gray  old  age  ;  when  '  the 
juice  of  life  is  gone.' 

8.  facilem :  gentle.  The  same 
epithet  3,  21,  4;  cf.  2,  16,  15  Uvis 
somnos. 

g  f.  honor :  beauty.  —  vernis  : 
corresponding  to  man's  youth.  — 
rubens  nitet :  shines  blushing.  Cf. 
Prop,  i,  10,  8  quamvis  .  .  .  me- 
diis  caelo  Luna  ruberet  equis ; 
Sen.  Phaedr.  747  exerit  vultus 
rubictinda  Phoebe. 

ii  f.  aeternis  .  .  .  consiliis  : 
endless  schemings.  The  ablative 
is  dependent  on  both  minorem 
and  fatigas.  Intr.  100.  With 
the  thought,  cf.  4,  7,  7  f.  itntnor- 
talia  ne  speres,  monet  annus  et 
almum  \  quae  rapit  hora  diem. 

13  ff.  '  Far  better  give  thyself 
up  to  pleasures  here  beneath  the 
shade.1  The  following  questions 


give  the  verses  a  vivid  dramatic 
turn.  — platano  .  .  .  pinu:  the  two 
most  beautiful  Italian  shade  trees  ; 
the  plane  (sycamore)  came  from 
the  Orient  and  was  cultivated  in 
parks  and  gardens.  —  hac:  '  this 
one  close  by.'  —  sic  temere:  just 
as  we  are ;  ourws  «IKT/,  Plat.  Gorg. 
506  D.  '  No  long  elaborate  prepa- 
ration is  necessary  to  gain  life's 
pleasures  ;  a  garland,  perfume,  and 
th e  zither-playing  Ly de  are  enough .' 
15  f.  canos  :  Horace  describes 
himself  Epist.  i,  20,  24  as  prae- 
canus,  prematurely  gray  ;  he  was 
at  this  time  about  forty.  —  odorati : 
a  middle  participle  ;  so  uncti  v.  1 7 
below.  Intr.  84.  —  dum  licet: 
'our  time  is  short.'  Cf.  2,  3,  15. 
Ten  years  before  Horace  could 
say  Epod.  13.  3  if.  rapiamus, 
amid,  \  occasionem  de  die,  dumqne 
•virent  genua  \  et  decet.  Now  he 
has  passed  the  line  of  middle  age 
and  knows  that  soon  dry  old  age 
will  steal  from  him  his  capacity  for 
enjoyment.  —  Assyria  .  .  .  nardo  : 


191 


2,  II,  17] 


HORATI 


potamus  uncti  ?     Dissipat  Euhius 
curas  edacis.     Quis  puer  ocius 
restinguet  ardentis  Falerni 
pocula  praetereunte  lympha? 

Quis  devium  scortum  eliciet  domo 
Lyden  ?     Eburna  die  age  cum  lyra 
maturet,  in  comptum  Lacaenae 
more  comam  religata  nodum. 


the  same  as  the  tnalobathro  Syria 
of  2,  7,  8.  Cf.  Tibull.  3,  6,  63  f. 
Syria  madefactus  tempora  nardo 
|  debueram  sertis  implicuisse  co- 
mas. 

17  f.   dissipat :   cf.  Cypria  Frg. 
I  o  K .  divov  TOI,  Mevf'Aae,  #eoi  Troirf- 
<rav  apicrrov  \  fli/rjToTs  avOpwiroicriv 
a7roerKe8eurai    /xeAeSoivas-     '  Wirre, 
Menelaus,  the  gods  made  the  best 
means  to  scatter  the  cares  of  mor- 
tal men.1  —  Euhius  :   formed  from 
the  cry  of  the  Bacchanals,   tvol. 
Cf.    I,  1 8,  9.  —  edacis:  gnawing, 
car  king.     Cf.    I,    18,  4  mar  daces 
.  .  .  sollicitudines. 

1 8  f.    puer:  cf.   n.  to  Epod.  9, 
33  and  i,  29,  7.  — restinguet :  tem- 
per (the  fierceness  of).  —  ardentis 
Falerni :  cf.  n.  to  I,  27,  10. 


21  ff.  devium  scortum :  the  coy 
wench,  a  zither  player  whose  home, 
for  the  purpose  of  the  ode,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  not  far  away.  Yet 
the  adjective  devium,  which  appar- 
e'ntly  means  here  •  solitary,'  'apart,' 
as  in  Livy3,  13,  10  devio  qitodam 
tugurio  (hut)  vivere,  implies  that 
Lyde  is  one  who  does  not  be- 
stow her  favors  on  all ;  this  im- 
plication is  emphasized  by  eliciet, 
lure  forth.  —  die  age,  etc.  :  go  bid 
her  hasten .  Cf .  1 , 3  2 , 3  age  die  I^ati- 
num,  barbite,  carmen  ;  and  3,  4,  I. 
—  maturet:  the  subj.  is  indepen- 
dent, parallel  to  die.  —  in  comp- 
tum nodum :  in  a  neat  simple  knot. 
No  elaborate  coiffure  would  be  fit- 
ting for  this  extemporaneous  ca- 
rouse.—  religata:  cf.  n.  to  1,5,4. 


12 

Maecenas  had  apparently  urged  Horace  to  celebrate  in  verse  Octa- 
vian's  victory  over  Antony  and  his  other  successes  in  the  East.  This 
ode  is  the  poet's  reply. 

•  Not  deeds  of  war  long  past  (1-4),  not  ancient  mythology  (5-8),  nor 
Caesar's  present  deeds  and  triumphs  (9-12),  but  modest  love,  the  charms 
ot  thy  Litymnia.  are  alone  fit  subjects  for  my  lyric  muse  (13-28).' 

192 


CARMINA 


[2,12,8 


The  ode  should  be  compared  with  i,  6,  Horace's  answer  to  a  similar 
request  from  Agrippa.     Metre,  72. 

Nolis  longa  ferae  bella  Numantiae 
nee  durum  Hannibalem  nee  Siculum  mare 
Poeno  purpureum  sanguine  mollibus 
aptari  citharae  modis, 

N  nee  saevos  Lapithas  et  nimium  mero 

Hylaeum  domitosque  Herculea  manu 
Telluris  iuvenes,  unde  periculum 
fulgens  contremuit  domus 


x.  nolis:  emphatic,  you  cer- 
tainly would  not  -wish.  —  longa 
bella:  nine  years,  141-133  B.C. — 
ferae :  the  war  was  ended  with 
the  suicide  of  the  inhabitants  and 
the  burning  of  the  city.  Flor.  2, 
1 8,  15  deplorato  exitu  in  nit  imam 
rabiem  fttroremque  conversi  pos- 
tremo  mori  hocgenere  destinarunt : 
Rhoecogene  duce  se  suos  patriam 
ferro  et  veneno  subiectoque  undzque 
igne  peremerunt. 

2  ff.  durum:  since  the  defeat 
of  Hannibal  proved  a  hard  task 
for  the  Romans.  —  purpureum  san- 
guine :  in  260  B.C.  when  C.  Duil- 
ius  won  his  famous  naval  victory 
at  Mylae,  and  again  in  242  B.C.  at 
the  battle  of  the  Aegatian  Islands. 
—  mollibus:  in  sharp  contrast  to 
ferae,  durum,  and  the  savage  pic- 
ture called  up  by  mare  .  .  .  pur- 
pureum sanguine.  Such  fierce 
themes  are  not  suited  to  the  gentle 
strains  of  the  lyre. 

5  ff.  The  stock  mythological 
themes  of  epic  song.  —  saevos  Lapi- 

HOR.  CAR. —  13  193 


thas,  etc. :  i.e.  the  quarrel  between 
the  Centaurs  and  the  Lapithae  at 
the  marriage  of  Peirithous  and 
Hippodamia.  Cf.  n.  to  i,  18,  8. 
—  nimium  mero :  made  insolent 
with  wine.  Cf.  Tac.  Hist,  i,  35 
niutii  verdis.  —  Hylaeum :  one  of 
the  Centaurs.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  2, 
457  et  magno  Hylaeum  Lapithis 
cratere  minantem.  —  domitos  .  .  . 
iuvenes :  the  giants  who  tried  to 
storm  the  citadels  of  heaven.  Cf. 
3,  4,  42  ff.  —  Herculea  manu  :  Her- 
cules was  summoned  by  the  gods 
to  aid  them,  for  an  oracle  said 
that  only  a  mortal  could  conquer 
the  earth-born  monsters.  —  unde  : 
connect  with  contremuit  :  from 
whom.  Cf.  i,  12,  7;  28,  28. 

8.  fulgens  .  .  .  domus :  because 
of  its  place  in  the  bright  upper 
air.  Cf.  i,  3,  29  aether ia  domus; 
3»  3»  33  lucidas  sedes  and  the 
Homeric  Sw/utaru  fuippaipovra.  — 
contremuit :  transitive,  as  the  sim- 
ple verb,  Verg.  A.  3,  648  sonitum- 
que  pedum  vocewque  tremesco. 


2.  12,  9] 


HORAT1 


Saturni  veteris ;  tuque  pedestribus 
is  dices  historiis  proelia  Caesaris, 

Maecenas,  melius  ductaque  per  vias 
regum  colla  minacium-. 

Me  dulcis  dominae  Musa  Licymniae 
cantus,  me  voluit  dicere  lucidum 
15  fulgentis  oculos,  et  bene  mutuis 

fidum  pectus  amoribus ; 

quam  nee  ferre  pedem  dedecuit  choris 
nee  certare  ioco  nee  dare  bracchia 

gf.  tuque:  emphatically  intro-      ried    woman,     like     our     'Mrs.,1 


during  the  specific  reason  why 
Horace  cannot  celebrate  Caesar's 
deeds,  —  'And  then  you  will  tell,' 
etc.  —  pedestribus  .  .  .  historiis  : 
prose,  in  contrast  to  poetry.  Hor- 
ace was  the  first  to  adopt  this  term, 
iti  imitation  of  the  Greek  7re£os 
Aoyos.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
Maecenas  ever  undertook  such  a 
work  as  Horace  here  suggests. 

i  if.  ducta :  i.e.  in  the  trium- 
phal procession.  —  colla:  'with 
chains  about  their  necks.'  Cf. 
Epod.  7,  7  f.  intactus  ant  Britan- 
nits  ut  descenderet  \  sacra  catena- 
ttts  -via,  and  Prop.  2,  I,  33  f.  with 
reference  likewise  to  Augustus' 
triumphs  (canerent)  regnw  anratis 
circiitndata  rolla  catenis  \  Actiaque 
in  sacra  cur r ere  rostra  via.  — mi- 
nacium :  but  just  now  threatening. 

13.  me  .  .  .  me :  *  My  task  is 
this.'  Intr.  30. — dominae:  this 
became  under  the  empire  the 
regular  title  of  address  to  a  mar- 


'  Madam,'  the  Italian  '  donna.' 
Translate,  my  lady.  —  Licymniae  : 
ancient  critics  agreed  that  under 
this  name  Terentia,  Maecenas1 
wife,  is  meant.  The  fact  that  the 
two  names  are  metrically  identical 
makes  this  very  probable.  So 
Catullus  calls  Clodia,  Lesbia ;  Ti- 
bullus  employs  Delia  for  Plania, 
etc.  That  Licymnia  in  any  case 
was  a  free-born  Roman  lady  is 
proved  by  v.  19  f.  See  note. — 
cantus :  modified  by  dulcis.  — 
bene :  connect  with  fidum.  Cf.  Cic. 
Tusc.  2,  44  bene  Magnus,  and  the 
French  bien.  The  opposite  is 
male:  so  I,  17,  25  male  dispar; 
Verg.  A.  2,  23  malefida. 

17  f.  ferre  pedem  :  to  move  her 
feet  in,  etc.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  i,  n 
ferte  sitnitl  Fa  unique  pedeni. 
Dancing,  except  as  part  of  a 
religious  ceremony,  was  thought 
unbecoming  a  Roman  woman 
although  the  severity  of  custom  was 


194 


CARMINA 


t2,  12,  28 


ludentem  nitidis  virginibus  sacro 
Dianae  Celebris  die. 

Num  tu  quae  tenuit  dives  Achaemenes 
aut  pinguis  Phrygiae  Mygdonias  opes 
permutare  velis  crine  Licymniae, 
plenas  aut  Arabum  domos, 

cum  flagrantia  detorquet  ad  oscula 
cervicem,  aut  facili  saevitia  negat 
quae  poscente  magis  gaudeat  eripi, 
interdum  rapere  occupet  ? 


relaxed  enough  at  this  time  to  allow 
dancing  within  one's  own  house,  and 
the  reference  here  may  be  to  such 
private  amusement.  Cf.  3,  6, 2 1  and 
n.  —  nee  .  .  .  dedecuit :  cf.  Ovid. 
Am.  i,  7,  12  nee  dominant  motae 
dedecuere  comae. —  certare  ioco  :  i.e. 
in  light  conversation.  — dare  brac- 
chia  :  rhythmical  movements  of  the 
arms  formed  an  important  part  of 
ancient  dances,  as  they  still  do, 
e.g.  in  the  Italian  tarantella. 

19 f.  nitidis:  i.e.  in  holiday 
dress.  —  Dianae  .  .  .  die  :  the 
chorus  which  sang  and  danced  in 
honor  of  a  divinity  was  composed 
of  free-born  youths  and  maidens, 
so  that  it  is  evident  that  Licymnia 
was  in  any  case  ingenua.  —  Cele- 
bris :  thronged  with  celebrants. 

21  ff.  '  Not  all  the  riches  of  the 
East  could  purchase  from  you  one 
lock  of  her  hair. '  —  Achaemenes  : 
the  founder  of  the  royal  house  of 
Persia.  Cf.  3, 1, 44.  —  Mygdonias : 
Mygdon  was  an  early  king  of 


Phrygia.  The  mention  of  Phrygia 
calls  to  mind  Midas,  whose  touch 
turned  all  things  to  gold.  — crine  : 
a  lock  of  hair.  For  the  construc- 
tion, see  Intr.  98. — plenas  .  .  . 
Arabum  domos :  cf.  3,  24,  i  f.  in- 
tacti  .  .  .  thesauri  Arabum. 

25  ff.  detorquet :  for  the  caesura, 
see  Intr.  53.  —  facili  :  because 
her  sternness  (saevitia)  is  easily 
overcome.  —  poscente  :  dependent 
on  magis.  'Don't  ask  her  for 
kisses,  she  would  take  more  satis- 
faction in  having  them  stolen  from 
her  than  the  one  (i.e.  you,  Mae- 
cenas) who  begs  them  would 
delight  to  get  them ;  indeed  she 
would  sometimes  begin  by  steal- 
ing them  from  you.1  Cf.  Tibul. 
-i,  4,  53  ff.  rapias  turn  car  a  licebit  \ 
oscula:  pugnabit,  sed  tamen  apta 
dabit*,  |  rapta  dabit  primo,  mox 
offeret  ipse  roganti,  \  post  etiam 
collo  se  implicnisse  volet.  • —  rapere 
occupet :  equivalent  to  the  Greek 
Cf.  I,  14,2. 


'95 


2.  U.  0 


HORATI 


13 

Horace  was  nearly  killed  one  day  on  his  farm  by  a  falling  tree.  The 
following  ode  was  suggested  by  this  event,  which  seems  to  have  made 
a  deep  impression  on  him.  (Cf.  2,  17,  27;  3,  4,  27.)  Still  here  his 
very  extravagance  of  earnestness  gives  the  treatment  a  half  jesting  tone. 
After  declaring  that  the  man  who  planted  the  fatal  tree  could  be  guilty 
of  any  crime,  Horace  wanders  into  reflection  on  his  favorite  theme  — 
the  uncertainty  of  human  life  and  the  proximity  of  death.  On  the  first 
anniversary  of  the  event,  he  wrote  3,  8,  which  fixes  the  date  of  his  nar- 
row escape  as  March  i,  30  B.C.  This  ode  then  was  probably  written 
within  that  month.  Metre,  68. 

I  lie  et  nefasto  te  posuit  die, 
quicumque  primum,  et  sacrilega  manu 
produxit,  arbos,  in  nepotum 

perniciem  opprobriumque  pagi; 

5  ilium  et  parentis  crediderim  sui 

fregisse  cervicem  et  penetralia 


i  ff.  Cf.  Ovid's  amusing  dia- 
tribe against  his  writing  tablets, 
Am.  i,  12,  15  ff.  ilium  etiam,  qui 
i>os  (sc.  tabellas)  ex  arbore  -vertit 
in  usutti,  |  convincam  piiras  non 
habuisse  mantis,  \  praebuii  ilia 
arbor  misero  suspendia  collo,  \ 
carnifici  diras  praebuit  ilia  crnces: 
\  ilia  dedit  turpes  ravis  btiboni- 
bus  umbras ;  \  volturis  in  ramis  et 
strigis  ova  tulit.  —  nefasto  .  .  . 
die  :  technically  the  days  on  which 
the  magistrates  might  not  give 
judgment,  i.e.  utter  the  three  words 
do,  dico,  addico.  Cf.  Ovid  Fasti 
i,  47  f.  ille  tie  fast  its  erit.  per  q  item 
tria  verba  silentur  \  fastns  erit, 
per  quein  lege  licebit  agi.  Gradu- 
ally extended,  the  word  came  to 


include  all  unlucky  or  ill-omened 
days. 

2  ff.  quicumque  primum :  par- 
enthetical, sc.  te  posuit  from  the 
preceding  verse.  —  produxit  in, 
etc. :  reared  to  be.  —  pagi :  district. 

5.  ilium:  emphatically  repeat- 
ing the  initial  ille  above ;  itself 
repeated  by  ille  v.  8  below.  Intr. 
28  c.  —  crediderim :  potential. 

6  f.  fregisse  cervicem  :  stran- 
gled. Cf.  Epod.  3,  2  si  quis  .  .  . 
senile  guttur  fregerit. — penetralia  : 
the  shrines  of  the  household  gods, 
the  sacred  hearthstone.  Protection 
of  one's  guest  was  a  holy  obligation. 
—  nocturne  :  giving  an  added  touch 
of  horror  to  the  description,  —  -with 
blood  of  his  guest  slain  by  night. 


196 


CARM1NA 


O,  13.  '8 


10 


»5 


sparsisse  nocturne  cruore 
hospitis;  ille  venena  Colcha 

et  quicquid  usquam  concipitur  nefas 
tractavit,  agro  qui  statuit  meo 
te  triste  lignum,  te  caducum 
in  domini  caput  immerentis. 

Quid  quisque  vitet,  numquam  homini  satis 
cautum  est  in  horas.     Navita  Bosporum 
Poenus  perhorrescit  neque  ultra 
caeca  timet  aliunde  fata ; 

miles  sagittas  et  celerem  fugam 
Parthi,  catenas  Parthtis  et  Italum 


8  ff.  Colcha :  a  standing  epi- 
thet, as  Medea,  whose  home  was 
Colchis,  was  chief  of  sorceresses. 
Cf.  Epod.  5,  24;  17,  35.  — trac- 
tavit :  has  had  a  finger  in ;  ex- 
tended by  a  slight  zeugma  from 
venena  to  quicquid  nefas.  For 
this  meaning,  cf.  Epod.  3,  8. 

ii  f.  triste  lignum:  fatal  log. 
Cf.  3,  4,  27  devota  arbor',  and 
Verg.  E.  3, 80  triste  lupus  stabnlis. 
Nearly  the  same  meaning  appears 
2.  14,  8  tristi  unda,  said  of  the 
Styx.  —  te  .  .  .  te  :  the  anaphora 
shows  the  poet's  earnestness.  — 
caducum :  ready  to  fall.  —  domini : 
owner,  showing  that  Horace's 
escape  took  place  on  his  own 
farm. 

13  ff.  'No  one  ever  knows  the 
particular  danger  he  should  avoid  : 
with  all  the  timid  caution  of  sailor. 


soldier,  or  Parthian,  death  still 
comes  in  unexpected  forms.'  - 
homini  :  dat.  of  agent  with  cautum 
est.  —  in  horas  :  from  hour  to  hour, 
formed  after  the  analogy  of  in  dies. 
—  navita  .  .  .  Poenus  :  of  Sidon 
or  Tyre.  Cf.  Soph.  Frg.  823  N. 


Bosporum:  i.e.  the  Thracian  Bos- 
phorus,  notorious  for  its  storms. 
Cf-  3,  4,  30  insanientem  .  .  .  Bos- 
porum. —  ultra  .  .  .  aliunde  : 
from  any  other  source  besides.  — 
timet  :  for  the  quantity,  see  Intr. 

35- 

17  ff.  miles:  i.e.  the  Italian. 
whose  most  dreaded  foe  was  the 
Parthian.  —  sagittas,  etc.  :  cf.  n. 
to  I,  19,  ii.  The  Parthian  in  his 
turn  most  fears  subjection  to  the 
Romans  (catenas)  and  the  brave 
soldiers  of  Italy  (Italum  robur). 


197 


2,  13.  '9] 


HORATI 


robur :  sed  improvisa  leti 
vis  rapuit  rapietque  gentis. 

Quam  paene  furvae  regna  Proserpinae 
et  iudicantem  vidimus  Aeacum 
sedesque  discriptas  piorum  et 
Aeoliis  fidibus  querentem 

Sappho  puellis  de  popularibus, 
et  te  sonantem  plenius  aureo, 
Alcaee,  plectro  dura  navis, 
dura  fugae  mala,  dura  belli. 


—  sed  inprovisa :  emphatic,  still  it 
is  the  unexpected,  etc. 

21  ff.  Horace  returns  to  reflec- 
tions on  his  own  possible  fate  and 
to  thoughts  of  the  shades  he  would 
have  seen  in  the  lower  world. 
As  a  poet  he  would  desire  to  be- 
hold his  great  models,  Sappho  and 
Alcaeus ;  exactly  as  Socrates,  in 
his  cheerful  anticipation  of  Hades 
(Plat.  Apol.  4oE-4iC),  wished 
to  meet  Palamedes,  Ajax  son  of 
Telamon.  and  all  others  who  had 
been  victims  of  unjust  judgments 
like  himself.  —  furvae  :  dusky,  the 
proper  epithet  for  regna.  here 
transferred  to  Queen  Proserpina. 
Intr.  99.  Seneca  had  the  same 
thought  in  mind  when  he  wrote  H. 
F.  547  ff.  qua  spe  praecipites  actus 
ad  inferos  \  audax  ire  i>ias  inre- 
meabiles  \  vidisti  Sicitlne  regna 
J'roserpinae  /  —  PrSserpinae  :  here 
the  first  syllable  is  short,  but  ordi- 
narilj  it  is  lon^.  Cf.  I,  28,  20.  — 
Aeacum:  with  Minos  and  Rhada- 
manthus.  judge  of  the  dead. 


23  f .  sedes  discriptas :  homes 
set  apart  (separatas),  i.e.  from  the 
place  of  punishment.  So  Vergil 
A.  8,  670  has  secretos  pios.  Note 
the  order  of  progress  :  the  throne 
of  Proserpina,  the  judgment  seat, 
and  after  that  the  Elysian  fields. 
—  Aeoliis:  the  Aeolic  dialect  was 
the  speech  of  Lesbos,  the  home 
of  Horace's  chief  models,  Sappho 
and  Alcaeus,  so  that  this  adjective 
instantly  suggested  to  the  educated 
Roman  these  two  poets.  —  queren- 
tem, etc.  :  because  the  maidens 
of  her  city  were  so  cold  in  love. 

25  ff.  Sappho  :  accusative  - 
sonantem  plenius  :  sounding  a 
fuller  strain.  Alcaeus  sang  of 
war  and  exile,  as  well  as  love.  — 
aureo  .  .  .  plectro :  instrumental 
abl.  The  adjective  marks  the 
splendor  of  Alcaeus'  song.  Cf. 
Quint.  10.  I.  63  Alcaeus  in  parte 
open's  aureo  plectro  nierito  dona- 
fur.  —  fugae  :  exile.  For  the  triple 
anaphora  dura,  dura,  dura,  see 
Intr.  28 c. 


198 


CARMINA 


[2.  '3»  38 


35 


Vtrumque  sacro  digna  silentio 
mirantur  umbrae  dicere  ;  sed  magis 
pugnas  et  exactos  tyrannos 

densum  umeris  bibit  aure  volgus. 

Quid  minim,  ubi  illis  carminibus  stupens 
demittit  atras  belua  centiceps 
auris  et  intorti  capillis 

Eumenidum  recreantur  angues  ? 

Quin  et  Prometheus  et  Pelopis  parens 
dulci  laborem  decipitur  sono, 


29  ff .  utrumque  .  .  .  dicere :  de- 
pendent on  mirantur,  listen  with 
wonder  at.  —  sacro  .  .  .  silentio : 
such  as  was  observed  during  pray- 
ers and  religious  rites.  The  very 
song  is  divine.  The  phrase  is  re- 
produced by  Milton  P.  L.  5,  555 
4  Worthy  of  sacred  silence  to  be 
heard.1  —  sed  magis  :  i.e.  the  com- 
mon crowd  is  stirred  more  by 
Alcaeus1  songs  of  battles  and  civil 
strife  than  by  Sappho's  softer 
strains.  —  exactos  tyrannos:  the 
expulsion  of  tyrants.  Cf.  2.  4,  10. 
Alcaeus  took  part  in  the  struggles 
of  his  native  island  against  the 
tyrants.  One  of  the  fragments  of 
his  poems  (No.  37)  is  an  invec- 
tive against  the  tyrant  Pittacus ; 
another  (No.  20)  a  triumphant  ode 
over  Myrsilus1  death.  Cf.  intro- 
ductory note  to  I,  37. 

32.  densum  umeris  :  crowded 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  in  desire  to 
hf-ar.  —  bibit  aure  :  a  common 
phrase  for  eager  attention.  Prop. 
4,  6,  8  suspenses  auribiis  ista 


bibam ;  Ovid.  Trist.  3,  5,  14  auri- 
biis ilia  bibi;  cf.  Verg.  A.  4,  359 
aitribiis  hausi. 

33.  quid  minim,  ubi :  i.e.  i  what 
wonder  that  the  shades  listened, 
when  even  fierce  Cerberus  and  the 
Furies  relaxed  their  rage.1  —  stu- 
pens :  charmed,  hilled  by. — demittit 
auris :  i.e.  under  the  spell  of  Alcae- 
us' music  he  gives  up  his  fierce- 
ness.— centiceps  :  possibly  Horace 
had  in  mind  the  snakes  about  Cer- 
berus1 head.  —  recreantur  \findrest, 
with  this  strophe  cf.  VergiPs  ac- 
count, G.  4,  481-483,  of  the  power 
of  Orpheus'  song  quin  ipsae  stu- 
pnere  domus  atque  intima  Leti 
|  Tartara  caeruleosque  implexae 
crinibus  anguis  \  Eumenides  tenu- 
itque  inhians  tria  Cerberus  ora. 

37.  quin  et :  introducing  a  still 
greater  marvel.  Cf.  i,  10,  13. — 
Prometheus:  only  Horace  places 
Prometheus'  punishment  in  the 
lower  world.  Cf.  2,  18,  35  :  Epod. 
17,  67.  He  is  probably  chosen 
simply  as  typical  of  those  who 


199 


2,  13,  39]  HORATI 

nec  curat  Orion  leones 
40  aut  timidos  agitare  lyncas. 

suffered  the  severest  punishments  ;  Orion:    Odysseus  on  his   visit   to 

or  was  Horace   following  Maece-  the  lower  world  found  Orion  still 

nas'    Prometheus?  —  Pelopis    pa-  engaged    in    his    favorite    sport, 

rens  :  Tantalus.  Od.  n,  572  f.  TOV  Sf  per'  'fipiwva 

38  ff .    laborem   decipitur :     are  TreAoiptov   ettrevoiycra  |  &ijpa<;  6/u.or 

peguiled  to  forget   their   toil.     In  eiAevvra   /car'  a<r<f>o&e\ov  Act/xwi/u. 

sense  the  phrase  is  like  laborem  Milton  seems  to  have  had  vv.  33-40 

fallere  S.  2,  2,  12.     Probably  de-  in  mind,  P.  L.  2,  552  ff.  'Their  song 

cipitur  is   to   be   regarded    as    a  was  partial,  but  the  harmony  |  Sus- 

middle.       For    the    meaning    of  pended  Hell  and  took  with  ravish- 

labor,  cf.  n.  to  Epod.  17,   64.  —  ment  |  The  thronging  audience. 

14 

A  lament  on  the  fleeting  character  of  life.  'Alas,  good  friend. 
do  what  we  will,  old  age  and  death  come  on  apace.  No  sacrifice  can 
stay  the  hand  of  the  pitiless  lord  of  death  ;  rich  and  poor  alike  must  come 
unto  his  realm,  and  all  thy  efforts  to  avoid  war,  the  sea,  or  fell  disease 
are  vain.  Thou  must  leave  all  behind  that  thou  holdest  now  most  dear. 
Then  thy  stored  wine,  thy  heir,  worthier  than  thou,  will  waste/  In  the 
last  strophe  Horace  in  negative  fashion  returns  to  his  philosophy  of  life, 
•  Seize  the  pleasure  of  the  passing  hour,  and  do  not  waste  your  time  in 
gathering  wealth  you  do  not  use  yourself.  To-morrow  we  all  die  and 
another  wastes  our  savings.' 

The  Postumus  to  whom  the  ode  is  addressed  was  an  imaginary 
personage ;  at  least  the  name  was  so  used  by  Martial  2,  23,  i  f.  non 
dicant,  licet  usque  me  rogetis,  \  quis  sit  Postumus  in  meo  libello,  and 
5,  58,  7  f.  eras  vives?  hodie  iam  vivere,  Postume,  serum  est:  \  ille 
sapit,  quisquis,  Postume,  inxit  heri.  Horace's  thoughts  frequently 
turned  to  death ;  but  this  and  4,  7  are  his  finest  treatments  of  the 
theme.  There  is  no  indication  of  the  date  of  composition.  Metre,  68. 

Eheu  fugaces,  Postume,  Postume, 
labuntur  anni,  nec  pietas  moram 

1-4.  eheu :  the  opening  word  fleeting  character  of  life ;  and  the 
is  a  sigh,  which  indicates  the  repetition  of  the  proper  name 
gloomy  nature  of  the  entire  o(U  .  shows  the  poet's  earnestness.  — 
The  second  word  emphasizes  the  labuntur:  slip  by,  before  we  notice 

200 


CARM1NA 


[2,  14,  10 


rugis  et  instanti  senectae 
adferet  indomitaeque  morti, 

non  si  trecenis  quotquot  eunt  dies^ 
amice,  places  inlacrimabilem 
Plutona  tauris,  qui  ter  amplum 
Geryonen  Tityonque  tristi 

compescit  unda,  scilicet  omnibus, 
quicumque  terrae  munere  vescimur, 


it.  Cf.  Ovid.  Fasti  6,  771  temper  a 
labuntur  tacitisque  senescinuts 
annis.  —  pietas  :  i.e.  toward  the 
gods,  expanded  below  in  vv.  5-7. 
—  rugis  .  .  .  senectae  .  .  .  morti  : 
note  the  climax.  —  instanti  :  cf. 
Sen.  Q.  N.  praef.  3  premit  a 
tergo  senectus.  Mimner.  5, 


—  indomitae  .  .  .  morti  :  i.e.  in- 
domabili)  the  Homeric  'Ai'Sr;;  rot 
d/u.et'Ai^os  178'  dSdpMTTOs  (//.  9, 
158).  Cf.  also  Aeschylus  Frg. 
l6l  /AOVOS  6eS)v  yap  0dvaTos  ov 
Su'tpwv  epu,  |  owS*  av  Ti  dvwv  ovB 
CTrtcTTrevScjv  dvots,  |  ouS'  tfcrri  J3d)fju>s 
ov8e  7rcuuw'£cTai.  '  For  alone 
among  the  gods  death  cares  not 
for  gifts  :  thou  canst  not  stay  him 
a  whit  by  sacrifice  or  libation  ;  no 
altar  has  he  nor  is  he  praised  in 
paean  hymns.' 

5  f  .  non  si  :  no,  not  even  if.  — 
trecenis  .  .  .  tauris  :  three  heca- 
tombs every  day.  —  amice  :  for 
the  short  anacrusis,  cf.  2,  9. 
5.  —  places  :  conative.  —  inla- 
crimabilem :  tearless,  not  moved 
to  tears.  Cf.  n.  to  i,  3,  22. 


The  same  adjective  is  passive  4, 
9,  26. 

7  f .  ter  amplum :  a  translation 
of  the  Greek  Tptcrw/xarov,  which 
Euripides  H.  F.  423  applies  to 
Geryones.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  8,  202 
tergemini  .  .  .  Geryonae.  —  Gery- 
onen :  the  monster  with  three  bod- 
ies whom  Hercules  slew  and  then 
drove  off  his  cattle.  For  a  vase 
painting  illustrating  the  fight,  see 
Baumeister,  p.  662.  —  Tityon :  the 
son  of  earth,  who  offered  violence  to 
Leto.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  595-600.  — 
tristi:  cf.  n.  to  triste lignum  3,  13, 
1 1  ;  Verg.  G.  4,  478  ff.  quos  circum 
limns  niger  et  deformis  arundo  \ 
Cocyti  tardaqne  pains  inamabilis 
itnda  \  alligat,  et  noviens  Styx  in- 
terfusa  coercet. 

9  f .  scilicet  omnibus,  etc. :  which 
all  of  us  in  very  truth ;  dat.  of 
agent  with  enaviganda.  — quicum- 
que terrae,  etc. :  imitated  from  the 
Homeric  phrases  //.  6,  142  /3poroi 
ot  dpouprjs  KapTrov  cSovcrtv,  and  Od. 
8,  222  ocrcroi  vvv  fiporoi  dcnv  etrl 
%0ovl  criTov  ISoi/res-  —  munere  : 
bounty. 


201 


14,11] 


HORATI 


enaviganda,  sive  reges 
sive  inopes  erimus  colonL 

Frustra  cruento  Marte  carebimus 
fractisque  rauci  fluctibus  Hadriae, 
frustra  per  autumnos  nocentem 
corporibus  metuemus  Austrum. 

Visendus  ater  flumine  languido 
Cocytos  errans  et  Danai  genus 
infame  damnatusque  longi 
Sisyphus  Aeolides  laboris. 

Linquenda  tellus  et  domus  et  placens 
uxor,  neque  harum  quas  colis  arborum 


ii  f.  enaviganda  :  an  intensive 
compound  formed  by  Horace  to 
express  the  idea  of  sailing  com- 
pletely across  —  to  the  further 
shore  of — the  gloomy  stream. — 
reges :  the  rich  in  contrast  to  the 
poor  farmers  (coloni).  Cf.  our 
term  '  merchant-princes.'  See 
also  i,  4,  14- 

13  f.  Notice  the  alliteration 
and  assonance  in  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing line.  —  frustra  .  .  .  frus- 
tra :  emphatic  anaphora ;  it  is  all 
in  vain  that  ive  .  .  .  ,  in  vain. 
Intr.  28c.  — carebimus:  try  to 
avoid.  —  rauci :  i.e.  as  the  waves 
break  on  the  shore. 

15  f.  per  autumnos,  etc. :  par- 
ticularly the  latter  part  of  August 
and  the  month  of  September  when 
the  Sirocco  (Austcr)  blows.  — 
corporibus :  with  both  nocentem 
and  tnetuemits.  Intr.  100. 


17  f.  ater . . .  Cocytus :  cf.  Verg. 
G.  4, 478-80  quoted  on  v.  8  above, 
and  A.  6, 132  Cocytosqtiesinu  labens 
circumvenit  atro.  —  genus  infame  : 
because  they  all,  save  Hypermes- 
tra,  killed  their  husbands  on  tne 
wedding  night.  Cf.  3,  n,  23  ff. 
and  notes. 

19  f .  damnatus  .  .  .  laboris  : 
the  genitive  of  the  sentence  in- 
flicted is  here  used  after  the  anal- 
ogy of  the  objective  genitive  of 
the  crime.  —  longi :  in  the  sense 
of  aeterni.  Cf.  2,  16,  30;  3,  11, 
38.  For  an  archaic  vase  painting 
illustrating  the  punishment  of  the 
Danaids  and  Sisyphus,  see  Baum. 
p.  1924. 

21  f.  Possibly  Horace  had  in 
mind  here  Lucretius'  beautiful 
verses,  3,  894  ft",  iamiam  non  do- 
mus accipiet  te  laeta  neque  uxor 
|  optima  nee  Juices  occurrenl 


202 


CARMINA 


te  praeter  invisas  cupressos 

ulla  brevem  dominum  sequetur. 

Absumet  heres  Caecuba  dignior 
servata  centum  clavibus  et  mero 
tinguet  pavimentum  superbo, 
pontificum  potiore  cenis. 


oscnla  nati  \  praeripere  et  tacita 
pectus  dukedine  tangent.  Cf.  also 
Gray's  Elegy  21  ff.  'For  them  no 
more  the  blazing  hearth  shall  burn, 
|  Or  busy  housewife  ply  her  even- 
ing care ;  |  No  children  run  to 
lisp  their  sire's  return,  |  Or  climb 
his  knees  the  envied  kiss  to  share.' 
—  placens  :  beloved.  —  quas  colis  : 
thou  now  prizest. 

23  f.  invisas  cupressos  :  because 
the  cypress  is  the  sign  of  mourn- 
ing. Cf.  Epod.  5,  1 8  cupressos  f  u- 
nebris ;  Whittier, '  Alas  for  him  who 
never  sees  the  stars  shine  through 
his  cypress  trees.1  —  brevem  : 
short-lived.  ( Your  very  trees  out- 
live you.'  Cf.  1,4,  15  vitae  sitmina, 
brevis  spent  nos  vetat  incohare 
longam,  and  Tennyson's  '  little 
lives  of  men.' 

25.  heres:    the    dreaded  heir. 


Cf.  n.  to  2,  3,  19  f.  —  Caecuba  :  cf. 
n.  to  i,  20,  9.  —  dignior:  because 
he  knows  how  to  use  wealth. 
'You  hoard  it.'  With  this  taunt 
Horace  drives  home  his  lesson  of 
the  folly  of  treasuring  one's  pos- 
sessions too  highly. 

26  f .  centum :  an  indefinite  num- 
ber. —  mero  .  .  .  superbo :  the  very 
wine  is  conscious  of  its  excellence 
and  proud  that  it  outlives  man. 
Cf.  Petron.  34  eheul  ergo  diutins 
vivit  vinum  quam  homuncio.  — 
tinguet:  in  his  riotous  commissa- 
tio. 

28.  pontificum :  whose  dinners 
were  proverbial  for  their  luxury 
and  splendor.  Cf.  i,  37,  2  Sa- 
liaribus  .  .  .  dapibus  and  n.  — 
potiore  cenis :  better  than  that 
drunk  at  the,  etc.  A  compendi- 
ous expression.  Cf.  n.  to  2,  6,  14. 


15 

A  protest  against  the  increasing  luxury  of  the  time.  '  Palaces  and 
fish  ponds  now  leave  little  ground  for  cultivation ;  vineyards  and  or- 
chards have  given  way  to  shade  trees  and  flower  beds.  It  was  very 
different  in  the  good  old  days,  when  private  fortunes  were  small  and 
men's  first  care  was  for  the  state :  then  private  houses  were  not  great ; 
public  buildings  and  temples  only  were  of  marble.' 

203 


2,  IS,  I] 


HOKATI 


Such  protests  are  common  to  all  times  of  wealth  and  luxury.  Another 
example  is  3, 6.  Augustus  tried  to  restrain  the  growth  of  private  extrava- 
gance, and  to  restore  the  agricultural  prosperity  of  Italy.  Some  editors 
have  wished,  therefore,  to  connect  this  ode  with  the  date  (28  B.C.)  at 
which  Octavian  assumed  the  duties  of  censor,  and  indeed  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  it  was  written  at  the  emperor's  request.  The  verses  are  stiff, 
and  bear  the  marks  of  being  made  to  order.  The  position  here  after 
14,  from  which  in  some  manuscripts  it  is  not  separated,  is  a  natural  one, 
for  it  continues  the  attack  on  the  folly  of  great  wealth.  The  ode  is, 
however,  wholly  impersonal,  not  even  the  indefinite  second  person  being 
used,  and  lacks  the  poetical  quality  of  14.  Metre,  68. 

lam  pauca  aratro  iugera  regiae 
moles  relinquent ;  undique  latius 
extenta  visentur  Lucrino 

stagna  lacu,  platanusque  caelebs 

5  evincet  ulmos  ;  turn  violaria  et 

myrtus  et  omnis  copia  narium 

i  ff.  Cf.  with  the  the  general  sen-      to  Roman  epicures  were  raised. — 


timent  of  the  ode  Seneca  Epist.  89, 
21  quousque  nullus  erit  lacus,  cut 
non  villarum  vestrarutn  fastigia 
immineant,  nullutn  /lumen,  cuius 
non  ripas  aedificia  vestra  prae- 
texant?  .  .  .  ubicntnqite  in  aliquem 
sinum  litus  curvabitur  vos  proti- 
nus  fundamenta  facietis,  nee  con- 
tent i  solo,  nisi  quod  manii  ftceritis, 
mare  agetis  introrsus  (cf.  C.  2,  18; 
3,  24).  —  regiae  moles :  i.e.  the  pal- 
aces of  the  rich.  Cf.  n.  to  2,  14, 
II,  also  3,  29,  i o,  where  Maecenas' 
city  house  is  called  molent  propin- 
quatn  nubibns  arduis. 

3!.  visentur:  will  be  seen  with 
wonder.  —  Lucrino  .  .  .  lacu :  near 
Baiae,  famous  for  its  oysters  and 
fish.  Cf. n.to Ep»d. 2,49.  —  stagna: 
piscinae,  in  which  the  fish  dear 


platanus  caelebs:  during  the  last 
century  B.C.  the  plane  tree  became 
a  favorite  for  parks  and  gardens. 
Cf.  2,  n,  13.  The  thick  shade 
which  its  broad  leaves  cast  made 
it  unsuited  as  a  support  for  the 
vine  —  therefore  called  caelebs.  Cf. 
n.  to  Epod.  2,  10.  Martial,  3,  58, 
3,  names  it  vidua  platanus. 

5.  evincet:  shall  drive  out. — 
violaria :  violet  beds;  with  the  myr- 
tle— a  flowering  shrub  —  and  other 
sweet-smelling  flowers,  typical  of 
luxury. 

6  ff.  omnis  copia  narium :  all  the 
wealth  (of  flowers)  that  fills  the  nos- 
trils; an  intentionally  artificial  ex- 
pression for  odor,  used  here  to  hint 
at  Horace's  dislike  for  such  elabo- 
rate flower  gardens. — olivetis:  lo- 


204 


CARMINA 


£3,  »5.  18 


1C 


spargent  olivetis  odorem 
fertilibus  domino  priori ; 

turn  spissa  ramis  laurea  fervidos 
excludet  ictus.     Non  ita  Romuli 
praescriptum  et  intonsi  Catonis 
auspiciis  veterumque  norma. 

Privatus  illis  census  erat  brevis, 
commune  magnum  ;  nulla  decempedis 
metata  privatis  opacam 
porticus  excipiebat  Arcton, 

nee  fortuitum  spernere  caespitem 
leges  sinebant,  oppida  publico 


cative  ablative. — fertilibus:  predi- 
cate, that  "were  productive.  With 
the  preceding,  cf.  Quintilian's  ques- 
tion, 8,  3,  8  an  ego  fundum  cul- 
tiorem  putem,  in  quo  niihi  quis 
ostenderit  lilia  et  violas  et  anemo- 
nas,  fontes  surgentes,  quam  ubi 
plena  messis  aut  graves  fructu 
vites  erunt?  sterilem  platanum 
tonsasque  myrtos  quam  maritam 
nlmnm  et  uberes  oleas  praeoptave- 
rim  ? 

gf.  ramis:  instrumental  abl. 
The  laurel  was  trimmed  into  fan- 
ciful shapes,  and  grew  thick  and 
close  (spissa).  —  laurea:  sc. arbor. 
—  ictus:  sc.  soli's.  —  non  ita,  etc.: 
'it  was  different  in  the  good  old 
days.1 — Romuli:  like  Catonis,  modi- 
fying auspiciis. 

1 1 .  praescriptum :  sc.  est.  —  Ca- 
tonis :  Cato  the  Censor,  who  died 
149  B.C..  devoted  his  best  efforts  to 
an  attempt  to  stem  the  modern 


Hellenizing  tendencies  of  his  time; 
as  a  sign  of  his  conservatism  he  is 
said  to  be  bearded,  like  Curius  in  i, 
12,  41.  He  became  typical  of  the 
stern,  old-fashioned  Roman. — au- 
spiciis :  the  example.  The  auspicia 
could  be  taken  only  by  high  magis- 
trates, so  that  the  sentence  means 
—  'when  men  like  a  Romulus  or  a 
Cato  ruled  the  state.' 

1 3  f .  census :  income. — brevis : 
i.e.  the  record  of  their  property 
was  short.  —  nulla,  etc. :  i.e.  as 
nowadays.  —  decempedis :  survey- 
ors1 rods,  perticae,  used  in  measur- 
ing the  new-fashioned  porticoes  of 
private  citizens. — privatis:  gram- 
matically connected  with  decempe- 
dis. but  emphasizing  the  fact  that 
these  are  private  buildings. 

16.  excipiebat:  caught,  i.e. 
opened  to  the  cool  north. 

17  f.  fortuitum:  the  first  chance 
turf  that  came  to  hand,  opposed 


205 


2,  is,  19]  HORATI 

sumptu  iubentes  et  deorum 
20  templa  novo  decorare  saxo. 

to  novo  saxo  v.  20.  —  caespitem:  for  pire.     Pliny  N.  H.  36,  48  says  that 

building  a  simple  altar  (cf.  i,  19,  Mamurra,   in   the   time   of  Julius 

13)  or  for  thatching  roofs.     Verg.  Caesar,   was   the  first   Roman  to 

E.\,(x)congestutncaespiteculmen.  use   marble   slabs   for  lining  the 

—  leges:  i.e.  the  prescriptions  of  walls  of   his    house,  but    marble 

ancient  ritual.  —  oppida:   i.e.  the  columns  had  been  used  in  private 

public  buildings.  —  publico  sumptu:  houses  for  half  a  century  before 

in  contrast  to  the  private  luxury  this  date.     On  the  changes  in  the 

typified  in  14-16.  appearance  of  Rome   during  Au- 

20.  novo.  .  .saxo:  undoubtedly  gustus'  reign,  cf.  his  famous  state- 

marble  is  meant,  which  came  into  ment  (Suet.  Aug.  28)  niannoreain 

use  for  private  dwellings  only  in  se  relinquere  (urbew),  quam  la- 

the  last  half-century  before  the  em-  tericiam  accepisset. 


A  collection  of  sententiae  on  Horace's  favorite  theme  :  '  a  contented 
spirit  is  beyond  all  other  possessions.' 

'  Peace  is  the  prayer  of  all  men  —  the  sailor  on  the  stormy  sea,  the 
warlike  Thracian  and  Mede.  Peace  thou  canst  -not  buy.  Neither  wealth 
nor  power  will  drive  away  men's  wretched  cares.  He  only  lives  well  who 
lives  on  little,  undistressed  by  fear  or  greed.  Why  should  we  move 
from  land  to  land  and  put  forth  our  weak  efforts  ?  Care  follows  hard 
upon  us.  No,  life  is  mingled  sweet  and  bitter,  and  all  things  have  their 
compensation.  Perhaps  the  flitting  hour  gives  me  something  thou  hast 
not.  For  thee  an  hundred  herds  low,  thou  hast  thy  stud  and  royal  pur- 
ple ;  yet  I  possess  my  little  farm,  a  slight  inspiration  for  Greek  verse, 
and  the  power  to  scorn  the  envious.' 

The  Grosphus  here  addressed  is  probably  the  same  Pompeius  Gros- 
phus  recommended  by  Horace,  Epist.  I,  12,  22-24,  to  his  friend  Iccius 
(cf.  introduction  to  t,  29),  when  the  latter  was  managing  Agrippa's 
estates  in  Sicily.  That  Grosphus  also  had  large  possessions  there  is 
evident  from  vv.  33-37,  but  that  he  was  still  a  man  who  could  appreciate 
Horace'?,  expansion  of  his  life's  text  may  be  a  fair  conclusion  from  the 
character  given  him  in  the  epistle  mentioned  above,  nil  nisi  •veriini 
orabit  et  aequum. 

The  exact  chite  of  composition  cannot  be  determined,  but  the  men- 
tion of  Thrace  and  the  Medes  may  point  to  a  date  before  27  H.C.  In 

206 


CARMINA 


[?,  16,  10 


July  of  that  year  M.  Licinius  Crassus  enjoyed  a  triumph  over  the  Thra- 
cians  and  Getae.  In  any  case  the  verses  came  from  the  time  when 
Horace  felt  his  happiness  secured  and  his  position  as  lyric  poet  sure,  so 
that  he  could  scorn  those  who  grudged  him  his  position.  Metre,  69. 


Otium  divos  rogat  in  patenti 
prensus  Aegaeo,  simul  atra  nubes 
condidit  lunam  neque  certa  fulgent 
sidera  nautis ; 

otium  bello  furiosa  Thrace, 
otium  Medi  pharetra  decori, 
Grosphe,  non  gemmis  neque  purpura  ve- 
nale  neque  auro. 

Non  enim  gazae  neque  consularis 
submovet  lictor  miseros  tumultus 


i  f .  otium :  peace,  in  its  widest 
meaning  —  escape  from  the  dan- 
gers of  the  storm,  relief  from  war, 
and  freedom  from  the  anxiety  that 
ambition  brings.  —  patenti :  the 
open . : —  prensus :  caught,  for  the 
more  common  deprensus. — simul : 
cf.  n.  to  I,  4,  17. 

3  f .  certa :  predicate,  with  sure 
and  certain  ligJit.  The  constella- 
tions by  which  the  ancient  sailor 
directed  his  vessel  are  meant  by 
the  general  term,  sidera. 

5  f .  For  the  emphatic  anaphora, 
see  Intr.  28c.  —  bello  furiosa,  etc.: 
Thrace  is  called  by  Vergil  A.  3, 13 
Mavortia  terra. 

7.  purpura:  calling  to  mind  the 
stripe  on  the  praetexta  of  the 
Roman  magistrates,  or  the  '  royal 
purple '  of  kings ;  in  either  case 


symbolizing  power,  —  ve-nale :  for 
close  connection  between  the  third 
and  fourth  verses,  see  n.  to  I,  2,  19. 
Intr.  69. 

9  f .  gazae  .  .  .  lictor :  repeat- 
ing the  thought  of  the  two  preced- 
ing verses  — '  neither  wealth  nor 
power  can  free  the  anxious  mind.'' 
This  is  a  common  moral  senti- 
ment ;  the  most  famous  expres- 
sion of  it  is  by  Lucretius  2,  37-52. 
Cf.  also  Tibull.  3,  3,  21  non  opibits 
tnentes  hoininutn  curaeque  levan- 
tur ;  |  nam  Fortnna  sua  tempora 
lege  regit.  —  submovet :  a  techni- 
cal term  for  clearing  the  road  be- 
fore a  magistrate,  or  making  a 
crowd  'move  on.'  Gf.  Liv.  3, 
48,  3  t.  lictor,  sitbmove  turbam. 
The  figure  is  continued  in  tumul- 
tus. 


207 


2,  16,  ii  J 


HORATI 


20 


mentis  et  curas  laqueata  circum 
tecta  volantis. 

Vivitur  parvo  bene  cui  paternum 
splendet  in  mensa  tenui  salinum 
nee  levis  somnos  timor  aut  cupido 
sordidus  aufert. 

Quid  brevi  fortes  iaculamur  aevo 
niulta  ?     Quid  terras  alio  calentis 
sole  mutamus  ?     Patriae  quis  exsul 
se  quoque  f  ugit  ? 


ii.  laqueata  .  .  .  tecta:  pan- 
eled ceilings,  of  the  rich  man's 
house,  round  which  cares  batlike 
flit.  'Wealth  brings  anxiety  with 
it.'  Cf.  Sen.  H.  O.  646  f.  aurea 
ruinpunt  tecta  quietem  \  vigilesqne 
trahit  purpura  nodes. 

13  f.  vivitur,  etc. :  sc.  ab  eo ; 
he  lives  -well  on  little,  etc.  —  bene  : 
well  and  happily.  —  paternum  .  .  . 
salinum :  the  one  piece  of  family 
plate  on  his  modest  board  is  the 
sacred  saltcellar  kept  brightly 
polished.  In  the  old  days  of 
Rome's  greatness  a  saltcellar  and 
a  plate  for  offerings  to  the  gods 
were  all  the  silver  that  a  Fabri- 
cius  or  an  Aemilius  possessed. 
Val.  Max.  4,  4,  3  in  C.  Fabricii  et 
Q.  Aemilii  Papi,  principum  sae- 
culi  SHI,  domibus  argentum  fuisse 
confitear  oportet:  uterqne  enint 
Patellavi  deorum  et  salinum  ha- 
buit.  The  saltcellar  is  used  by 
Persius  3,  24  ff.  as  typical  of 
'little  and  enough,'  sed  rure  pa- 


ter no  |  esttibi far  modicum,  pur  urn 
et  sine  labe  salinum :  \  quid  ine- 
tuas  ?  Notice  that  Horace  is 
commending  not  poverty,  but 
small  estate  as  the  proper  envi- 
ronment for  happiness.  It  is  the 
desirable  aurea  mediocritas  again. 

15.  levis  somnos :  cf.  n.  to  2, 
ii,  8  faciletn  soinnum,  and  to 
Epod.  2, 28.  —  cupido :  always  mas- 
culine in  Horace,  in  other  writers 
generally  feminine  except  when 
personified. 

17!.  brevi  .  .  .  aevo:  the  jux- 
taposition of  brevi  and  the  ironi- 
cal fortes,  so  brave,  lends  a  certain 
concessive  force  to  this  ablative, 
despite  our  fife's  brief  span.  — 
multa  :  emphatically  placed.  — 
quid  .  .  .  mutamus  :  sc.  patria. 
For  the  construction,  see  Intr. 
98. 

20.  fugit  :  perfect,  has  ever, 
etc.  With  the  sentiment  cf.  Epist. 
i,  ii,  27  caelum.  non  animum 
mutant,  qui  trans  ntare  currunt. 


208 


CARM1NA 


O, 


Scandit  aeratas  vitiosa  navis 
Cura  nee  turmas  equitum  relinquit, 
ocior  cervis  et  agente  nimbos 
ocior  Euro. 

Laetus  in  praesens  animus  quod  ultra  est 
oderit  curare,  et  amara  lento 
temperet  risu  :  nihil  est  ab  omni 
parte  beatum. 

Abstulit  clarum  cita  mors  Achillem, 
longa  Tithonum  minuit  senectus, 
et  mihi  forsan  tibi  quod  negarit 
porriget  hora. 


Sen.  Epist.  28,  2  quaeris,  quare 
te  fuga  ista  non  adiuvet?  tecum 
fugis;  and  Emerson  Self-Reli- 
ance, '  1  pack  my  trunk  .  .  .  and 
at  last  wake  up  in  Naples,  and 
there  beside  me  is  the  stern  fact, 
the  sad  self,  unrelenting,  identi- 
cal, that  I  fled  from.1 

21-24.  An  amplification  of  the 
preceding  two  verses  — '  neither 
ship  nor  horse  is  swift  enough  to 
escape  pursuing  care.'  The  same 
idea  is  better  expressed  3,  i,  37  ff. 
—  aeratas  :  bronze-beaked.  —  viti- 
osa :  carking,  morbid.  —  ocior  .  .  . 
ocior:  emphasizing  the  swiftness 
with  which  care  moves.  Intr.  28c. 

25.  '  Take  with  joy  the  present 
hour,  do  not  be  "  careful "  of  to- 
morrow.1 Cf.  with  the  injunction 
contained  in  the  subject  laetus 
.  .  .  animus,  3,  8, 27  f.  donaprae- 
sentis  cape  laetus  horae  ac  \  lin- 

HOR.  CAR.  —  14  209 


que  severa.  —  oderit :  subjunctive, 
shrink  from.  —  lento  :  quiet,  as 
befits  a  man  who  knows  how  to 
meet  life's  changes. 

29  ff.  Concrete  illustration  of 
the  general  statement  in  v.  27  f. 
—  clarum:  glorious.  Notice  its 
position  next  to  cita  mors,  'for 
all  his  glory  death  came  quickly.1 

30.  The  opposite  fate  of  Titho- 
nus.  Cf.  n.  to  1,28,8.  —  longa: 
i.e.  aeterna,  as  2,  14,  19. 

31  f .  et  mihi :  Horace  here,  as 
frequently,  drives  home  his  state- 
ments by  personal  illustrations  at 
the  close.  The  following  two 
strophes  give  the  details  of  the 
bold  comparison  between  himself 
and  Grosphus.  The  contrast  is 
modestly  put.  but  the  poefs  pride 
rings  in  the  last  words,  malignum 
spernere  volgus.  —  tibi :  with  nega- 
rit. —  hora :  the  chance  hour. 


2,  1 6,  33] 


HORATI 


35 


40 


Te  greges  centum  Siculaeque  circum 
mugiunt  vaccae,  tibi  tollit  hinnitum 
apta  quadrigis  equa,  te  bis  Afro 
murice  tinctae 

vestiunt  lanae  :  mihi  parva  rura  et 
spiritum  Graiae  tenuem  Camenae 
Parca  non  mendax  dedit  et  malignum 
spernere  volgus. 


33-36.  te  .  .  .  tibi  .  .  .  te  : 
making  Grosphus'  wealth  promi- 
nent in  comparison  with  Horace's 
parva  rura.  —  centum  :  like  mille 
a  round  number.  —  hinnitum  : 
whinny.  For  the  hypermetric 
verse,  see  Intr.  69.  —  equa  :  cf. 
Verg.  G.  i,  59  Eliaditm  palmas 
.  .  .  eq  itar  it  in. — bis  .  .  .  tinc- 
tae :  tu'ice  dyed,  the  Greek  8i'.fia<f>a, 
a  technical  term.  Cf.  Epod,  12,21 
niuricibiis  Tyriis  iteratae  vellera 
lanae.  —  Afro  murice  :  the  shell- 
fish from  which  the  scarlet  dye  was 
obtained  was  found  on  the  coast  of 
Africa  as  well  as  on  the  southern 
shore  of  the  Peloponnesus. 

37  f.  Note  the  modest  parva, 
tenuem.  For  the  meaning  of  the 


latter  here,  cf.  i,  6,  9  nee  conamut 
tenues  grandia.  —  spiritum :  in- 
spiration.—  Camenae:  identified 
completely  with  the  Greek  Mowa. 
Cf.  i,  12,  39. 

39  f .  non  mendax :  who  does 
not  deceive,  true.  A  stock  epi- 
thet. Cf.  C.  S.  2$  -veraces  ceci- 
nisse  Parcae.  Pers.  5,  48  Parca 
tenax  vert.  —  spernere  :  in  the 
same  construction  as  rura,  spiri- 
tum. Horace's  rise  in  the  world 
aroused  much  envy  and  ill-natured 
comment  among  those  of  better 
birth  but  poorer  talents.  That 
he  was  sensitive  to  this  is  shown  by 
his  references  here  and  elsewhere, 
and  his  pride  is  most  natural.  Cf. 
2,  20,  4  invidia  tttator,  and  n. 


17 

The  following  ode  seems  to  have  been  called  forth  by  Maecenas' 
gloomy  forebodings  that  his  end  was  near.  He  was  a  great  sufferer 
from  insomnia  and  fever,  but  shrank  from  death.  The  verses  open  with 
a  rebuke,  but  presently  become  an  assurance  of  the  deepest  affection  : 
the  very  gods  have  willed  that  the  poet  shall  not  outlive  his  friend. 
Moreover,  the  hour  set  by  the  Fates  is  not  yet  come,  else  Maecenas  had 
not  recovered  from  his  last  illness  and  Faunus  had  not  saved  Horace  from 
the  falling  tree.  So  then  they  both  must  offer  to  the  gods  the  sacrifices  due. 


CARMINA 


[2,  17,  10 


Horace's  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  for  he  outlived  Maecenas  but  a  short 
time ;  both  died  in  8  B.C.  The  date  of  the  occasions  referred  to  in 
25  ff.  is  30  B.C.  Cf.  i,  20,  3  ff. ;  2,  13.  The  ode  was  probably  written 
soon  after.  Metre,  68. 

Cur  me  querellis  exanimas  tuis  ? 
Nee  dis  amicum  est  nee  mihi  te  prius 
obire,  Maecenas,  mearum 

grande  decus  columenque  rerum. 

5  A,  te  meae  si  partem  animae  rapit 

maturior  vis,  quid  moror  altera, 
nee  carus  aeque  nee  superstes 
integer?     I  lie  dies  utramque 

ducet  ruinam.     Non  ego  perfidum 
10  dixi  sacramentum  :  ibimus,  ibimus, 


i  f .  exanimas :  half  kill  me.  Cf. 
Epod.  14,  5  occidis  saepe  rogando. 

—  amicum  est :   the  Greek  <jf>i Aoi/ 
eori,  equivalent  to  placet. 

3  f.   obire  :  sc.  diem  supreimim. 

—  grande  decus  columenque  :  cf.  i, 
i ,  2  o  et  praesidiutn  et  dulce  decus 
meum.     The   figure   is    old,    e.g. 
Pindar  O.  2, 89  calls  Hector  Tpoazs 
Kt'ova,   but    Horace   invented  this 
phrase,  which   in   his  verse  is  no 
mere  formal  expression.     It  was 
adopted  by  the  later  poets,  Auso- 
nius,  Prudentius,  and  Apollinaris 
Sidonius.     Cf.  e.g.  the  last's  C.  23, 
2  Consenti  columen  decusque  mo- 
rum.  —  mearum  .   .  .  rerum :    TO. 
lfj.d,  me  and  all  1  have. 

5  f.  partem  animae :  sc.  al- 
terant, i.e.  the  half.  Cf.  the  term 
of  affection  applied  to  Vergil  i,  3. 
8  animae  dimidinm  meae.  —  ma- 


turior: too  early,  untimely.  —  vis: 
the  same  as  2,  13,  19  impro-visa 
leti  vis.  —  altera :  sc.  pars,  predi- 
cate to  moror. 

7  f .  carus  :  i.e.  mihi.  —  aeque  : 
'  as  before  thou  wert  snatched 
away.' — superstes:  modifying  both 
carus  and  integer.  —  integer :  for 
half  his  life  will  then  be  gone.  — 
utramque :  with  possessive  force, 
equivalent  to  utramque  nostrum  ru- 
inam. Cf.  the  full  form  v.  2 1  below. 

9.  ducet :  with  a  reminiscence 
of  the  figure  in  columen,  will  drag 
down.  Cf.  traho  in  the  same 
sense  Verg.  A.  2,  465  (t  arris) 
elapsa  repente  ruinam  cum  sonitu 
trahit.  —  non  ego  :  both  emphatic. 
Cf.  n.  to  i,  1 8,  u.  The  negative 
affects  perfidum  alone. 

10  f.  dixi  sacramentum :  the 
technical  term  for  the  soldier's 


211 


2,  17, 


HORATI 


»5 


20 


utcumque  praecedes,  supremum 
carpere  iter  comites  parati. 

Me  nee  Chimaerae  spiritus  igneae 
nee,  si  resurgat,  centimanus  Gyas 
divellet  umquam  ;  sic  potenti 
lustitiae  placitumque  Parcis. 

Seu  Libra  seu  me  Scorpios  adspicit 
formidulosus,  pars  violentior 
natalis  horae,  seu  tyrannus 
Hesperiae  Capricornus  undae, 


oath  of  allegiance  to  his  com- 
mander, by  which  he  bound  him- 
self to  follow  wherever  he  might 
lead.  —  ibimus,  ibimus  :  the  repe- 
tition marks  Horace's  earnestness. 
Intr.  28a. — utcumque:  temporal, 
as  always  in  Horace.  Cf.  i,  17, 10. 

13 f.  Chimaerae:  cf.  n.  to  i,  27, 
23.  —  igneae:  cf.  Pindar  O,  13,  90 
\ifjuiipav  Trvp  Trviotcrav.  —  si  resur- 
gat :  i.e.  from  beneath  the  earth  to 
confront  me.  — Gyas :  like  Briareus 
(//.  i,  401-405)  a  hundred-handed 
giant,  son  of  Uranus  and  Earth. 

15 f.  divellet:  sc.  a  te.  —  lusti- 
tiae: the  Greek  Themis.  —  placi- 
tumque :  for  the  position  of  the 
conjunction,  see  Intr.  31. 

17  S.  '  It  matters  not  what  stars 
presided  over  my  natal  hour,  our 
horoscopes  agree  in  marvelous 
fashion.'  This  reference  to  as- 
trology is  an  indulgence  to  Mae- 
cenas1 belief  in  the  art.  for  Horace 
had  no  faith  in  the  numeri  of  the 
Babylonians  ( i .  1 1 ) .  —  Scorpios 
.  .  .  formidulosus :  the  adjective 


is  apt,  for  under  this  sign  warriors 
were  born.  Cf.  Manil.  4,  220  f. 
in  helium  ardent  is  animos  et  Mar- 
tia  castra  \  efficit  (sc.  Scorpios)  et 
mnltum  gaudentem  sanguine 
ci-vem.  Libra,  however,  gave  a 
more  favorable  destiny.  Cf.  Manil. 
4,  548  felix  aequato  genitus  sub 
Ponder e  Librae'.  —  adspicit :  the 
present  is  used  since  astrologers 
taught  that  the  constellation  which 
presided  over  the  child's  birth 
affected  him  through  life.  —  pars 
violentior :  the  member  (any  one 
of  the  three  constellations  named) 
•with  greater  power.  —  tyrannus, 
etc. :  the  various  quarters  of  the 
earth  were  assigned  to  the  differ- 
ent signs  of  the  zodiac ;  the  sys- 
tem of  astrology  current  in  the 
early  empire  gave  Capricornus 
the  western  part  of  the  world. 
Cf.  Manil.  4,  791  ff.  tit,  Capricorne. 
regis,  quicquid  sub  sole  cadente  I 
est  positum,  gelidamque  Helicen 
quod  tangit  ah  illo,  \  Hispanas 
gentes  et  quot  fert  Gallia  dives 


212 


CARMINA 


[2,  17.3« 


utrumque  nostrum  incredibili  modo 
consentit  astrum  :  te  lovis  impio 
tutela  Saturno  refulgens 
eripuit  volucrisque  fati 

tardavit  alas,  cum  populus  frequens 
laetum  theatris  ter  crepuit  sonum ; 
me  truncus  inlapsus  cerebro 
sustulerat,  nisi  Faunus  ictum 

dextra  levasset,  Mercurialium 
custos  virorum.     Reddere  victimas 


ai  ff.  utrumque,  etc. :  cf.  n.  to  v. 
8  above.  —  consentit  :  the  passage 
is  imitated  by  Persius  5,  45  f.  non 
eqnidem  hoc  dnbites,  amborum 
foedere  certo  \  consentire  dies  et 
ab  uno  sidere  duci.  —  te  :  the  con- 
trasted me  follows  v.  27.  'Thou 
art  under  the  protection  of  supreme 
Jove.'  Possibly  in  Maecenas' 
horoscope  Jupiter  was  in  the  as- 
cendant.—  impio  .  .  .  Saturno: 
connect  with  both  refulgens  and 
eripuit.  According  to  the  as- 
trology of  the  time  Saturn's  influ- 
ence was  baneful.  Cf.  Prop.  5,  I, 
84  grave  Saturni  sidus  in  ovine 
caput ;  and  our  '  jovial '  and  '  sat- 
urnine.' —  refulgens  :  flashing  out 
against.  Jupiter  offsets  Saturn's 
power  to  harm. 

24.  volucris  :  with  alas. — fati: 
here  equivalent  to  mortis.  Cf.  .S". 
2,  i,  58  sen  mors  atris  circunrvo- 
lat  a/is. 

25  f .  cum  .  .  .  crepuit :  the 
date  was  30  B.C.  For  the  occa- 
sion, see  n.  to  i,  20, 4.  —  theatris  : 


locative  abl. — ter:  a  stock  num- 
ber. Cf.  Prop.  4.  9,  4  Camenae 
.  .  .  manibus  faustos  ter  crepuere 
sonos. 

27  f.   me  truncus,  etc. :   cf.   2, 
13.  —  sustulerat:     the    indicative 
emphasizes  the  certainty  of  Hor- 
ace's   fate    which    was    suddenly 
averted  by  Faunus.     Cf.  3,  16,3. 

28  f.   Faunus  :  the  kindly  wood- 
land  spirit,   who    loved    to    visit 
Horace's  farm  and  to  care  for  his 
flocks  (i,  17),  is  named  here  as 
protector.     The  Muses  hold  this 
position  3,  4,  27  ;   Liber  3,  8,  7.  — 
Mercurialium,    etc. :    Mercury    as 
god  of  speech  and  inventor  of  the 
lyre  (3,  11.  I  ff.)  is  here  made  the 
guardian  of  poets.     Ordinarily  the 
phrase  means  the  devotees  of  Mer- 
cury, the  god  of  gain,  as  S.  2,  3, 
24  f.    hcrtos    egregiasque    donws 
mercarier  units   cum  lucro  noram  : 
unde  frequentia  Mercuriale  \  in- 
posuere  mihi  cognomen  compita. 

30.    reddere :    to   pay,   because 
the  offering  vowed  is  due  the  gods. 


213 


2,  17,  3O  HORATI 

aedemque  votivam  memento ; 
nos  humilem  feriemus  agnam. 

Cf.  2,  7,  17  ergo  obligatam  redde  in  their  estate.     So  Horace  says 

lovidapem. —  victimas :  i.e.  many  (4,   2,    53   f.)   to   his   rich   friend 

large  cattle.  Julius   Antonius  te    decem    taun 

32.    humilem  .  .  .  agnam :   in  totidemque  vaccae,  \  me  tener  sol- 

playful  reference  to  the  difference  vet  vitulus. 


18 

'No  lordly  pile  or  fortune  great  is  mine,  but  a  kind  poetic  gift,  a 
little  farm,  are  all  that  I  possess.  'Tis  quite  enough  for  me.  But  you, 
though  life  is  insecure,  still  build  your  palaces  and  grudge  the  very 
sea  its  shore ;  you  drive  your  poor  clients  from  their  homes  that  you 
may  satisfy  your  greed  for  land.  Your  sure  home  is  the  halls  of  Death  ; 
Earth's  doors  open  for  rich  and  poor  alike.  No  bribes  move  the  grim 
ferryman.' 

This  ode  handles  again  Horace's  favorite  theme  —  the  vanity  of 
riches  and  ambition,  the  wisdom  of  the  golden  mean.  The  same  senti- 
ments are  expressed  I,  31  ;  2,  16;  3,  1,40-48.  24,  i  ff.  As  frequently 
elsewhere  he  takes  his  own  case  as  an  illustration  of  the  ideal  lot,  in 
which  man  is  content  with  his  moderate  estate,  and  contrasts  it  with 
that  of  the  rich  man  whose  greed  defies  the  sacred  laws  of  nature  and 
of  man.  Horace  has  no  individual  in  mind,  but  with  his  fondness  for 
concrete  statement  gives  his  verses  a  dramatic  turn  by  the  direct  form 
of  address.  His  model  may  have  been  a  poem  of  Hacchylides,  l-'rg.  21 
111.  ou  ftofav  TrcipetTTi  (rw/xar',  oirre  xpu<ros,  I  ovrf.  wop<t>vptoi  raTTr/res,  | 
a\Aa  OvfJios  ev/u.€V7/s  |  Movcra  re  yA.UK€ta,  KOI  fiouaTtouriv  \  eV 

ri8vf.     The  date  of  composition  is  uncertain.     Metre  (only  here), 
82. 

Non  ebur  neque  aureum 

mea  renidet  in  domo  lacunar, 

1-5.    Horace  has  in  mind  the  eburneum ;   ivory  and  gold   were 

splendid  atria  adorned  with  rare  used   to   adorn    the  panels  (lacit- 

marbles  which  the  rich  had  begun  nart'a)  of  the  atrium.     Cf.  Lucr. 

to  build  toward  the  end  of  the  Re-  2,  27  f.  nee  dotntis  argento  fiilgft 

public.     Cf.    n.    to  2,    15,   20.  auroque  renidet     nee  citharae  re- 

ebur:     equivalent    to    the    prose  boant  laqueata    aurataqtie   tecta. 

214 


CARMINA 


[2,  1 8,  14 


!0 


non  trabes  Hymettiae 

premunt  columnas  ultima  recisas 
Africa,  neque  Attali 

ignotus  heres  regiam  occupavi, 
nee  Laconicas  mihi 

trahunt  honestae  purpuras  clientae  ; 
at  fides  et  ingeni 

benigna  vena  est,  pauperemque  dives 
me  petit :  nihil  supra 

deos  lacesso  nee  potentem  amicum 
largiora  flagito, 

satis  beatus  unicis  Sabinis. 


3  f.  The  architraves  of  this 
splendid  atrium  are  made  of  the 
bluish  white  marble  from  Mt.  Hy- 
mettus ;  the  columns  of  yellow 
giallo  antico  from  Numidia. 

5  f .  neque  Attali,  etc.  :  the  in- 
heritance of  great  fortunes  by  per- 
sons not  related  to  the  testator 
was  already  known  in  Horace's 
day.  In  the  following  century 
inheritance  hunting  became  a  busi- 
ness. The  ancient  commentators 
believed  that  Horace  here  ex- 
pressed his  disapproval  of  the  in- 
heritance by  the  Romans  of  King 
Attalus1wealthini33B.c.  Whether 
this  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain 
that  many  of  the  conservative  Ro- 
mans dated  the  introduction  of 
luxury  and  the  consequent  degen- 
eracy at  Rome  from  this  time.  — 
ignotus  :  i.e.  to  the  testator.  The 
heir  has  no  right  to  the  fortune  lie 
greedily  seizes. — occupavi:  note 
the  greed  expressed  in  this  word. 


7  f .  '  Nor  am  I  so  rich  that  I 
have  high-born  clients  to  spin  me 
robes  dyed  with  the  purple.1  — 
Laconicas  :  the  murex  from  which 
the  purple  dye  was  obtained  was 
found  in  great  abundance  on  the 
shore  of  the  island  Cythera  and 
along  the  Laconian  coast. 

9  f.  at :  marking  the  sharp 
transition  to  what  the  poet  does 
possess.  —  benigna  :  kindly.  - 
pauperemque,  etc.  :  instead  of 
going  to  the  rich  man's  house  to 
give  him  the  morning  greeting 
(salutatio),  Horace  is  visited  in 
his  humble  home  by  the  rich  who 
honor  his  poetic  talent. 

12.  lacesso :  vex  with  my  de- 
mands ;  with  two  accusatives  as 
a  verb  of  asking.  —  amicum:  Mae- 
cenas, as  is  shown  by  v.  14. 

14.  satis  beatus  :  enriched 
enough ;  beatus  has  here  an  original 
participial  sense.  Cf.  Epod.  i,  31  f. 
satis  sitperque  me  benignitas  tua  \ 


215 


2,  i8,  15] 


HORATI 


20 


25 


Truditur  dies  die 

novaeque  pergunt  interire  lunae : 
tu  secanda  marmora 

locas  sub  ipsum  funus,  et  sepulcri 
immemor  struis  domes, 

marisque  Bais  obstrepentis  urges 
submovere  litora, 

parum  locuples  continente  ripa. 
Quid  quod  usque  proximos 

revellis  agri  terminos  et  ultra 
limites  clientium 

salis  avarus  ?     Pellitur  paternos 


ditavit.  —  unicis  Sabinis  :  my  one 
dear  Sabinefarm.  For  this  mean- 
ing of  unicus,  cf.  3,  14,  5  unico 
marito. 

15  ff .  '  Time  hurries  on,  and 
yet  you  are  unmindful  of  your  ap- 
proaching end.'  —  truditur  :  cf. 
Epod.  17,  25  urget  diem  nox  et  dies 
noclem,  and  also  Petron.  45  quod 
hodie  non  est,  eras  erit:  sic  vita 
truditur.  —  interire:  Intr.  107. 

17  f.  tu:  emphatic,  still  you. 
—  secanda  .  .  .  locas :  a  technical 
expression  for  letting  out  a  con- 
tract ;  the  work  to  be  done  being 
expressed  by  the  gerundive.  —  mar- 
mora :  i.e.  slabs  to  adorn  the  walls. 
Cf.  n.  to  2,  15,  20.  —  sub:  almost 
with  concessive  force,  •  though 
you  are  on  the  very  brink  of.1 

19.  domos:  in  contrast  to  sepul- 
cri,—  'you  should  be  thinking  of 
your  tomb.' 

20 ff.  Bais:  dat.  with  obstrepen- 
tis. The  town,  situated  about  ten 


miles  northwest  of  Naples,  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  Romans  of  this 
time.  —  urges  submovere :  strive 
to  push  out.  The  rich  man  is  not 
content  with  the  natural  shore  line, 
but  must  push  out  his  seaside  villa 
into  the  very  sea.  Seneca,  de tran- 
quil. 3, 7,  uses  the  same  expression 
as  typifying  luxury,  incipiemus  ae- 
dificia  alia  ponere*  alia  subvert  ere 
et  mare  summm>ere. — parum:  cf. 
n.  to  I,  12,  59.  — continente  ripa  : 
abl.  abs.,  so  long  as  the  shore  re- 
strains you. 

23  ff.  quid  quod :  a  rhetorical  tran- 
sition to  a  new  point ;  quid  direct- 
ing the  attention  to  the  substantive 
clause  that  follows.  Cf.  Epod.  I, 
5  quid  nos.  —  usque:  still,  used  to 
express  the  continuation  and  repe- 
tition of  the  action. —revellis:  a 
strong  word  to  express  the  man's 
unscrupulous  greed.  Cf.  salis  v.  26. 
The  ordinary  t/iovere,  exarare 
would  be  colorless  here.  To  move 


216 


CARMINA 


[2,  1 8,  36 


35 


in  sinu  ferens  decs 

et  uxor  et  vir  sordidosque  natos. 
Nulla  certior  tamen 

rapacis  Orel  fine  destinata 
aula  divitem  manet 

erum.     Quid  ultra  tendis  ?     Aequa  tellus 
pauperi  recluditur 

regumque  pueris,  nee  satelles  Orci 
callidum  Promethea 

revexit  auro  captus.     Hie  superbum 


the  boundary  stone  without  war- 
rant was  an  act  of  the  greatest 
impiety.  Cf.  Paul.  p.  368  Numa 
Pompilius  statuit  eum  qui  termi- 
num  exarasset  et  ipsmn  et  boves 
sacros  (accursed)  esse ;  and  Deu- 
teronomy, 27, 17  'Cursed  be  he  that 
removeth  his  neighbour's  land- 
mark.' —  ultra  limites,  etc. :  the  sa- 
cred duty  of  patron  toward  client 
likewise  has  no  weight  with  such  a 
man.  The  laws  of  the  Twelve 
Tables  condemned  the  patron 
who  should  do  his  client  wrong, 

PATRONVS  SI  CLIENTI  FRAVDEM 
FECERIT,  SACER  ESTO. 

26  ff.  salis :  cf.  revellis  v.  24  and 
I,  3,  24  transiliunt.  Horace  may 
have  seen  an  eviction  like  this  in 
his  own  district. — pellitur:  for 
the  number,  see  Intr.  101.  —  pater- 
nos  .  .  .  decs:  the  little  images  of 
his  household  gods  are  all  that  the 
evicted  client  now  possesses.  —  sor- 
didos:  ragged. 

29.  tamen:  'in  spite  of  all  thy 
wealth  and  unrestrained  greed,  no 
palace  is  so  sure  for  thee  as  Orcus1 


hall.'  —  fine  .  .  .  destinata:  to  be 
taken  together ;  ablative  with  cer- 
tior.  It  is  the  end  which  Orcus 
fixes  ;  the  Greek  Oavaroio  reXevn/j. 
finis  is  feminine  only  here  and 
Epod.  17,  36. 

30.  rapacis  Orci:  the  adjective 
is  emphatic — the  rapacity  of  Orcus 
outdoes  that  of  the  greedy  rich  at 
last. 

31  f.  divitem . . .  erum:  in  sharp 
contrast  to  the  position  which  he 
will  presently  hold.  '  Now  thou 
art  rich  and  lord,  but  in  Orcus' 
home  thy  riches  will  not  help  thee.' 
—  ultra :  i.e.  '  strive  to  gain  more 
than  thou  now  possessest.' — ae- 
qua :  impartially,  without  distinc- 
tion. Cf.  i,  4,  I3f.  pallida  mors 
aequo  pulsat  pede  pauper  um  taber- 
nas  |  regumque  turris. 

34  ff .  pueris :  equivalent  tofiliis ; 
for  the  metre,  cf.  Intr.  56.  —  nee 
satelles  Orci.  etc. :  an  attempt  by 
Prometheus  to  bribe  Charon  to 
ferry  him  back  is  referred  to  only 
here.  Cf.  n.  to  2,  13,  37. — calli- 
dum :  predicate,  for  all  his  clever- 


2,  1 8,  37] 


HORATI 


Tantalum  atque  Tantali 

genus  coercet,  hie  levare  functum 
pauperem  laboribus 

vocatus  atque  non  vocatus  audi 

from 


ness;  imitated  from  the  Greek 
aioA.6/Ai/Tis,  dyKuAo/tiT/TT/i,  epithets 
applied  to  Prometheus. 

37  ff.  Tantali  genus :  Pelops, 
Atreus.  Agamemnon,  and  Orestes. 
—  levare:  Intr.  107.  —  functum"... 
laboribus :  done  with  life's  toils. 
Cf.  the  Greek  6avovra  KCU  TTOI/WV 


40.  Crfr— rtesop's   fable,   '  Death 
and  the  Old  Man,'  and  Suidas  s.i>. 


TOS  6  0eos  Trape'oTui.  Horace  gives 
the  phrase  a  somewhat  different 
turn  in  applying  it  to  the  poor. 
Note  the  oxymoron  in  non  vocatus 
audit.  Cf.  the  opposite  3,  7,  21  f. 
scopnlis  sttrdior  Icari  voces  audit. 


19 

In  dithyrambic  strains  Horace  hymns  the  power  of  Bacchus.  He  pre- 
tends that  he  has  unexpectedly  discovered  the  god  in  a  retired  spot,  and 
then  filled  with  a  divine  frenzy  bursts  into  song,  celebrating  the  deeds 
and  attributes  of  the  divinity  who  has  inspired  him.  Much  of  the  ode 
was  probably  suggested  by  Euripides1  Bacchae.  It  may  be  compared 
with  the  praise  of  Mercury  i,  10;  cf.  also  the  beginning  of  3,  25.  The 
date  of  composition  is  uncertain.  Metre,  68. 

Bacchum  in  remotis  carmina  rupibus 
vidi  docentem,  credite  posted, 
Nymphasque  discentis  et  auris 
capripedum  Satyrorum  acutas. 

i  f .  remotis  . . .  rupibus :  i.e.  far      eating  the  eagerness  with   which 


from  the  busy  paths  of  men.  The 
lonely  mountain  tops  are  Bacchus' 
favorite  haunt.  Cf.  Soph.  O.  T. 
1105  o  BaK^ao?  0eos  vuiwv  lir' 
U.K()MV  optwv.  —  carmina :  hymns, 
dithyrambic  verses  in  his  honor. 

2  ff.  Cf.  1,1,31.  —  Nymphas :  who 
nursed  the  infant  Bacchus.  — auris 
. . .  acutas :  the  pricked  ears ;  indi- 


they  listen,  rather  than  calling  at- 
tention to  the  shape  of  the  satyrs' 
ears.  —  capripedum :  the  character- 
istics of  Pan  (rpuyoTrot's.  aiyiTroS^j. 
Tpuytxr/ctA^s)  and  the  Panisci  are 
here  transferred  to  the  satyrs,  as  by 
Lucretius  4,  580  f.  haec  loca  capri- 
pedes  satyros  nymphasque  tenere  I 
fin  Hi  HI  i  fin  git  nt '. 


218 


CARMINA 


[2,  19,  12 


Euhoe,  recenti  mens  trepidat  metu 
plenoque  Bacchi  pectore  turbidum 
laetatur ;  euhoe,  parce  Liber, 
parce  gravi  metuende  thyrso ! 

Fas  pervicacis  est  mihi  Thyiadas 
vinique  f  on  tern  lactis  et  uberes 
cantare  rivos  atque  truncis 
lapsa  cavis  iterare  mella ; 


5  f.  The  sight  of  the  god  has 
filled  the  poet  with  mingled  fear 
and  joy  and  raised  him  to  ecstasy, 
n  which  he  joins  in  the  Bacchanal 
cry  euhoe,  euhoe  (euoi).  Cf.  2,  1 1, 
17.  —  trepidat:  the  sight  of  a  divin- 
ity was  always  fearful  to  mortals. 
Cf.  //.  20,  131  ^aAeTroi  8e  Ocoi 
fyawiaOai  ei/apyets-  —  pleno  . .  .  pec- 
tore  :  the  god  possesses  him  fully. 
Cf.  3,  25,  i  quo  we,  fiacche,  rapis 
tui  plenum?  luv.  7,  62  satur  est 
cum  dicit  Horatius  enoe. — turbi- 
dum: accusative  expressing  the 
manner  of  his  joy;  cf.  2,  12,  14 
liicidum  fulgentis  oculos. 

7  f.  parce . . .  parce :  in  eager  ap- 
peals to  the  god  to  spare  him  the 
maddening  touch  of  the  thyrsus. 
—  gravi  metuende  thyrso:  cf.  I,  12, 
23  metuende  cert  a  Phoebe  sagitta. 

g.  fas . . .  est,  etc. :  without  fur- 
ther warning  the  ecstatic  poet  be- 
gins his  song,  for  the  vision  has 
given  him  certain  inspiration. — 
pervicacis :  the  never  tiring*  persis- 
tent. Cf.  Epod.  17,  14  where  the 
adjective  is  applied  to  Achilles.— 
Thyiadas :  properly  the  women  who 


celebrated  the  opyio.  in  honor  of  the 
god  ;  from  6v<a,  •  to  rush  wildly.' 

10  ff.  Wine,  milk,  and  honey  are 
the  signs  of  Bacchus'1  fructifying 
power.  The  verses  were  probably 
suggested  by  Euripides'  Bacchae 
1  42  f  .  p£t  Sf.  yd  AaKTt  Trt'Sov,  pei  8' 
oivttt,  pel  8e  fj.f.\i(rcra.v  [  vfKTapi,  also 
706  ff.  aAAr;  S«  vapOrfK  i<;  7re'8ov 
KaOrjKe  yj/Si  |  Kat  TrjBe  Kprfvrjv  ef- 
v  ^eos  '  |  oo"ais  8e  \(.VKOV 
7ro#os  Traprjv, 


UKTOS  eoyxoi's  efj^ov  IK  $€ 
Ovprrtav  yXvKtiai  /xeAiro?  ecrra^ov 
poat'.  '  One  in  earth's  bosom 
planted  her  reed-wand.  |  And  up 
there-through  the  God  a  wine 
fount  sent  :  |  And  whoso  fain  would 
drink  white  -foam  ing  draughts,  | 
Scarred  with  their  finger-tips  the 
breasts  of  earth,  |  And  milk  gushed 
forth  unstinted  :  dripped  the  while  | 
Sweet  streams  of  honey  from  their 
ivy-staves.'  (Way.)  So  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  were  promised  Exod. 
3,  8  'a  good  land  and  a  large  —  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.' 
—  truncis  .  .  .  mella:  cf.  Horace's 


219 


2,  19, 


HORATI 


«5 


fas  et  beatae  coniugis  additum 
stellis  honorem  tectaque  Penthei 
disiecta  non  leni  ruina 

* 

Thracis  et  exitium  Lycurgi. 

Tu  flectis  amnis,  tu  mare  barbarum, 
tu  separatis  uvidus  in  iugis 
nodo  coerces  viperino 

Bistonidum  sine  fraude  crinis. 

Tu,  cum  parentis  regna  per  arduum 
cohors  Gigantum  scanderet  impia, 


picture,  Epod.  16,  47,  of  the  For- 
tunate Isles,  to  which  he  exhorts 
his  countrymen  to  flee,  mella  ca-va 
manant  ex  ilice.  So  Vergil  says, 
E.  4.  30,  in  naming  the  blessings 
of  the  golden  age  that  is  about 
to  come,  et  durae  quercus  suda- 
bunt  roscida  mella. — iterare:  a 
variant  on  cantare,  equivalent  to 
narrare. 

13.  coniugis:  Ariadne,  blessed 
(fteatae)  by  becoming  Bacchus' 
consort.  —  additum  .  .  .  honorem : 
her  crown,  the  wedding  gift  of  Ve- 
nus, was  set  among  the  constella- 
tions.—  Penthei:  king  of  Thebes, 
who  tried  to  hinder  the  Theban 
women  in  their  worship,  but  was 
torn  in  pieces  by  them :  and  his 
palace  was  overthrown  by  an  earth- 
quake. His  death  and  the  atten- 
dant disasters  form  the  subject  of 
Euripides'  liacchae.  —  Thracis.  .  . 
Lycurgi:  who  drove  from  Thrace 
Bacchus  and  his  nurse,  but  was 
punished  with  blindness  and  early 
death. 


17.  tu  .  .  .  tu  .  .  .  tu:  the  triple 
anaphora  indicates  the  poet's  rising 
ardor  and  forms  a  climax  to  fas . .. 
fas . . .  above.  The  god's  power 
extends  over  all  nature.  Horace 
probably  refers  to  the  story  of  Bac- 
chus' Indian  travels,  for  Nonnus  12, 
I23ff.  says  that  at  the  touch  of  his 
thyrsus  the  Hydaspesand  Orontes 
retreated,  and  let  him  pass  dry 
shod.  —  flectis:  i.e.  'by  thy  com- 
mand.'—  mare  barbarum :  the  Per- 
sian Gulf.  Cf.  Sen.  H.  F.  903  adsit 
Lycurgi  domitor  et  rubri  mar  is. 

i8ff.  separatis:  equivalent  to 
remotis,  v.  I.  —  uvidus:  i.e.  madi- 
dus,  /3p«x0ei's,  vv'tn  wine-  Cf.  i,  7, 
22  uda  Lyaeo  tempora.  —  Bistoni- 
dum: Thracian  maenads  who  join  in 
the  bacchanal  rout.  —  sine  fraude: 
•without  harming  them,  archaic  for 
sine  noxa.  Cf.  C.  S.  41  ff.  cut  per 
ardentem  sine  fraude  Troiam  \ 
cast  its  Aeneas .  . .  mnnivit  Her. 

2 iff.  tu:  more  effective  than  a 
conjunction.  Intr.  29. — cum  pa- 
rentis, etc. :  according  to  a  post- 


CARM1NA 


19. 


Rhoetum  retorsisti  leonis 
unguibus  horribilique  mala, 

quamquam  choreis  aptior  et  iocis 
ludoque  dictus  non  sat  idoneus 
pugnae  ferebaris ;  sed  idem 
pacis  eras  mediusque  belli 

Te  vidit  insons  Cerberus  aureo 
cornu  decorum,  leniter  atterens 
caudam,  et  recedentis  trilingui 
ore  pedes  tetigitque  crura. 


Hesiodic  myth  Bacchus,  with  Her- 
cules, gave  victory  to  the  gods  in 
their  battle  against  the  giants  in 
the  Phlegraean  fields.  The  story 
of  this  attempt  by  the  giants  to 
storm  heaven  was  confused  with 
the  older  one  of  the  Titans,  if  in- 
deed it  did  not  owe  its  origin  to 
it.  —  retorsisti:  alliterative  with 
Rhoetum,  expressing  the  force  with 
which  the  giant  was  thrown  back. 
—  leonis :  the  god  took  on  the  lion's 
form,  as  when  he  was  beset  by 
pirates,  who  tried  to  make  him 
captive.  Horn.  Hymn  7,  44. 

25  ff.  Bacchus'  double  nature 
often  appears.  —  quamquam:  cor- 
rective, and  yet,  with  ferebaris. — 
choreis . . .  dictus :  sc.  a  diis,  giving 
the  reason  for  the  gods'  disbelief  in 
his  prowess.  —  sed  idem:  still thou 
ivast  the  same.  —  mediusque:  for 


the  position  of  -que,  see  Intr.  31. 

—  belli:  with  medius,  the  earliest 
example  of  this  construction  imi- 
tated from  the  Greek.     It  was  em- 
ployed  by  later  poets,  e.g.  Ovid. 
Met.   6,  409  qui  locus  est  iuguli 
medius  summique  lacerti. 

29  ff .  te  vidit.  etc. :  when  Bac- 
chus descended  to  Hades  to  bring 
back  his  mother  Semele. — te:  cf. 
n.  on  tu  v.  21.  —  insons :  predicate, 
and  did  no  harm  to  thee.  —  aureo 
cornu,  etc. :  the  Greek  xpuo-oKepws, 
Kepacr<£opos.  Here  the  golden 
drinking-horn  is  meant,  rather  than 
the  horn  as  an  emblem  of  power. 

—  atterens :  wagging.  —  recedentis : 
as  thou  ivithdrewest ;  opposed  to 
the  god's  entrance,  implied  in  te 
vidit.  —  trilingui :  cf.  2, 1 3, 34  where 
Cerberus  is  centiceps.  — tetigitque  : 
Intr.  31. 


221 


2,  20,  I J  1IORATI 

20 

In  an  allegory  Horace  prophesies  his  own  immortality.  He  is  not  to 
die,  but  shall  be  transformed  into  a  swan  and  fly  from  the  Stygian  wave 
to  the  confines  of  the  world.  His  description  of  the  change  which  he 
feels  coming  on  him  is  given  in  such  detail  (9-12)  as  to  rob  the  poem,  for 
the  modern  reader  at  least,  of  much  of  the  charm  that  it  would  otherwise 
possess.  The  identification  of  the  poet's  song  with  the  flight  of  a  bird 
was  common  in  antiquity,  as  it  is  to-day.  Cf.  e.g.  Theog.  237  ff.,  1097  f. ; 
Find.  N.  6,  47  ff. ;  Eurip.  Frg.  911  N. ;  Theoc.  7,  47. 

Apparently  Horace  wrote  this  ode  after  his  collection  in  three  books 
was  practically  complete,  intending  it  as  an  epilogue  to  his  lyric  verse. 
Fortunately  his  second  attempt,  which  now  stands  at  the  end  of  the  third 
book,  was  far  superior,  so  that  he  relegated  these  verses  to  their  present 
position.  Metre,  68. 

Non  usitata  nee  tenui  ferar 
penna  biformis  per  liquidum  aethera 
vates,  neque  in  terris  morabor 
longius,  invidiaque  maior 

5  urbes  relinquam.     Non  ego  pauperum 

sanguis  parentum,  non  ego  quern  vocas, 

iff.  non  usitata,  etc. :  no  ordi-  Nisus. — vates:  in  its  original  sense 

nary  or  weak;  for  his  verse  was  in  Q{  inspired  bard.     Cf.  n.  to  I,  1. 35. 
new  forms  and  his  poetic  gift  was  4.    invidia   maior:   the    phrase 

great. — biformis:  in  a  literal  sense,  may  have  been  borrowed  from  the 

both  bard  and  bird.     The  famili-  Greek.     Cf.  Callim.  Epigr.  21,46 

arity  of  the  ancients  with  the  idea  8*  rjucrtv  K/nWovu  ftaaKavi^.     In 

of  combining  human  forms  with  his  earlier  years,  before  his  position 

those  of  beasts,  e.g.  the   centaur,  as  lyric  poet  was  established,  Hor- 

minotaur  (called  biformis  Verg.  A .  ace  suffered  from  the  jibes  of  those 

6.  25)  no  doubt  gave  them  a  differ-  who  envied  him  Maecenas1  favor, 

ent  feeling  for   Horace's    concept  Cf.  S.  I,  6,  46 f.  quein  rodunt  oin- 

than  we  can  possibly  have.     Por-  nes  libertino  patre  natittn,  \  mine 

phyrio   too    subtly   interprets   the  qnia  situ  tibt\  Maecenas,  convict  or. 

adjective  to  mean  writer  in  both  When  his  fame  was  certain  he  took 

hexameter   and    lyric   measure. —  no  little  satisfaction    in   scorning 

liquidum:  clear,  as  Verg.  G.  1,404  those  who  once  scorned  him.     Cf. 

Uqnido  snblitnis  in   acre  2.  16.  39  f. 


CARMINA 


.  20, 


10 


«S 


dilecte  Maecenas,  obibo, 
nee  Stygia  cohibebor  unda. 

lam  iam  residunt  cruribus  asperae 
pelles  et  album  mutor  in  alitem 
superne  nascunturque  leves 
per  digitos  umerosque  plumae. 

Iam  Daedaleo  notior  Icaro 
visam  gementis  litora  Bospori 
Syrtisque  Gaetulas  canorus 
ales  Hyperboreosque  campos. 


$f.  urbis:  the  plural  is  more 
effective  than  the  simple  terrain 
would  have  been.  —  non  ego  .  .  .  non 
ego:  intensive;  Intr.  280.  —  pau- 
perum  sanguis  parentum:  Horace 
never  was  ashamed  of  his  low  birth, 
but  took  a  pardonable  pride  in  his 
success  in  raising  himself  to  an 
honored  position  by  his  own  merits. 
—  vocas:  invitest. 

gff.  These  —  to  us  certainly  — 
tasteless  verses  may  have  been 
suggested  by  Eurip.  Frg.  911  N. 
Xpwreai  8i)  fjLoi  Trrepvyes  Trepi  VWTW  | 
KJ.I  TO.  (Ttipyviav  TTTepdcvTa 


'  Golden  wings  are  fastened  on  my 
back  and  I  have  on  the  Sirens1 
winged  sandals.  I  shall  go  aloft 
to  the  aethereal  sky  to  be  with 
Zeus.'  But  Horace  has  gone  far 
beyond  his  model.  —  iam  iam:  cf. 
Epod.  17,  i.  —  cruribus:  abl.  of 
place.  —  asperae  pelles:  the  horny 
skin  of  the  bird's  legs  and  claws 
into  which  his  human  skin  is  set- 


tling. —  supernS :  with  short  ultima 
as  in  Lucretius  and  Epist.  2,  3,  4. 

ii.  leves:  in  contrast  to  asperae. 

13  f.  iam :  presently.  —  notior 
Icaro :  who  gave  his  name  to  a  sea. 
Cf.  Ovid.  Fasti  4,  283  f.  (mare) 
fear  turn,  lapsas  nbi  perdidit  alas  \ 
Icarus  et  vastae  noinina  fecit  aquae. 
—  visam,  etc.:  'my  fame  will  ex- 
tend to  the  limits  of  the  world.'  — 
gementis:  cf.  Verg.  A.  5,  806  cum 
. .  .gemerent  repleti ainnes.  Soph. 
Antig.  592  (TTovo)  fipepovai  S'dvn- 
TrAiJyes  O.KTO.L.  Tennyson,  In  Mem. 
35  'the  meanings  of  the  homeless 
sea.' 

15  f.  canorus  ales :  the  swans  are 
called  by  Callimachus  Hymn,  in 
Del.  252  Movcrawv  opvi&s.  dotSora- 
TOI  TrercrjvStv.  Vergil  E.  9,  29  says 
to  his  friend,  Vare,  tnum  nomen. 
.  .  .  cantantes  sublime  ferent  ad  si- 
deracycni.  —  Hyperboreos :  beyond 
the  North  Wind  was  a  mythical 
folk  said  to  live  in  unbroken  peace 
and  happiness.  But  Horace  means 
only  the  distant  North. 


2,  20,   17] 


HORATI   CARMINA 


20 


Me  Colchus  et  qui  .dissimulat  metum 
Marsae  cohortis  Dacus  et  ultimi 
noscent  Geloni,  me  peritus 

discet  Hiber  Rhodanique  potor. 

Absint  inani  funere  neniae 
luctusque  turpes  et  querimoniae ; 
compesce  clamorem  ac  sepulcri 
mitte  supervacuos  honores. 


17  f .  '  The  barbarous  peoples  in 
the  East  shall  learn  to  know  my 
works  as  well  as  the  Romanized 
Spaniard  and  Gaul.1  —  me:  cf.  n. 
to  2,  1 9,  2 1 .  —  Marsae  cohortis :  the 
Marsi  were  one  of  the  bravest  Ital- 
ian peoples.  Cf.  n.  to  i,  2,  39. 

19  f.  Geloni :  cf.  n.  to  2,  9,  23.  — 
peritus  Hiber,  etc.:  that  Spain  and 
Gaul  had  made  great  advances  in 
Roman  civilization  in  Horace's  day 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  first 
century  A.D.  the  former  country  fur- 
nished Rome  with  her  most  prom- 
inent writers  —  the  two  Senecas, 
Lucan,  probably  Valerius  Flaccus, 
Columella,  Mela,  Quintilian,  Mar- 
tial, and  others ;  the  latter  prov- 
ince with  orators  and  rhetoricians. 
—  Rhodani  potor:  cf.  3,  10,  I  ex- 
tremum  Tanain  si  biberes,  Lyce, 

and  //.   2,  825  TTtVoKTtS  vSwp  p.t\O.V 

AIO-T/TTOIO,  Tpoics.     The  circumlo- 


cution is  frequently  employed  by 
Apoll.  Sid.  e.g.  Epist.  4,  17  potor 
Mosellae. 

21  ff .  Possibly  suggested  by  En- 
nius'  famous  epitaph,  nemo  me  da- 
crumis  decoret  nee  funera  fletit  \ 
faxit.  cur?  volt  to  vivos  per  or  a 
virum.  —  inani:  for  the  poet  will 
have  flown  away.  —  neniae :  tht 
mourning  chants  sung  over  the 
dead  by  women  hired  for  that  pur- 
pose (praeficae).  —  luctus  turpes: 
disfiguring  grief,  such  as  tearing 
the  hair,  scratching  the  cheeks,  and 
beating  the  breast. 

23  f .  clamorem :  the  conclamatio* 
the  last  call  to  the  dead.  It  appar- 
ently consisted  of  a  repetition  of 
the  dead  man's  name.  —  superva- 
cuos :  for  the  tomb  will  not  contain 
the  poet's  body,  and  his  verse  will 
be  his  lasting  memorial,  a  monu- 
mentum  aere  perennius. 


224 


LIBER  TERTIVS 

THE  first  six  odes  of  this  book,  addressed  to  all  patriotic  citizens,  are 
distinguished  by  a  unity  of  purpose  and  a  seriousness  of  tone  not  found 
elsewhere  in  Horace.  The  fact  that  all  are  in  the  Alcaic  measure  also 
contrasts  them  with  other  groups  of  his  lyric  poems,  and  proves  that  he 
has  a  particular  purpose  in  mind :  he  wishes  to  show  that  mere  riches 
and  power  are  vain  ;  that  only  by  a  return  to  the  stern  virtues  and  simple 
habits  of  an  earlier  day  can  Rome  regain  her  greatness ;  and  that  the 
present  disregard  of  religion  and  of  domestic  virtue  is  the  gravest  dan- 
ger that  threatens  the  future.  It  is  remarkable  that  after  expressing  in 
the  third  and  fourth  odes  confidence  in  Caesar's  rule  and  the  permanence 
of  the  Roman  State,  Horace  closes  his  sixth  ode  with  gloomy  forebod- 
ings,—  'each  generation  is  worse  than  the  last,  and  our  children  will  be 
baser  than  we.1  The  most  probable  explanation  of  this  is  that  the  sixth 
ode  was  written  while  Horace  felt  a  certain  despair  for  the  future ;  in 
arranging  his  lyrics  for  publication  he  let  these  expressions  stand,  in  the 
hope  that  they  might  rouse  his  audience  by  their  very  gloom. 

The  unity  of  the  six  is  so  marked  that  Porphyrio  regarded  them  as  a 
single  ode  —  multiplex  (wSJ/)  per  varios  dediicta  est  sensus.  Yet  the 
entire  collection  was  probably  not  written  at  the  same  time.  The  sixth 
ode  is  apparently  the  earliest,  composed  after  Octavian's  acceptance  of 
the  censorial  power  (28  B.C.)  ;  the  third  was  written  after  January,  27 
B.C.,  as  the  name  Augustus  (v.  1 1)  shows  ;  and  the  mention  of  the  pro- 
jected conquest  of  Britain  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  seems  to  refer  them  to 
27-26  B.C. 


The  opening  strophe  of  the  first  ode  serves  as  introduction  to  the 
entire  group.  In  exalted  tone  Horace  announces  that  he,  as  sacred 
priest  of  the  Muses,  will  sing  to  the  rising  generations  the  Muses'  teach- 
ings in  strains  never  heard  before.  He  then  shows  that  the  powerful 
and  the  rich  are  alike  subject  to  Necessity's  impartial  rule  (5-16).  'Lux- 
ury will  not  bring  gentle  sleep :  only  they  whose  wants  are  few  have 
easy  spirits ;  the  great  owner  cannot  escape  Fear,  Threats,  and  black 
HOK.  CAR. —  15  225 


3,  ',  I] 


IIORATI 


Care  (17-40).  If  then  all  that  wealth  can  buy  fails  to  ease  the  anxious 
spirit,  why  should  I  exchange  my  humble  happy  lot  for  one  that  brings 
only  burdens  with  it  (41-48).'  Metre,  68. 

r  Odi  profanum  volgus  et  arceo. 
Favete  linguis !     Carmina  non  prius 
audita  Musarum  sacerdos 
virginibus  puerisque  canto. 

5  Regum  timendorum  in  proprios  greges, 

reges  in  ipsos  imperium  est  lovis, 


i  f.  Like  a  priest  about  to  begin 
sacrifice,  Horace  bids  the  uniniti- 
ate,  profanum  volgus,  withdraw. 
Cf.  Callim.  Hymn,  in  Apoll.  2  CKCIS, 
CKas,  oo-Tis  dAtrpos  {prof anus)  ; 
Verg.  A.  6,  258  procul  o,  procnl 
este.  profani.  By  profanum  volgus 
Horace  means  those  who  have  not 
heard,  and  will  not  listen  to,  the 
teachings  of  the  Muses,  whose  sa- 
cred priest  he  is.  —  favete  linguis: 
the  solemn  call  for  holy  silence,  the 
Greek  eu^rj/AeiTe.  Cf.  Ovid.  Fasti 
1.71  linguis  anitnisque  favete.  — 
carmina.  etc. :  hymns  of  new  and 
deeper  meaning  than  have  been 
sung  before.  Many  commenta- 
tors wish  to  see  here  a  reference 
primarily  to  the  new  form,  the 
Alcaic  measure  in  didactic  verse 
(cf.  2,  20,  I  ;  3,  30,  13  and  nn.)  ; 
but  Horace  has  a  more  serious 
intention. 

3f.  Musarum  sacerdos :  poets  are 
the  inspired  interpreters  of  the 
Muses'  will.  Cf.  Theoc.  16,  29 
Motxraojv  8c  /juAurra  TI«V  lepous 
VTTO</>I/TU<;.  'To  honor  most  of  all 


the  sacred  interpreters  of  the  Mu- 
ses'; likewise  Ovid.  Am.  3,  8,  23 
tile  ego  Musarum  pur  us  Phoebique 
sacerdos.  Horace  claims  that  his 
sacred  office  gives  him  a  right  to 
speak  with  authority.  —  virginibus 
puerisque:  i.e.  the  rising  genera- 
tion, on  whom  the  state's  whole 
hope  depends. 

5f.  regum  timendorum:  modi- 
fying imperium  of  the  next  verse  — 
'  Kings  rule  their  peoples,  but  are 
themselves  the  subjects  of  Jove.' 
The  expression  seems  almost  pro- 
verbial. Cf.  Philemon  Frg.  31,4. 
SouAoi  /3a<nAcW  ewriv.  6  /EfrurtAcvs 
Otwv.  —  in:  over,  showing  the  di- 
rection in  which  their  rule  is  exer- 
cised. Cf.  4,  4.  2  f.  cut  rex  deornm 
regnum  in  avis  vagas  \  permisit. 
—  greges:  herds,  a  contemptuous 
word,  fitting  regum  timendorum. 
which  would  call  up  to  the  Roman 
mind  the  thought  of  absolute  ty- 
rants, whose  subjects  were  mere 
cattle.  Notice  the  chiastic  order  in 
these  and  the  two  following  verses 
Intr.  21. 


226 


CARMINA 


[.3,  i,  16 


10 


clari  Giganteo  triumpho, 
cuncta  supercilio  moventis. 

Est  ut  viro  vir  latins  ordinet 
arbusta  sulcis,  hie  generosior 
descendat  in  Campum  petitor, 
moribus  hie  meliorque  fama 

contendat,  illi  turba  clientium 
sit  maior  :  aequa  lege  Necessitas 
sortitur  insignis  et  imos, 

omne  capax  movet  urna  nomen. 


7  f .  clari :  "who  is  glorious  for .  — 
Giganteo :  cf.  2, 1 2, 7  f. ;  1 9,  2 1  f.  — 
supercilio  moventis :  a  reminiscence 
of  //.  I,  528ff.  rj  KCU  Kvavfrj(Tiv  lir 
6(f>pv(Ti  veuae  KpoviW  •  |  d/M/3p6<ruu 
o'  apa  ^amu  CTreppwaavro  O.VO.K- 
TOS  |  Kpa.Tos  air  a6a.va.Toio  •  fjiiyav 
o'  e\f\t$tv  "OAv/xTrov.  Cf.  Verg.  A . 
9,  1 06  adnuit,  et  totnin  nutu  (rente- 
fecit  Olympian. 

9  ff .  '  Men  may  differ  in  wealth, 
birth,  reputation,  and  number  of 
followers  —  Necessity  levels  all.'  — 
est  ut :  it  is  true  that.  The  sub- 
jects of  est  are  the  substantive 
clauses  which  follow,  ut . . .  ordinet, 
.  . .  descendat, .  .  .  contendat, . . .  sit. 
—  viro  vir:  one,  another ;  cf.  Verg. 
A.  10,  361  liaeret  pede  pes  densus- 
qtte  viro  vir. — latius:  i.e.  over  a 
larger  estate. — arbusta:  trees  on 
which  vines  could  be  trained.  — 
sulcis :  abl.  with  ordinet ;  furrows, 
made  to  mark  the  rows  (ordines} 
of  trees.  —  generosior :  nobler  born. 

ii  f.  descendat:  either  literally, 
since  the  nobilitv  lived  on  the  hills 


(cf.  Cic.  Phil.  2,  6  hodie  non  descen- 
dit  Antonius')  ;  or  metaphorically 
of  entering  a  contest,  as  Cic.  Tusc. 
2,  26  descender e  in  cert  amen. — 
campum :  the  Campus  Martius,  in 
which  the  elections  were  held. — • 
meliorque:  for  the  position  of -que, 
see  Intr.  31. 

13  f .  turba  clientium :  i.e.  at  the 
morning  salutation  and  in  his  train 
when  the  great  man  walks  abroad. 
The  number  of  such  attendants 
showed  their  patron's  power. — 
aequa  lege  :  emphatically  placed  — 
'  all  in  vain,  for  with  impartial  rule.' 
Cf.  I,  4,  13  aequo  pede;  2,  18,  32 
aequa  tellus. 

15  f.  sortitur :  allots  the  fate  of. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  3,  375  f.  sic  fata  deiim 
rex  |  sortitur.  —  insignis,  etc. :  cf. 
i ,  34,  1 2  f.  valet  ima  suminis  \  tun- 
tare  et  insignem  attenuat  deus.  — 
omne,  etc. :  cf.  2.  3,  25  ff.  omnium  \ 
versatur  urna  serius  ocius  \  sors 
exitura,  and  the  explanation  there 
given  of  the  ancient  method  of 
4  casting  Jots.'  —  movet :  shakes. 


227 


HORATI 


20 


Destrictus  ensis  cui  super  impia 
cervice  pendet,  non  Siculae  dapes 
dulcem  elaborabunt  saporem, 
non  avium  citharaeque  cantus 

somnum  reducent ;  somnus  agrestium 
lenis  virorum  non  humilis  domos 
fastidit  umbrosamque  ripam, 
non  zephyris  agitata  tempe. 

Desiderantem  quod  satis  est  neque 
tumultuosum  sollicitat  mare 


17  f .  destrictus  ensis,  etc.  :  the 
reference  is  to  the  familiar  story  of 
the  sword  of  Damocles,  told  byCic. 
THSC.  5,  61.  It  here  typifies  the 
uneasy  conscience  and  ever-pres- 
ent fear  of  death  that  threaten  the 
wicked;  hence  impia  cervice. — cui: 
equivalent  to  ei  cni.  —  Siculae :  the 
Sicilians  were  proverbially  luxu- 
rious, and  the  adjective  is  especially 
appropriate  in  connection  with  the 
reference  to  Damocles.  Note  that 
dapes  is  by  its  position  contrasted 
with  impia  —  'No  rich  banquets 
can  offset  the  tyrant's  wickedness.' 

19  f.  elaborabunt :  produce,  when 
his  natural  appetite  is  gone.  For 
the  prepositional  prefix,  cf.  n.  to  i, 
5,8.  —  avium:  aviaries  were  com- 
mon in  houses  of  the  rich  in  Hor- 
ace's day.  —  citharaeque  cantus :  we 
are  told  by  Seneca,  De  Prov.  3,  10 
that  Maecenas,  who  suffered  from 
insomnia,  tried  to  allure  sleep  by 
soft  and  distant  music,  but  natu- 
rally Horace  is  not  here  referring 
to  his  patron. 


21  f.  reducent :  bring  back,  when 
it  has  fled.  —  somnus  :  note  the  ef- 
fect of  the  repetition. — agrestium 
. . .  virorum :  belonging  grammati- 
cally to  somnus  lenis.  but  felt  also 
with  domos.  The  simple  farmers 
with  their  lowly  homes,  the  mur- 
mur of  the  breezes  in  pleasant  val- 
leys, are  here  contrasted  with  the 
rich  man's  palace,  its  aviaries  and 
instrumental  music.  The  sleep  of 
the  poor  is  proverbially  sweet.  Cf. 
Eptst.  i,  7,  35  sointwm plebis  lando. 
Also,  Ecclesiastes  5,  12  -The  sleep 
of  a  labouring  man  is  sweet . . . ;  but 
the  abundance  of  the  rich  will  not 
suffer  him  to  sleep.' 

23  f .  Cf.  Epod.  2,  25-28  labitn- 
tur  altis  interim  ripis  aquae,  \  qne- 
ritniur  in  silvis  aves,  \  frondesqite 
lytnphis  obstrepunt  tnanantibus  \ 
somnos  quod  invitet  levis.  —  tempe : 
used  here  for  any  shady  valley.  Cf. 
n.  to  i,  7,4. 

258.  desiderantem,  etc.:  'the 
man  who  longs  simply  for  enough 
to  satisfy  Nature's  demands  will 


228 


CARM1NA 


[3.  i,  38 


35 


nec  saevus  Arcturi  cadentis 
impetus  aut  orientis  Haedi, 

non  verberatae  grandine  vineae 
fundusque  mendax,  arbore  nunc  aquas 
culpante,  nunc  torrentia  agros 
sidera,  nunc  hiemes  iniquas. 

Contracta  pisces  aequora  sentiunt 
iactis  in  altum  molibus ;  hue  frequens 
caementa  demittit  redemptor 
cum  famulis  dominusque  terrae 

fastidiosus :  sed  timor  et  minae 
scandunt  eodem  quo  dominus,  neque 


not  be  distressed  by  the  chances 
of  winds  and  floods.'  Cf.  3,  16, 
43  f.  bene  est,  cut  dens  obtulit  \  parca 
quod  satis  est  manu. —  neque  tu- 
multuosum,  etc. :  cf.  Epod.  2,  6 
neque  horret  iratum  mare. 

27  f.  saevus . . .  impetus  :  the  sav- 
age onset  of  Arcturus  as  he  sets. 
The  time  is  the  stormy  month  of 
October.  —  Haedi  :  regularly  ac- 
companied by  rain.  Cf.  Verg.  A. 
9,  668  f.  quantus  ab  occasu  veniens 
pluvialibus  Haedis  \  verberat  im- 
ber  hunium. 

29  ff .  non  .  .  .  que  :  continuing 
the  nec  of  v.  27. —  verberatae  gran- 
dine  vineae :  the  lashing  of  his  vine- 
yards by  the  hail.  — mendax  :  the 
farm  is  personified,  —  it  promised 
well,  but  has  failed  to  keep  its 
word.  For  similar  personification, 
cf.  3,  1 6,  30  segetis  cert  a  fides  meae; 
Epist.  i,  7,  87  spein  mentita  seges. 
— arbore  culpante  :  continuing  the 


personification.  The  (olive)  tree 
excuses  its  failure  by  throwing  the 
blame  now  on  the  excess  of  rain,  now 
on  the  drought,  and  again  on  the 
cruel  winters.  —  sidera:  especially 
the  Dog-star,  which  holds  sway  dur- 
ing the  hottest  season.  Cf.  1,17, 17. 

33  f .  contracta  pisces  :  note  the 
emphasis  of  position  —  '  the  fish 
feel  the  narrowing  of  the  main  as 
the  greedy  rich  man  pushes  his 
villa  marina  out  into  the  very  sea.1 
Cf.  2,  18,  19-22  and  n. ;  3,  24,  3  f. 
Also  Apoll.  Sid.  Carm.  2,  57  itur 
in  aequor  \  molibus,  et  veteres  tellus 
nova  contrahit  undas.  —  molibus : 
masses  of  stone. — hue:  i.e.  in  al- 
tum. —  frequens  .  .  .  redemptor : 
many  a  contractor. 

36.  terrae:  obj.  gen.  with  fas- 
tidiosus. Cf.  2.  1 8,  22  parum  lo~ 
cuples  continent  c  ripa. 

37 ff.  'No  place  is  so  secluded, 
no  ship  or  horse  so  swift,  that  man 


229 


3.  i»  39] 


HORATI 


45 


decedit  aerata  triremi  et 

post  equitem  sedet  atra  Cura. 

Quod  si  dolentem  nee  Phrygius  lapis 
nee  purpurarum  sidere  clarior 
delenit  usus  nee  Falerna 

vitis  Achaemeniumque  costum, 

cur  invidendis  postibus  et  novo 
sublime  ritu  moliar  atrium  ? 
Cur  valle  permutem  Sabina 
divitias  operosiores  ? 


can  escape  his  own  self."  —  minae: 
the  threatening  specters  called  up 
by  the  uneasy  imagination  of  the 
rich,  over  whose  heads  ^metaphor- 
ically) a  drawn  sword  hangs ;  cf. 
\ji.  With  this  strophe,  cf.  2,  16, 
21-24  a°d  n.  Also  S.  2,  7,  115 
frnstra :  nam  comes  atra  premit 
sequiturque  ftigacem.  —  triremi  : 
here  a  private  yacht.  Cf.  that  of 
Verres,  Cic.  Verr.  5,  44,  navem 
vero  cybaeam,  maximum,  triremis 
itistar. 

41  ff.  quod  si:  Horace  sums  up 
all  that  precedes,  as  frequently, 
with  a  personal  application  to  him- 
self, thus  making  the  point  he  is 
urging  more  concrete  and  forceful. 
—  dolentem :  a  man  distressed  (in 
mind  or  body). — Phrygius  lapis: 
a  costly  marble  with  purple  and 
violet  workings,  brought  from  Syn- 
nada,  in  Phrygia,  and  userl  for  col- 
umns. —  purpurarum,  etc. :  nor  the 


wearing  of  purple  brighter  than 
the  stars.  Cf.  //.  6,  295  (of  the 
robe  to  be  offered  to  Athena) 
avTjjp  8'  <os  aTre'Au/ATrev. — clarior: 
a  'transferred  '  epithet.  Intr.  99. 

44.  Achaemenium :  i.e.  Persian, 
used  for  Oriental  in  general.  Cf. 
n.  to  2,  12,  21. 

45  f .  invidendis :  that  rouse  envy. 
Cf.  2,  10,  7  f.  caret  invidenda  \  so- 
brius  aiila. — novo  ritu:  ///  the  new 
style.  Cf.  n.  to  2,  1 5,  20.  —  moliar : 
laboriously  build,  expressive  of  the 
size  of  the  undertaking.  Cf.  moli- 
bus  v.  34.  So  a  palace  is  called 
(2,  15,  2  ;  3,  29,  10)  moles,  'a  pile.' 
—  sublime  .  .  .  atrium:  i.e.  adorned 
with  lofty  columns.  Cf.  2,  18,  4 
and  n. 

47 f.  cur:  the  anaphora  marks 
Horace's  impatience  at  the  folly  of 
such  a  proposal.  —  valle  .  .  .  Sa- 
bina :  Horace's  dearest  possession. 
Intr.  5. 


CARMINA 


[3.2.8 


After  showing  in  the  first  ode  the  vanity  of  power  and  riches,  Horace 
here  takes  up  a  positive  theme. 

'  Content  with  small  estate  the  Roman  youth  should  learn  courage 
in  the  stern  school  of  war,  that  he  may  fight  for  Rome  and  die  for  her 
if  need  be ;  death  for  one's  native  land  is  sweet  and  glorious ;  and  the 
coward  may  not  e/rcape  the  common  fate  (1-16).  True  manhood  is 
secure  and  independent  of  popular  favor ;  it  alone  gives  immortality 
(17-24).  Fidelity  and  silence  too  have  their  secure  reward.  The 
wicked  punishment  sooner  or  later  overtakes  (25-32)  /  Metre,  68. 

Angustam  amice  pauperiem  pati 
robustus  acri  militia  puer 
condiscat,  et  Parthos  ferocis 
vexet  eques  metuendus  hasta, 

vitamque  sub  divo  et  trepidis  agat 
in  rebus ;  ilium  ex  moenibus  hosticis  , 
matrona  bellantis  tyranni 
prospiciens  et  adulta  virgo 


i .  This  verse  forms  the  transi- 
tion from  the  theme  of  the  pre- 
ceding ode.  —  angustam :  narrow, 
straitened,  as  2,  10,  21  f.  rebus 
angustis  animosus  atque  \fortis 
appare.  —  amice  .  .  .  pati :  to 
bear  gladly,  to  welcome,  stronger 
than  the  common  lente,  molliter 
ferre. 

2  ff.  robustus  acri,  etc. :  har- 
dened in  war^s  fierce  school ;  predi- 
cate following  pati.  and  like  metu- 
endus below  logically  part  of  the 
prayer  '  may  he  be  trained  and 
learn,  ...  be  fearful  and  harass.' 

5.  sub  divo  :  '  bivouacking  be- 
neath the  open  sky.'  Cf.  i,  i,  25  ; 


2,  3,  23,  and  sub  dimim  \,  18, 13.  — 
trepidis  in  rebus :  amidst  (war's) 
alarms. 

6  ff.  The  description  may  have 
been  suggested  by  Briseis'  lament 
//.  19,  291  f.  av8pa  /u.£v,  (5  ISoo-ay 
fj.e  rraTyp  Kal  TTOTVIO.  p.r)Tr)p,  \ 
elSov  irpo  TTToAios  SeSai'y/u.eVov  6$  i 
XaA.K(j>,  or  by  book  22  where  Hec- 
tor is  killed  and  dragged  away 
before  the  eyes  of  his  parents  and 
wife.  Cf.  also  //.  3,  154  ff.,  and 
Verg.  A.  11,  475  ff.  —  ilium :  em- 
phatic —  such  a  Roman.  —  tyranni : 
the  lord  of  the  besieged  town.  — 
adulta :  i.e.  tittbilis,  l  of  a  mar- 
riageable age.' 


231 


3.  2.  9] 


HORATI 


10 


suspiret,  eheu,  ne  rudis  agminum 
sponsus  lacessat  regius  asperum 
tactu  leonem,  quern  cruenta 
per  medias  rapit  ira  caedes. 

Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori : 
mors  et  fugacem  persequitur  virum 
nee  parcit  imbellis  iuventae 
poplitibus  timidoque  tergo. 


9  ff.  suspiret.  etc. :  the  verb 
belongs  grammatically  with  both 
matrona  and  virgo,  but  its  posi- 
tion makes  it  felt  only  with  the 
latter.  —  eheu :  the  sigh  which  the 
maiden  utters,  skillfully  placed 
between  the  verb  and  the  follow- 
ing clause,  ne  .  .  .  lacessat,  which 
expresses  the  fear  that  calls  forth 
the  sigh.  — ne,  etc.:  for  fear 
that.  —  agminum :  armed  lines ; 
obj.  gen.  with  rudis,  equivalent  to 
rudis  belli.  —  sponsus  .  .  .  regius : 
some  allied  prince  to  whom  the 
maiden  is  betrothed,  as  Cassan- 
dra was  to  Coroebus  (Verg.  A.  2, 
342  ff. ) .  —  lacessat :  vex,  attack 
recklessly.  Cf.  I,  35,  7  quicuinque 
.  .  .  lacessit  Carpathiuin  pelagus. 

—  asperum  tactu  leonem  :  the  com- 
parison of  a  warrior  to  a  lion  is 
Homeric.     //.  5,  136  ff.  :  20.  164  ff. 

—  cruenta  :    '  transferred '    to   ira 
from  leonem.     Intr.  99. 

13.  dulce,  etc. :  emphasizing 
the  preceding  wish.  '  Death  may 
come,  but  how  can  the  young  Ro- 
man die  better  than  for  his  coun- 
try ? '  The  expression  is  almost 
a  commonplace.  Cf.  Tyrtaeus 


Frg.  10  Ttdva.fj.tvat  yap  xoXov  «i/t 
irpofjua.'xpt.ai  ireowTa  |  dvSp  ayaOov 
TTf.pl  ij  iraTpiBi  fMipvafitvov.  II. 

15,  496  f.  OU  Ot  a£lK£S  d/AVVO/A€VU» 
7T£pi  TTClTpT/S  |  TtOvdfUtV. 

Troad.   386   f.    Tpuit?   §€ 

fltV.      TO      KaAAiOTOV     KAeOS,   |   VTTfp 

TraYpus  ZOvrpTKOv,  and  Cic.  Phil. 
1 4,  3 1  o  fortitnata  mors,  quae  na- 
turae debita  pro  patria  est  potissi- 
ninm  reddita. 

14  ff.  '  Better  die  gloriously,  for 
death  overtakes  the  coward  as  well 
as  the  brave  man.'  —  mors:  em- 
phatically continuing  the  idea  of 
mori.  Intr.  28  b.  —  et:  as  well. 
The  verse  is  probably  a  reminis- 
cence of  Simonid.  Frg.  65  6  8'  av 
ddvaros  Ki^f.  KOI  TOV  <j>vy6pa.^ov. 
Cf.  also  Curt.  4,  14  effitgit  mortem 
quisquis  contempserit,  timidissi- 
»ium  quemqtie  consequitur.  —  fu- 
gacem :  not  simply  one  who  runs 
away,  but  also  one  who  avoids  bat- 
tle. 'Death  finds  him  as  well.1  Cf. 
Callinus  Frg.  i.  14  ft.  vroAAaKi  81710- 

TT/Va    <f>Vyt>)V    KUt    OOVTTOV    OLKOVTiDV   \ 

^'  O"K4J  /Aotpa  KL^IV  Oavti- 
'Often  a  man  escapes  safe 
from  the  strife  of  battle  and  din  of 


232 


CARMINA 


[3.  2,  25 


20 


Virtus  repulsae  nescia  sordidae 
intaminatis  fulget  honoribus, 
nee  sumit  aut  ponit  securis 
arbitrio  popularis  aurae ; 

virtus  recludens  immeritis  mori 

caelum  negata  temptat  iter  via, 

coetusque  volgaris  et  udam 

spernit  humum  fugiente  penna. 

Est  et  fideli  tuta  silentio 


(striking)     spears  —  yet     in     his 
house   death's   doom    finds   him.' 

—  imbellis  iuventae  :  '  such  as  we 
see  about  us  to-day '  is   implied. 

—  poplitibus,  etc. :  the  final   dis- 
grace of  the  coward  —  he  is  killed 
by  a  wound  in  the  back. 

17  ff.  Horace  here  develops  the 
Stoic  paradox  that  the  virtuous 
man,  the  man  truly  sapiens,  is  the 
only  one  who  is  really  rich,  free, 
and  kingly.  Cf.  2,  2, 9,  and  Epist. 
I,  I,  1 06  f.  ad  sum  mam,  sapiens 
uno  minor  est  love,  dives,  \  liber, 
honoratns,  pulcher,  rex  deniqiie 
regum.  —  virtus :  true  manhood, 
T]  dpcTT/. — repulsae:  technical  for 
defeat  in  an  election  ;  connect 
with  nescia.  —  intaminatis  :  predi- 
cate —  still  unsullied. 

19  f .  ponit :  lays  aside.  —  se- 
curis :  symbolical  of  power.  — 
aurae  :  a  common  metaphor,  mark- 
ing here  the  fickleness  of  the  peo- 
ple. Cf.  I,  5,  5  ;  2,  8,24  and  nn. 
Also  Livy  22,  26  aura  favoris 
Popularis.  ^ 

21  ff.   'True  manhood  secures 


immortality;'  Cf.  the  epigram  on 
those  who  fell  at  Thermopylae 
Anlh.  Pal.  7,  251  ouSe  reBvaai. 
Savovres,  eTret  <r<£'  dper^  Ka.Qvnrf.p6f. 
\  KvSaivova-'  dvayei  SW/ACITOS  e£ 
'Ai'Sew.  '  Yet  though  they  died 
they  are  not  dead,  for  virtue  by 
its  power  to  glorify  brings  them 
up  from  the  house  of  Hades.' 
Also  Verg.  A.  6,  1 30  pauci,  quos 
.  .  .  ardens  evexit  ad  aethera  vir- 
tus. —  negata :  i.e.  to  all  but  her. 
'Virtue  alone  can  force  a  path.' 
Cf.  Ovid.  Met.  14,  113  invia  vir- 
tuti  nulla  est  via.  Lowell,  Com- 
memoration Ode,  'Virtue  treads 
paths  that  end  not  in  the  grave.' 
—  volgaris :  of  the  common  herd, 
the  profanum  volgus  of  the  pre- 
ceding ode.  —  udam  :  dank,  in 
contrast  to  the  clear  upper  air 
{liquidum  aethera  2,  20,  '2)  to 
which  Virtue  soars.  —  spernit:  cf. 
I,  30,  2. 

25  ff.   To  the  excellent  quality 
of  virtus  is  added  fidele  silentium, 
'  the  ability  to  keep  a  secret.'  - 
est,  etc^:  a  translation  of  Simoni- 


233 


3,  2,  26] 


HORATI 


merces.     Vetabo  qui  Cereris  sacrum 
volgarit  arcanae  sub  isdem 

sit  trabibus  fragilemque  mecum 

solvat  phaselon  :  saepe  Diespiter 
neglectus  incesto  addidit  integrum ; 
raro  antecedentem  scelestum 
deseruit  pede  Poena  claudo. 


des,  Frg.  6,  6  «TTI  Kal  (riyas  aniv- 
Svvov  yepus,  which  was  a  favorite 
quotation  of  Augustus.  For  the 
opposite,  cf.  I,  1 8,  1 6  arcani  fides 
prodiga .  —  et :  as  well.  —  vetabo, 
etc. :  the  common  personal  note, 
making  the  application  vivid  and 
concrete.  —  Cereris  sacrum:  the 
Eleusinian  mysteries  which  could 
he  disclosed  only  to  the  initiate ; 
here  used  as  a  general  illustration 
of  what  may  not  be  told.  Cf.  i, 
1 8,  II  ff.  —  sub  isdem  .  .  .  trabi- 
bus :  cf.  Callim.  Hymn,  in  Cerer. 

I  1 7  f-  I*T)  TJ/VOS   CfUV    <j)l\O<t,    OS    TOL 

a.TTf.^(Ori<i,  elf)  p.T/8*  6/ioroi^os.  '  May 
that  man  who  has  incurred  thy 
displeasure,  (goddess),  be  not  my 
friend  nor  share  the  same  house 
with  me/  —  sit:  dependent  on 
vetabo.  Cf.  the  construction  with 
cave.  —  fragilem  :  a  conventional 
epithet  (cf.  I,  3,  10),  but  here  em- 
phasizing the  danger. 

29  f .  saepe.  etc. :  for  the  be- 
lief that  the  righteous  run  especial 
risks  in  embarking  with  the  wicked, 


cf.  Aesch.  Sept.  601  ff.  o>9  yap 
fwtwr/ifas  TrXoiov  eixrtfirjs  avrjp  \ 
vavTuucri  @fpfioi<;  lv  -jravovpyui  nvl 
|  o\ta\tv  avftpwv  £vv  Qtonrrvana 
yivti.  'For  the  pious  man  who 
has  embarked  with  sailors  hot  in 
some  rascality,  has  often  perished 
with  the  god-detested  lot.'  Eurip. 
Siippl.  226  ff.  Kotva;  yap  6  $eos 
ras  rv^as  rfyovp.cvo<;  \  Tols  rov  vo- 
crovvros  irrjfUKTLV  SiwAecrt  |  TOV  ov 
votrouvTa  Kov&fv  rfBiKrjKOTu. — neg- 
lectus :  disregarded.  —  integrum  : 
cf.  i,  22,  i  integer  vitae. 

31  f .  raro :  emphatically  stat- 
ing the  opposite  of  saepe  above,  — 
'  seldom  does  the  wicked  man  es- 
cape/ —  deseruit :  given  up  the 
pursuit  of.  —  pede  claudo  :  con- 
cessive. The  thought  is  a  com- 
monplace in  all  literature.  Cf. 
Eurip.  Frg.  979  ^  AiVoy  .  .  .  /3puSei 
TTO&i  (TTtixovaa.  /wpi//«  TOUS  KOLKOVS. 
OTUV  Tvxg-  Tibul.  i,  9,  4  sera 
tainen  tacitis  Poena  venit  pedibus  ; 
and  Herbert,  'God's  mill  grinds 
slow,  but  sure.' 


234 


CARMINA  [3,  3,  2 


The  theme  of  the  third  ode  is  similar  to  that  of  the  second :  the 
praise  of  two  great  virtues,  iustitia  and  constantia,  justice  and  stead- 
fastness of  purpose.  The  ode  opens  with  the  famous  picture  of  the 
upright  and  constant  man  who  is  unmoved  by  the  fury  of  the  populace 
or  by  the  raging  elements ;  the  fall  of  heaven  itself  would  not  shake 
him  (i-8).  Such  were  the  qualities  which  secured  immortality  for 
Pollux,  Hercules,  Augustus,  and  Quirinus  (9-16).  Then  with  the  men- 
tion of  Romulus  Horace  seems  to  turn  from  the  theme  with  which  he 
began,  and  reports  to  us  the  speech  of  Juno  before  the  council  of  the 
gods,  in  which  she  gives  up  in  part  her  hatred  toward  the  Trojans  and 
their  descendants,  and  prophesies  for  Rome  an  empire  coterminous 
with  the  world,  so  long  as  her  people  shall  keep  themselves  from  avarice 
and  not  try  to  rebuild  Ilium  (17-68).  Then  he  suddenly  checks  him- 
self with  a  mock  reproach  to  his  lyre  and  muse  for  venturing  on  such 
mighty  themes  (69-72). 

The  introduction  of  Juno's  long  speech  was  apparently  due  to  a 
desire  to  avoid  the  monotony  of  a  long  moral  discourse ;  it  further 
allowed  Horace  to  drive  home  the  lesson  he  wished  to  teach  by  making 
it  part  of  Juno's  prophecy.  The  protest  against  any  attempt  to  rebuild 
Ilium  has  puzzled  commentators.  Some  take  it  to  refer  to  a  design  to 
move  the  capital  to  Ilium  which  rumor  had  attributed  to  Julius  Caesar. 
Cf.  Suet.  Div.  fill.  79  quin  etiam  varia  fama  percrebuit,  migraturum 
Alexandream  vel  Ilium,  translates  siinul  opibiis  imperil.  Others  regard 
it  as  an  allegorical  condemnation  of  Asiatic  vice  and  luxury,  which 
Rome  must  avoid  if  she  is  to  maintain  her  empire.  Both  views  are 
improbable.  Horace  wished  to  represent  Juno's  fateful  wrath  toward 
Ilium  as  but  partially  appeased :  she  will  allow  the  descendants  of 
the  Trojans  to  rule,  but  only  in  exile. 

The  name  Augustus  (v.  11)  shows  that  the  date  of  composition  is 
after  27  B.C.J  Metre,  68. 

lustum  et  tenacem  propositi  virum 
non  civium  ardor  prava  iubentium, 

i  ff.  Cf.  Herrick's  imitation.  But  what  he  doth  at  first  entend,  | 
'  No  wrath  of  Men  or  rage  of  Seas  That  he  holds  firmly  to  the  end.' 
|  Can  shake  a  just  man's  purposes:  |  Psalms  46,  2  -Therefore  will  we 
No  threats  of  Tyrants,  or  the  Grim  not  fear,  though  the  earth  do 
|  Visage  of  them  can  alter  him  ;  |  change,  and  though  the  moun- 

235 


3.  3.  3] 


HORATI 


10 


non  voltus  instantis  tyranni 

mente  quatit  solida,  neque  Auster, 

dux  inquieti  turbidus  Hadriae, 
nee  fulminantis  magna  manus  lovis : 
si  fractus  inlabatur  orbis, 
impavidum  ferient  ruinae. 

Hac  arte  Pollux  et  vagus  Hercules 
enisus  arcis  attigit  igneas, 


tains  be  moved  in  the  heart  of  the 
seas ' ;  and  Tennyson's  Will. 
The  first  two  strophes  were  re- 
peated by  the  great  Cornelius  de 
Witte  while  on  the  rack. 

—  civium  ardor,  instantis  ty- 
ranni :  '  neither  the  fury  of  the 
populace  nor  the  insistant  tyrant's 
look  can  shake  him.1  So  Soc- 
rates was  quite  unmoved  by  the 
demands  of  the  people,  when  pre- 
siding at  the  trial  of  the  generals 
who  had  commanded  at  Arginu- 
sae.  Plat.  Apol.  32  B.  Xen. 
Mem.  4,  4.  2.  Cf.  also  Juvenal's 
exhortation  8,  81  ff.  Phalaris  licet 
imperet  nt  sis  \  falsus  et  admoto 
dictet  periiiria  tanro.  \  sninmiiin 
crede  nefas,  animatn  praeferre 
pndori  \  et  propter  vitam  vivendi 
perdere  causas.  —  mente  :  loca- 
tive abl. —  solida:  suggesting  the 
simile  which  Seneca  developed  de 
Consol.  Sap.  3  quemadmodum 
prfliecti  in  altitm  scopnli  mare 
frangi4nt,  .  .  .  ita  sapient  is  ani- 
mus solidtts  est. 

5  ff.  dux  .  .  .  Hadriae :  cf.  i , 
3,  15;  2,  17,  19.  —  inquieti:  rest- 


less.—  nee  fulminantis,  etc.:  cf. 
1, 1 6,  II  f.  —  orbis  :  (the  vault  of) 
the  sky.  —  impavidum :  still  undis- 
mayed. 

9  ff.  Pollux,  Hercules,  Bacchus, 
and  Quirinus  are  types  of  mortals 
who  by  their  virtues  attained  im- 
mortality. Cf.  4,  5,  35  f.  Graecia 
Castoris  \  et  magni  memor  Her- 
culis.  Tacitus  says  (Ann.  4,  38) 
that  when  Tiberius  refused  divine 
honors  the  people  murmured : 
fiptimos  qiiippe  mortalium  altis- 
sima  cupere ;  sic  Herculem  et  Li- 
berum  apud  Graecos,  Quirinum 
apud  nos  deitm  nnmero  additos : 
.  .  .  melius  Angnstitm  qiii  spera- 
verit.  —  hac  arte :  i.e.  by  means 
of  the  institia  and  constantia 
which  form  the  theme  of  the  ode. 
— vagus :  a  favorite  epithet  of 
Hercules.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  801  ff. 
where  Augustus1  travels  in  the 
East  are  compared  to  the  wander- 
ings of  Hercules  and  Bacchus,  nee 
vero  Alcides  tantuin  telluris  obivit, 
etc.  —  enisus  :  striving  upward. 
—  arcis  igneas  :  cj".  Ovid.  Am.  3, 


236 


10,  21  stderea  arx. 


CARMINA 


[3-  3.  20 


quos  inter  Augustus  recumbens 
purpureo  bibet  ore  nectar ; 

hac  te  merentem,  Bacche  pater,  tuae 
vexere  tigres  indocili  iugum 
collo  trahentes  ;  hac  Quirinus 
Martis  equis  Acheronta  fugit, 

gratum  elocuta  consiliantibiis 
lunone  divis  :  '  Ilion,  Ilion 
fatalis  incestusque  iudex 
et  m'ulier  peregrina  vertit 


ii  f.  This  prophecy  marks  the 
court  poet.  Cf.  I,  2,41-52  ;  Verg. 
G.  i,  24-42. — recumbens:  at  the 
banquet.  —  purpureo  :  ruddy,  with 
the  bloom  of  a  divine  youth.  So 
Vergil  says  of  Venus,  A.  2,  593 
roseoque  haec  insuper  addidit  ore. 

13  ff.  hac :  sc.  arte ;  connect 
with  merentem,  winning  (heaven). 
Cf.  Ovid.  Trist.  5,  3,  19  (also  of 
Bacchus)  ipse  quoque  aetherias 
merit  is  invectus  es  arces.  — vexere  : 
i.e.adcaelum.  —  tigres  :  the  tamed 
tigers  symbolize  the  god's  civiliz- 
ing power.  —  Quirinus  :  for  the 
story  of  Romulus1  apotheosis,  cf. 
Livy  I,  16;  Ovid.  Fast.  2,  481  ff. 
Note  the  contrast  between  enisus 
(v.  10),  indicating  the  efforts  of 
Pollux  and  Hercules,  and  vexere 
(v.  14),  Martis  equis  fugit  (v.  16), 
applied  to  Bacchus  and  the  Roman 
Quirinus. 

17  ff.  Horace  now  represents 
the  gods  as  debating  whether 
Romulus  shall  Be  admitted  to 


heaven  and  become  one  of  them. 
Juno's  speech  affords  him  an  op- 
portunity to  show  the  destiny  of 
the  Roman  State  if  it  be  just, 
steadfast,  and  without  greed. 

—  gratum :  modifying  elocuta. 
The  gods  were  pleased  that  she 
abated  her  hatred  toward  Ilium. 
—  elocuta  lunone  :  abl,  abs.,  fixing 
the  time.  — Ilion,  Ilion  :  the  repe- 
tition marks  the  speaker's  emo- 
tion. Cf.  Eurip.  Orest.  1381  ff. 
lAioi/,  lA.ioi',  tofjioi  /J.OL  .  .  .  oi?  cr' 
oA.d/u.evov  a~rfvw.  Intr.  28  a. 

19  f.  fatalis :  fateful.  Cf.  the 
epithets  Aixnrapis,  Aivorrupis.  — 
incestus :  base,  foul,  because  his 
decision  in  awarding  the  prize  for 
beauty  was  determined  by  a  bribe. 
Cf.  3,  2,  30  incesto.  —  peregrina  : 
the  Greek  /Sap/Sctpos,  scornfully 
applied  to  Helen.  Cf.  Eurip. 
Andr.  649,  where  Helen  is  called 
ywrj  /3dp/3apo<;.  Notice  that  Juno 
in  her  wrath  will  not  name  either 
Paris  or  Helen. 


237 


3.  3,  2i  J 


IIORATI 


3° 


in  pulverem,  ex  quo  destituit  deos 
mercede  pacta  Laomedon  mihi 
castaeque  damnatum  Minervae 
cum  populo  et  duce  fraudulento. 

lam  nee  Lacaenae  splendet  adulterae 
famosus  hospes  nee  Priami  domus 
periura  pugnacis  Achivos 
Hectoreis  opibus  refringit, 

nostrisque  ductum  seditionibus 
bellum  resedit :  protinus  et  gravis 
iras  et  invisum  nepotem, 

Troica  quern  peperit  sacerdos, 


21  ff.  ex  quo:  fixing  the  time 
of  damnatum  v.  23.  Troy  was 
doomed  from  the  day  of  Laome- 
dorfs  default ;  indicium  Paridis 
spretaeque  iniuria  formae  were 
then  only  one  of  the  causes  of 
Troy's  fall. — deos:  Apollo  and 
Poseidon  served  Laomedon  a  year ; 
according  to  the  Homeric  form  of 
the  story  (//.  21,  441  ff.),  Posei- 
don built  for  him  the  walls  of 
Troy  while  Apollo  pastured  his 
herds ;  but  Laomedon  refused  to 
pay  the  price  agreed  on  for  the 
service.  Other  forms  of  the  myth 
make  Apollo  Neptune's  partner  in 
building  the  walls.  —  castae  Mi- 
nervae :  cf.  I,  7,  5  intactae  Palla- 
dis.  —  duce  :  Laomedon . 

25  ff.  iam  nee  :  no  longer  now. 
—  splendet:  reproducing  the  Ho- 
meric KaAAei  T(.  aTi\(3<i)v  KUI 
elxmri.  //  3;  392.  •  adulterae :  dat. 


238 


with  splendet,  in  the  eyes  of,  etc.  — 
famosus :  Paris  was  the  notorious 
example  of  such  infamous  action 
toward  his  host.  —  periura:  re- 
ferring to  Laomedon's  broken 
promise.  —  refringit :  breaks  and 
drives  back. 

29  ff.  ductum  :  prolonged.  The 
length  of  the  war  was  due  to  divi- 
sion among  the  gods.  —  resedit: 
has  subsided,  like  the  waves  of  a 
stormy  sea.  —  protinus  :  from  this 
moment.  —  nepotem  :  Romulus. 
her  descendant,  hitherto  hateful 
(invisum)  to  her  because  the  child 
of  a  Trojan  mother.  —  Troica  sa- 
cerdos :  Rhea  Silvia.  Horace  here, 
as  in  I,  2,  17  ff..  follows  the  older 
tradition  which  made  her  the 
daughter  of  Aeneas.  Notice  that 
here,  as  in  v.  25  f..  Juno  will  not 
call  the  objects  of  her  resentment 
by  name. 


CARMINA 


[3.  3.  42 


40 


Marti  redonabo  ;  ilium  ego  lucidas 
inire  sedes,  discere  nectaris 
sucos  et  adscribi  quietis 
ordinibus  patiar  deorum. 

Dum  longus  inter  saeviat  Ilion 
Romamque  pontus,  qualibet  exsules 
in  parte  regnanto  beati; 

dum  Priam i  Paridisque  busto 

insultet  armentum  et  catulos  ferae 
celent  inultae,  stet  Capitolium 


33  ff.  redonabo :  resign  as  a 
free  gift,  condonabo.  Cf.  2,  7,  3, 
where  the  word  is  used  in  a  differ- 
ent sense. —  ilium:  emphatic  and 
serving  to  connect  the  two  sen- 
tences. Cf.  3,  2,  6.  —  lucidas  se- 
des :  cf.  the  Homeric  cuyA^ci'TO'; 
'OA.U/XTTOI;,  //.  I,  532.  —  discere: 
to  learn  (the  taste  of).  —  adscribi 
.  .  .  ordinibus :  to  be  enrolled  in 
the  ranks',  a  technical  expression 
taken  from  the  enrollment  of  citi- 
zens in  their  proper  orders.  — 
quietis :  for  the  gods  live  unclis- 
tressed  by  cares  that  harass  men. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  4,  379  f.  ea  cura 
quietos  \  sollicitat. 

37  ff.  dum  .  .  .  dum :  so  long 
as,  expressing  the  condition  on 
which  she  yields.  —  longus,  sae- 
viat :  emphasizing  the  separation. 
—  qualibet,  etc. :  '  they  may  reign 
in  good  fortune  wherever  they  will, 
provided  they  continue  exiles.'- 
busto :  loc.  abl .  Horace  could  pic- 
ture Priam's  tomb  in  his  imagina- 


tion, for  Vergil's  A.  2,  557  had 
not  been  published. 

41  ff.  The  place  where  Troy 
once  stood  shall  be  utterly  deso- 
late. Cf.  Isaiah  13,  20  f.  '  It  shall 
shall  never  be  inhabited,  neither 
shall  it  be  dwelt  in  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  :  neither  shall 
the  Arabian  pitch  tent  there  ; 
neither  shall  shepherds  make  their 
flocks  to  lie  down  there.  But 
wild  beasts  of  the  desert  shall  lie 
there  :  and  their  houses  shall  be 
full  of  doleful  creatures  ;  and  os- 
triches shall  dwell  there,  and 
satyrs  shall  dance  there.  And 
wolves  shall  cry  in  their  castles,  and 
jackals  in  the  pleasant  palaces/ 

—  insultet  :  gambol  on,  from 
which  comes  the  connotation  of 
insult.  Cf.  //.  4,  176  f.  KOU  KC 
TIS  wS'  epe'ei  Tpwwv 


Kv8n\i/j.oLO.  —  stet  :  may  stand 
(undisturbed)  ;  permissive  like  reg- 
nanto above.  —  Capitolium:  the 


3»  3.  43] 


HORATI 


45 


5° 


fulgens  triumphatisque  possit 
Roma  ferox  dare  iura  Medis ; 

horrenda  late  nomen  in  ultimas 
extendat  oras,  qua  medius  liquor 
secernit  Europen  ab  Afro, 
qua  tumidus  rigat  arva  Nilus. 

Aurum  inrepertum  et  sic  melius  situm, 
cum  terra  celat,  spernere  fortior 
quam  cogere  humanos  in  usus 
omne  sacrum  rapiente  dextra, 

quicumque  mundo  terminus  obstitit, 
hunc  tanget  armis,  visere  gestiens 


symbol  of  Rome's  power.  Cf.  i, 
37,  6  and  n.  —  fulgens:  predi- 
cate with  stet ;  contrasted  with 
the  desolation  of  Troy. — trium- 
phatis :  logically  part  of  the  per- 
mission, '  may  conquer  and  impose 
her  laws  on/  —  Roma  ferox  :  stern, 
warlike.  Cf.  1,35,10  Latiutn  ferox. 
45  ff.  horrenda  late  :  feared 
afar.  Cf.  Ovid.  Fasti  I,  717  hor- 
reatAeneadas  et  primus  et  ultimns 
orbis.  —  nomen  :  used  almost  tech- 
nically—  i.e.  the  remotest  peoples 
are  to  come  under  the  nomen 
(Romanuw).  Cf.  Latin n>n  nomen 
4?  '5»  '3-  —  <lua  medius  liquor, 
etc. :  the  straits  of  Gibraltar  on 
the  west,  Egypt  on  the  east.  —  tu- 
midus .  .  .  rigat :  with  its  annual 
inundation.  Cf.  Verg.  G.  4,  291  f. 
et  diversa  ruens  septem  discurrit 
in  or  a  \  et  viridem  Aegyptnin 
nigrafec nndat  arena. 


49  ff.  The  second  condition  on 
which  Rome's  future  depends  is 
that  she  show  herself  superior  to 
lust  for  gold  :  if  the  Roman  can  re- 
sist that,  he  shall  subdue  the  whole 
world.  —  inrepertum :  undiscov- 
ered, because  not  sought  for.  — 
spernere  fortior,  etc. :  braver  in 
scorning  the  gold  than  in,  etc. : 
epexegetical  infinitives  with  for- 
tior. Intr.  108.  The  expression 
is  somewhat  forced  and  the  first 
part  of  the  strophe  is  made  ob- 
scure by  the  parenthetical  et  sic  . . 
celat.  —  cogere:  a  strong  word — 
forcibly  gathering  it.  —  humanos  in 
usus:  with  rapiente. — sacrum  :  with 
special  reference  to  thegold  hidden 
in  the  earth  :  it  is  sacrum  since  the 
gods  have  there  concealed  it. 

53  ff.  The  goddess  now  passes 
from  mere  permission  (regnanto, 
stet.  extendat)  to  prophecy  (tan- 


240 


CARMINA 


t3.  3.  66 


5S 


5o 


qua  parte  debacchentur  ignes, 
qua  nebulae  pluviique  rores. 

Sed  bellicosis  fata  Quiritibus 
hac  lege  dico,  ne  nimium  pii 
rebusque  fidentes  avitae 
tecta  velint  reparare  Troiae. 

Troiae  renascens  alite  lugubri 
fortuna  tristi  clade  iterabitur, 
ducente  victricis  catervas 
coniuge  me  lovis  et  sorore. 

Ter  si  resurgat  murus  aeneus 
auctore  Phoebo,  ter  pereat  meis 


get).  — quicumque  mundo,  etc.: 
whatever  bound  has  been  set  the 
world,  that  she  shall  touch,  etc.  — 
qua  parte,  etc. :  the  torrid  zone. 

—  debacchentur :  keep  wild  revel. 

—  qua  nebulae,  etc. ;  the   farthest 
north  with  which  the  Roman  in 
Horace's    day    was    actually    ac- 
quainted was  North  Germany  with 
its   fogs   and    rains.      Cf.    I,    22, 
17-20. 

57  ff.  sed  :  Juno  returns  to  the 
condition  with  which  she  began, 
v.  37  ff.  —  bellicosis  :  more  than  a 
mere  ornamental  epithet ;  it  im- 
plies that  the  Romans  will  gain 
their  empire  by  arms. — hac  lege 
.  .  .  ne :  on  this  condition,  that 
they  shall  not,  etc.  —  pii :  i.e. 
toward  their  mother  city,  avitae 
JTroiae.  — rebus  fidentes :  with  ref- 
erence to  the  content  of  vv.  45-56. 
HOR.  CAR. —  16  ._--> 


61  ff.  Troiae  :  echoing  the  pre- 
ceding Troiae.  Intr.  28  b. — re- 
nascens :  transferred  from  Troiae 
to  fortuna,  a  difficult  hypallage  in 
English.  Intr.  99.  —  alite  :  cf. 
i,  15,  5.  —  ducente,  etc. :  cf.  Verg. 
A.  2,  612  ff.  hie  htno  Scaeas  sae- 
vissima  portas  \  prima  tenet,  sod- 
unique  fur  ens  a  navibus  agmen  \ 
ferro  accincta  vocat.  —  coniuge . . . 
et  sorore :  an  Homeric  phrase, 
Kao-iyvyr-r)  aAo^os  re,  adopted  also 
by  Verg.  A.  i,  46  f.  ast  ego,  quae 
divom  incedo  regina,  lovisque  \  et 
soror  et  coniunx. 

65  ff.  ter  ...  ter  ...  ter  : 
Intr.  28  c.  —  aeneus :  '  and  be  of 
bronze  as  well.'  —  auctore  Phoebo  : 
as  they  were  before.  Cf.  v.  21  f. 
above  and  n.  —  meis  Argivis  :  ab- 
lative of  instrument  rather  than 
of  agent. 


3,3,67]  I10KATI 

excisus  Argivis,  ter  uxor 

capta  virum  puerosque  ploret.' 

Non  hoc  iocosae  conveniet  lyrae : 
70  quo,  musa,  tendis  ?     Desine  pervicax 

referre  sermones  deorum  et 
magna  modis  tenuare  parvis. 

69  ff.    non   hoc,   etc.:    Horace  that  all  has  not  yet  been  said. — 

suddenly  checks  his  muse  with  the  pervicax  :    persistent.  —  tenuare  : 

warning  that  his  lyre  is  iocosa  and  to  lessen,  dwarf.     Cf.  I,  6,  12  de- 

not  suited  to  such  serious  themes.  terere;  i,  6,  9  nee  .  .  .  conamur, 

The  strophe  is  a  mere  device  to  tenues grandia.     Also  Prop.  4,  I, 

close   the   ode.      Cf.   2,   i,  37  ff.  5  dicite,  quo  pariter  carmen  tenn- 

—  conveniet:    the    tense    implies  astis  in  antro / 


Horace  begins  this  ode  with  a  second  invocation  to  the  Muses  and  a 
renewed  pledge  of  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  them.  It  was  they  who 
gave  him  safe  escape  at  Philippi,  protected  him  from  the  falling  tree,  • 
and  rescued  him  from  drowning.  Under  their  guardianship  he  may 
wander  all  unharmed  among  savage  tribes  on  the  very  outskirts  of  the 
world  (1-36).  It  is  also  they  who  protect  mighty  Caesar  and  aid  him 
with  gentle  counsel  (37-42).  At  this  point  in  the  ode  Horace  turns 
with  apparent  abruptness  to  the  story  of  the  giants'  defeat  in  their 
battle  with  the  gods,  and  closes  with  a  warning  against  dependence  on 
brute  force  and  violence  (42-80) .  No  Roman,  however,  would  fail  to 
see  that  Horace  wished  to  present  Augustus  here  as  the  vice-regent  of 
Jove,  and  that  the  powers  of  violence  are  those  of  rebellion  against  the 
emperor's  moderate  and  beneficent  rule.  In  the  next  ode  the  compari- 
son is  moremitspoken. 

f  composition  is  approximately  26  B.C. ;  cf.  n.  to  v.  33. 
Metre,, 

Descende  caelo  et  die  age  tibia 

regina  Ion  gum  Calliope  melos, 

iff.    descende    caelo :    for    the  however,  understood  it  to  mean: 

Muses  dwell  on   Olympus,  //.  2.  ;Come   back   to   earth   from    the 

484  Mowrui  'OAj'/v-TTta  SW/AUT'  t^ov-  council  of  the  gods...(in  tne  Pre" 

<rai.     The  ancient  commentators,  ceding   ode).'     This    is    possible. 


CARM1NA 


[3. 4,  y 


seu  voce  nunc  mavis  acuta, 
seu  fidibus  citharave  Phoebi. 

Auditis,  an  me  ludit  amabilis 
insania  ?     Audire  et  videor  pios 
errare  per  lucos,  amoenae 

quos  et  aquae  subeunt  et  aurae. 

Me  fabulosae  Volture  in  Apulo 


but  fanciful. —  die  age:  come  play 
upon  thy  pipe,  etc.  Cf.  i,  32, 
3;  2,  II,  22. —  regina :  thus  ad- 
dressed, since  she  rules  the  poet's 
song;  cf.  i,  6,  10;  2,  12,  13  f. 
So  Venus  is  called  regina  (3,  26, 
n)  '  queen  of  love.'  —  Calliope  : 
with  no  reference  to  Calliope's 
special  province  as  the  muse  of 
epic  poetry.  Cf.  I,  i,  32  and  n. 
The  invocation  may  have  been 
suggested  by  Alcm.  Frg.  45  Mukr' 
aye,  KaAAioira,  Ovyartp  Aio;. 
apx'  epariov  eVeW,  or  by  Stesich. 
Frg.  45  Sevp'  aye,  KaAAiorreia 
A.iyeia  — seu  voce,  etc.:  the  ex- 
pression is  somewhat  confused : 
Horace  prays  the  Muse  to  sing 
either  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the  pipe  (tibia),  or  of  the  lyre 
( fidibus  citharave)  or  with  her 
clear,  treble  (acuta.  equivalent  to 
Ai'yeia  above)  voice  alone.  —  fidi- 
bus citharave  :  the  distinction  be- 
tween cithara  and  lyra  was  early 
confused  (cf.  the  Horn.  Hymn,  ad 
Merc.  423  kvpr)  8'  eparov  Ki$apt- 
£cov),  and  Horace  is  obviously  here 
thinking  of  a  single  instrument. 
5  ff .  auditis :  in  his  imagina- 
tion the  poet  hears  already  the 


voice  of  the  Muse.  —  insania  :  the 
poetic  ecstasy  called  by  Plato 
(Phaedr.  245  A.)  OTTO  Mowun/ 
Ka.TOK<a^rj  (possession)  re  KOI 
fjuivta.  —  videor:  sc.  tnihi.  Cf. 
Verg.  E.  10,  58  f.  iam  mihi  per 
rupes  videor  lucosque  sonantis  \ 
ire.  —  pios  lucos  :  the  haunts  of 
the  Muses,  consecrated  by  their 
presence. 

8.  quos  .  .  .  subeunt:  beneath 
rjhich  glide.  subeunt  is  connected 
by  a  slight  zeugma  with  aurae. 
Sappho,  Frg.  4,  describes  in  similar 
fashion  the  garden  of  the  nymphs 
afj.ffri  8'  v8wp  |  ttyo 
Sei  Si  wrStov  |  /jLaXivtav, 


'All  around  through  branches  of 
apple-orchards  i  Cool  streams  call. 
while  down  from  the  leaves  a-trem- 
ble  |  Slumberdistilleth'  (Symonds). 
9  ff.  '  I  have  been  favored  by  the 
Muses  from  my  infant  years';  ex- 
plaining why  he  may  be  kble  to 
hear  the  Muses'  song  while  duller 
ears  cannot.  Similar  storiesk  are 
told  of  Pindar,  Stesichorus,  Aes- 
chylus, and  others.  Cf.  Tennyson, 
Eleanor  e  2,  'Or  the  yellow-banded 
bees,  |  Thro'  half  open  lattices  | 


243 


3.  4,  io] 


HORATI 


io 


nutricis  extra  limina  Pulliae 
ludo  fatigatumque  somno 

fronde  nova  puerum  palumbes 

texere,  mirum  quod  foret  omnibus, 
quicumque  celsae  nidum  Acherontiae 
saltusque  Bantinos  et  arvum 
pingue  tenent  hum  ills  Forenti, 

ut  tuto  ab  atris  corpora  viperis 
dormirem  et  ursis,  ut  premerer  sacra 


Coming  in  the  scented  breeze,  |  Fed 
thee,  a  child,  lying  alone,  |  With 
whitest  honey  in  fairy  gardens 
cuird  —  |  A  glorious  child,  dream- 
ing alone,  |  In  silk-soft  folds,  upon 
yielding  down,  |  With  the  hum  of 
swarming  bees  |  Into  dreamful 
slumber  lull'd.' 

—  fabulosae  .  .  .  palumbes:  the 
doves  of  story.  Some,  however, 
connect  fabulosae  with  nutricis. — 
Volture:  Mt.  Voltur,  near  the  bor- 
ders of  Apulia  and  Lucania. — ex- 
tra limina :  the  child  had  wandered 
away  into  the  wood,  where  he  at  last 
fell  asleep.  —  Pulliae  :  this  is  the 
reading  of  some  of  the  best  Mss., 
and  the  name  is  found  in  inscrip- 
tions. The  other  reading,  limen 
Apuliae,  is  impossible.  —  ludo,  etc. : 
possibly  modelled  after  the  Ho- 
meric (//.  10,98;  Od.  12,  281)  Ka- 
fjLaTw  dSr/Kores  ^8e  xai  UTTVOJ.  For 
the  position  of  -que,  see  Intr.  31. — 
fronde  nova:  fresh  and  fragrant. 

i3ff.  mirum  quod  foret :  (a  sight) 
to  be  a  marvel;  expanded  v.  17  ff. 
ut. .  .dormirem,  etc.  —  nidum  Ache- 


rontiae :  to-day,  Acerenza,  perched 
like  a  nest  on  the  top  of  a  hill. 
Many  Italian  towns  were  so  placed 
for  defense,  and  still  retain  the  ap- 
pearance graphically  described  by 
the  word  nidus.  Cf.  Cic.  de  Or.  i, 
196  Ithacam  illain  in  asperriniis 
saxulistamquam  nidulum  adfixatn. 
Macaulay,  Horatius.  *  From  many 
a  lonely  hamlet,  |  Which,  hid  by 
beech  and  pine,  |  Like  an  eagle's 
nest,  hangs  on  the  crest  |  Of  pur- 
ple Apennine.'  — saltus  Bantinos: 
the  modern  Abbadia  de'  Banzi, 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  to  the  north 
of  Acerenza.  —  humilis  Forenti : 
the  ancient  town  was  in  the  low- 
lands ;  the  modern  Forenza,  situ- 
ated on  a  hill,  preserves  the  name, 
lyff.  ut . . .  dormirem,  ut .  . .  pre- 
merer: interrogative,  the  object 
of  their  wonder.  Notice  the  effect 
of  the  interlocked  order  of  the  first 
line.  —  atris :  the  '  deadly '  color. 
Cf.  I,  37,  27  and  n.  —  sacra:  the 
laurel  was  sacred  to  Apollo,  the 
god  of  song,  and  the  myrtle  to 
Venus ;  therefore  their  use  fore- 


-  244 


CAKMINA 


[3.  4,  32 


20 


lauroque  conlataque  myrto, 
non  sine  dis  animosus  infans. 

Vester,  Camenae,  vester  in  arduos 
toiler  Sabinos,  seu  mihi  frigidum 
Praeneste  seu  Tibur  supinum 
seu  liquidae  placuere  Baiae. 

Vestris  amicum  fontibus  et  choris 
non  me  Philippis  versa  acies  retro, 
devota  non  exstinxit  arbor, 
nee  Sicula  Palinurus  unda. 

Vtcumque  mecum  vos  eritis,  libens 
insanientem  navita  Bosporum 
temptabo  et  urentis  harenas 
litoris  Assyrii  viator ; 


told  that  the  child  was  to,  be  a 
poet  of  love.  —  non  sine  dis:  the 
Homeric  ov  rot  avev  Otov  (Od.  2, 
372),  OVK  a.Qtu(Od.  1 8,  353).  The 
child's  spirit  was  divinely  given. 

21  ff.  vester . . .  vester :  the  repe- 
tition emphasizes  the  poet's  de- 
votion to  his  task  as  Musarum 
sacerdos. — toiler:  middle,  climb. — 
Praeneste.  Tibur,  Baiae:  three  fa- 
vorite resorts  of  the  Romans. — 
frigidum:  cf.  luven.  3,  190  gelida 
Praeneste.  —  supinum:  sloping;  cf. 
luven.  3, 192  proni  Tibnris arce. — 
liquidae :  clear,  of  the  air ;  cf.  2,  20,  • 
2.  But  some  commentators  refer 
it  to  the  water  at  Baiae. 

25  ff .  vestris :  echoing  vester  of 
the  preceding  strophe.  —  amicum: 
giving  the  reason  for  his  protection 
—  'because  I  am  dear/  etc.  —  fon- 


tibus: cf.  i,  26,  6.  —  Philippis:  cf. 
2,  7.  9  flf. 

28.  We  have  no  other  reference 
to  Horace's  escape  from  shipwreck, 
and  it  is  not  impossible  that  he 
added  this  simply  to  round  out  his 
list  of  dangers  and  to  show  that  the 
Muses  protect  him  on  land  and  sea. 

—  Palinurus:  a  promontory  of  Lu- 
cania  named  from  Aeneas'  pilot ; 
Verg.  A.  6,  381  aeternnmque  locus 
Palinuri  nomen  habebit. 

29  ff .  utcumque :  whenever.  —  in- 
sanientem .  .  .  Bosphorum:  noted 
for  its  stormy  character.  Cf.  2, 13, 
14,  and  with  the  adjective  Verg.  E.  9, 
43  insani  feriatit  sine  litore  flnctus. 

—  urentis  harenas,  etc. :  notice  the 
contrast  between  Bosphorum,  ha- 
renas. and  navita,  tiator. —  Assyrii: 
i.e. '  Syrian,'  •  Eastern.'  Cf.  2, 1 1 , 1 6 


245 


3.  4,  33] 


HORATI 


35 


visam  Britannos  hospitibus  feros 
et  laetum  equino  sanguine  Concanum» 
visam  pharetratos  Gelonos 

et  Scythicum  inviolatus  amnem. 

Vos  Caesarem  altum,  militia  simul/' 
fessas  cohortis  abdidit  oppidis, 
finire  quaerentem  labores 
Pierio  recreatis  antro. 

Yos  lene  consilium  et  datis  et  dato 
gaudetis,  almae.     Scimus  ut  impios 


33 ff.  Britannos:  Augustus' pro- 
jected expedition  against  the  Brit- 
ons may  have  occasioned  their 
mention  here  (cf.  introductory  n. 
to  i,  35)  ;  or  they  may  have  been 
chosen  as  a  type  of  the  peoples 
living  on  the  borders  of  the  world. 
Cf-  *>  35'  3°  ultwtos  or  bis  Britan- 
nos. —  hospitibus  feros :  Tacitus, 
Ann.  14,  30,  pictures  them  as  sav- 
ages.—  Concanum:  a  Cantabrian 
tribe  ;  cf.  2,  6,  2.  Verg.  G.  3,  463, 
says  that  the  Geloni  drink  horses' 
blood  mixed  with  milk.  Statius. 
Achil.  i,  307,  attributes  a  similar 
custom  to  the  Massagetae.  —  Gelo- 
nos: cf.  2,  9,  23  ;  20.  19.  —  Scythi- 
cum amnem:  the  Tanais.  Don.  Cf. 
3,  10,  i. — inviolatus:  predicate, — 
and  still  remain  unharmed. 

37ff.  vos:  connecting  this  stro- 
phe4\vith  the  preceding,  and  bring- 
ing us  back  to  the  main  theme  of 
this  part  of  the  ode,  —  the  Muses 
and  their  influence.  —  altum:  ev- 
alled.  —  militia  simul,  etc.:  after 


the  battle  of  Actium  Augustus 
settled  120,000  veterans  on  lands, 
spending  enormous  sums  for  this 
purpose.  In  spite  of  the  vexa- 
tion that  the  confiscations  of  land 
caused?  this  disposition  of  the 
troops  was  doubtless  a  great  relief 
to  many  who  feared  that  the  victor 
might  use  his  forces  to  secure  ty- 
rannical power.  —  abdidit :  aptly 
expressing  the  disappearance  of 
the  troops.  — finire,  etc. :  Augustus1 
great  desire  seems  to  have  been 
for  peace ;  the  Roman  world  saw  a 
warrant  of  this  in  the  disbanding 
of  his  veterans  just  referred  to. — 
Pierio  recreatis  antro :  i.e.  by  liter- 
ary pursuits  in  some  quiet  spot,  as 
in  a  cave  sacred  to  the  Muses.  Cf. 
'I,  12.  6.  When  Octavian  was  re- 
turning from  the  East  in  29  B.C., 
he  rested  some  time  at  Atella  in 
Campania,  where  on  four  succes- 
sive days  the  Georgics^  which  Ver- 
gil had  just  finished,  were  read  to 
him  by  Vergil  and  Maecenas. 
246 


CARMINA 


[3.  4.  50 


Titanas  immanemque  turbam 
fulmine  sustulerit  caduco 

45  qui  terram  inertem,  qui  mare  temperat 

ventosum  et  urbis  regnaque  tristia 
divosque  mortalisque  turmas 
imperio  regit  unus  aequo. 

Magnum  ilia  terrorem  intulerat  lovi 
50  fidens  iuventus  horrida  bracchiis, 


41  ff.  vos:  cf.  n.  on  37  above. — 
lene  consilium.  etc. :  with  reference 
to  Augustus1  mild  and  beneficent 
policy  after  he  had  established  his 
position  (cf.  C.  S.  5 1  iacentem  lenis 
in  hostetn) .  This  policy  of  concili- 
ation was  in  sharp  contrast  with 
the  proscriptions  of  Marius,  Sulla, 
and  also  of  the  second  Trium- 
virate, consisting  of  Antony. 
Lepidus,  and  Octavian,  to  whose 
hatred  many  fell  victims  in  43  B.C., 
among  them  the  orator  Marcus 
Cicero. — consilium:  trisyllabic. 
Intr.  39. — dato:  sc.  consilio;  i.e. 
the  Muses  take  delight  in  further- 
ing the  counsel  that  they  have 
given. — scimus,  etc.:  emphatic,  we 
all  know.  Horace  thus  suddenly 
turns  to  his  contemporaries  and 
reminds  them  that  the  lesson  is  in- 
tended for  them  ;  they  must  recog- 
nize that  foolish  rebellion  against 
Caesar's  kindly  rule  is  as  vain  as 
the  attack  of  the  Titans  on  Jove's 
power. —  fulmine  .  .  .  caduco:  t/ie 
quick-falling  bolt.  So  in  Aesch.  /'. 
V.  358  ff.  it  is  said  that  the  monster 
Typhon  was  consumed  by  the  KUT- 


—  sustulerit:  destroyed.    The  sub- 
ject is  the  antecedent  of  qui  in  the 
following  verse. 

45  ff .  terram,  mare,  urbis,  etc. : 
indicating  the  universality  of  Jove's 
rule.  Observe  also  that  the  natu- 
ral contrast  of  the  nouns  is  height- 
ened by  the  adjectives  employed, 

—  inertem,  brute ;  ventosum,  gusty 
(cf.  1, 34,  9  brut  a  tellus  et  vagaflu- 
inina)  •  tristia,  gloomy,  contrasted 
with  the  cities  of  men.  — temperat: 
goi>erns  (in  harmony).     Cf.  I,  12, 
1 6.      Its  objects  are  terram  and 
mare ;    the  other  nouns  denoting 
animate  creatures  belong  with  re- 
git.  —  unus :  alone,  emphasizing  the 
unity  of  the  world's  order. 

49  ff .  The  possibility  that  Jove 
should  fear  the  giants  is,  strictly 
taken,  inconsistent  with  his  uni- 
versal rule  described  in  the  preced- 
ing strophe ;  but  Horace  wished 
to  exalt  (57  f. )  the  position  of  f  al- 
ias, the  embodiment  of  wisdom,  in 
relation  to  the  power  of  Jove. 

50.  fidens:  absolutely, presump- 
tuous. —  iuventus  horrida  bracchiis: 


347 


3.4,50 


HORATI 


55 


fratresque  tendentes  opaco 
Pelion  imposuisse  Olympo. 

Sed  quid  Typhoeus  et  validus  Mimas, 
aut  quid  minaci  Porphyrion  statu, 
quid  Rhoetus  evolsisque  truncis 
Enceladus  iaculator  audax 

contra  sonantem  Palladis  aegida 
possent  ruentes  ?     Hinc  avidus  stetit 


the  Hecatoncheires,  who  in  the 
common  form  of  the  myth  guard 
for  Jove  the  Titans  whom  he  has 
hurled  into  Tartarus.  But  here 
Horace  includes  them  among  the 
monstrous,  and  therefore  evil,  pow- 
ers that  assail  the  majesty  of  right 
and  wisdom.  The  violence  done 
the  old  mythology  would  offend  no 
one  of  Horace's  audience,  and  the 
allegory  would  be  evident  to  all. 
horrida  brace hiis:  with  their  bris- 
tling arms. 

51  f.  fratres:  the  Aloidae,  Otus 
and  Ephialtes.  —  tendentes,  etc. :  cf. 
Od.  1 1 ,  3 1 5  f.  "Ooxrav  CTr1  OuAu/XTrw 
06/u.cv,  aurap  €TT'  "O<ra"r) 
elvo<ri<f>v\\ov .  Verg.  G, 
1 ,  280  flf.  et  coniuratos  caelum  re- 
scindere  fratres.  \  ter  sunt  conati 
imponere  Pelio  Ossam  \  scilicet, 
atque  Ossae  frondostim  iin'olvere 
Olympum;  Prop.  2,  i,  igf.  non 
ego  Titanas  canerem,  non  Ossan 
Olypipo  |  impositam,  nt  caeli  Pe- 
lion esset  iter.  —  imposuisse :  for  the 
force  of  the  tense,  cf.  I,  1,4. 

53 ff.  Typhoeus:    according    to 
Hesiod,  Theog.  821,  the  youngest 


child  of  Earth,  sent  to  punish  Zeus 
for  his  destruction  of  the  Giants  ; 
Pindar,  P.  8,  21,  makes  him  one  of 
the  Giants.  —  Mimas :  also  a  Giant, 
Eurip./<?«2i5. — Porphyrion:  king 
of  the  Giants,  Pind.  P.  8, 15.  —  mi- 
naci statu :  of  threatening  mien. — 
Rhoetus  :  cf.  2,  19,  23.  —  truncis  : 
instrumental  abl.  with  iaculator. 
Intr.  97. — Enceladus:  buried  un- 
der Aetna.  Verg.  A.  3,  578  ff. 
fania  est  Enceladi  semiustum  fill- 
mine  corpus  |  urgueri  mole  hac, 
ingentemque  insuper  Aetnam  \  im- 
positam  ruptis  flaminam  e.vspirare 
caminis.  Also  Longfellow's  En- 
celadus. 

57 ff.  Palladis:  the  embodiment 
of  wisdom,  and  Jove's  chief  sup- 
port. —  aegida  :  represented  in 
works  of  art  as  a  breast-plate  (cf. 
n.  to  I,  15,  n),  but  apparently  con- 
ceived of  here  as  a  shield,  possibly 
after  //.  1 7,  593  flf.  KUI  TOT'  dpu.  Kpo- 
vi'Sr/s  ?A«T'  utyi'Su.  Ovao'u.vof.o'ffav 
(adorned  with  tassels)  |  iMipfjuaptrjv 
(flashing),  .  .  .  rrjv  8'£rii/a£e.— 
ruentes:  wildly  rushing]  cf.  n.  to 
ruit,  v.  65  below.  — hinc :  i.e.  beside 


243 


CARMINA 


[3.  4.  67 


60 


Volcanus,  hinc  matrona  luno  et 
numquam  umeris  positurus  arcum, 

qui  rore  puro  Castaliae  lavit 
crinis  solutos,  qui  Lyciae  tenet 
dumeta  natalemque  silvam, 
Delius  et  Patareus  Apollo. 

Vis  consili  expers  mole  ruit  sua : 
vim  temperatam  di  quoque  provehunt 
in  maius ;  idem  odere  viris 


Jove. — avidus  :  cf.  the  Homeric 
AtAcud/Acvoi  TroXe/Aoto  //.  3,  133. 
Verg.  A.  9.  66 1  avidus  pugnae. — 
numquam  umeris,  etc.:  cf.  i,  21, 
1 1  f.  (tollite  laudibus)  insignemque 
pharetra  \  fraternaque  umenim 
lyra.  In  Eurip.  Ale.  40  Apollo 
says,  in  answer  to  the  question 
why  he  has  his  bow  and  arrows 
with  him,  <rvvr)0es  cuei  ravra  /3aa- 
ra£av  1/J.oi. 

61  S.  Cf.  Find.  P.   I,  39  Av'/ae 
KOL  AaAoi'  dveurawv  <£6r/3e,  TLapvaa- 

(TOV    T£    KpdvaV   KafTTaAtai/  <f>l\e<J)V. 

Also  Stat.  Theb.  i,  696 flF.  Phoebe pa- 
rens,  sen  te  Lyciae  Pat  area  nivosis 
|  exercent  dumeta  mgis,  seu  rore 
pudico  |  Castaliae  flavos  amor  est 
tibi  merger e  crines.  —  Castaliae  :  a 
spring  on  Mt.  Parnassus  ;  for  a  va- 
riation of  the  place,  cf.  4,  6,  26  qui 
X ant  ho  lavit  amne  crinis.  —  solu- 
tos :  flowing;  cf.  I,  21,  2,  and  n.  — 
Lyciae.  etc. :  according  to  the  De- 
lian  legend  of  Apollo,  the  god  spent 
the  six  summer  months  on  the 
island,  but  withdrew  for  the  other 
six  to  Patara,  in  Lycia. — natalem 


silvam:  in  Delos,  where  he  was 
born. 

65  ff.  vis  consili  expers,  etc.:  these 
words  sum  up  what  has  preceded, 
—  'mere  force,  blind  rebellion,  un- 
directed by  wisdom,  is  sure  to  fail  ; 
but  when  properly  guided  it  enjoys 
the  favor  of  the  very  gods,  who  yet 
abhor  and  punish  reckless  strength 
that  urges  men  to  wickedness.  We 
have  as  a  proof  of  this  the  cases  of 
Gyas,  Orion,  and  the  rest,  whose 
lawlessness  brought  on  them  the 
divine  wrath.' 

—  mole  ruit  sua  :  rushes  to  ruin 
of  its  own  weight.  For  this  mean- 
ing of  ruo,  cf.  n.  to  I,  2,  25.  With 
this  sententia,  cf.  Eurip.  Frg.  732 
8e  T'  d/xa^s  7roAAa/as  TIKTCI 
v,  and^  Find.  P.  8,  15  (3ia  Se 
(the  boastful)  ecr- 


66  ff.  vim  temperatam  :  con- 
trasted both  by  position  and  mean- 
ing with  the  preceding.  Intr.  28c. 
—  idem:  and  yet  they.  Cf.  2,  10, 
16.  —  viris:  here  not  distinguished 
in  meaning  from  the  singular. 


249 


3,  4,  68]  HORATI 

omne  nefas  animo  moventis. 

Testis  mearum  centimanus  Gyas 
70  sententiarum,  notus  et  integrae 

temptator  Orion  Dianae, 
virginea  domitus  sagitta. 

Iniecta  monstris  Terra  dolet  suis, 
maeretque  partus  fulmine  luridum 
75  missos  ad  Orcum  ;  nee  peredit 

impositam  celer  ignis  Aetnen, 


Note  the  cumulative  effect  of  vis, 
vim,  viris. 

69  ff.  Examples  of  the  punish- 
ment which  overtakes  those  indi- 
cated in  v.  68. — testis,  etc. :  with 
the  expression  and  asyndeton,  cf. 
Find.  Frg.  169  Schr.  NO/X.OS  6  TTO.V- 
Toov  /ScuriAeus  |  •   •   •  <*y«  .   .   .  TO 
ftia.i6Ta.TOV   |   virf.pTa.Ta.  X^P1'     r€K~ 
fjjaipofjuu.  |  e/oyoiaiv'HpaKAeos.  'Cus- 
tom, lord  of  all,  leads  most  forcibly 
with  mightiest  hand.      My  proof 
is  from  the  deeds  of  Heracles.'  — 
Gyas:  cf.  2,  17,  14. 

70  ff .  notus :  i.e.  an  example  fa- 
miliar to  all;  cf.  scimus,  v.  42.— 
temptator:  assailant]  only  here  in 
this  sense.    Cf.  Stat.  Theb.  1 1,  12  f. 
quantus  Apollineae  temerator  ma- 
tris  Averno  \  tenditur.  —  virginea : 
i.e.  shot  by  the  chaste  Diana. 

73  ff.  iniecta,  etc. :  one  cause  of 
Earth's  sorrow  is  that  she  is  forced 
to  be  the  burial  place  of  her  own 
offspring  (hence  monstris  suis).— 
monstris :  dative  with  both  iniecta 
and  dolet.  Intr.  :oo.  —  dolet  mae- 


retque: notice  the  tense,  —  ever 
suffers  and  mourns  for.  —  partus : 
particularly  the  Titans.  —  fulmine: 
with  missos.  —  luridum:  ghastly, 
appropriate  to  the  lower  world. — 
nee  peredit:  the  volcanic  outbursts 
represent  the  struggles  of  the  mon- 
ster to  escape,  but  his  efforts  are 
all  in  vain,  for  his  punishment  is 
eternal.  With  the  gnomic  perfect, 
cf.  v.  78,  reliquit.  Intr.  103. 

76.  impositam  .  .  .  Aetnen:  ac- 
cording to  Aeschylus  and  Pindar, 
Typhoeus  was  buried  beneath 
Aetna.  P.  V.  363  ff.  /cat 
/cat  ira.pd.opov  Se/xas  |  Karat, 
TTOV  irXrpriov  ^aAaoxrtbu 
pitfliunv  AiTvawus  viro.  '  And  now 
he  lies  a  useless  outstretched  form 
hard  by  the  sea  strait,  weighed 
down  beneath  the  roots  of  Aetna.' 
Find.  P.  I,  32  ff.  vvv  ye  pJav  \  TCU 
&  virtp  Ku/uas  dAiepKt'es  o^ai  | 
2t«ceAca  T*  avrov  irii^u  orepva  Aa^- 
vdivra  •  Kitav  8'  oupavta  (rvve^tt,  \ 
v(.$oivv  AITVU.  '  But  now  the  sea- 
girt shores  past  Cumae  and  Sicily 


25° 


CARMINA  [3, 5 

incontinentis  nee  Tityi  iecur 
reliquit  ales,  nequitiae  additus 
custos ;  amatorem  trecentae 
So  Pirithoum  cohibent  catenae. 

likewise   press   down   his   shaggy  epulis  habilatque  sub  alto  \  pectore, 

breast ;  and  snowy  Aetna,  a  pillar  of  necfibrisrequies  datur  ttlla  renatis. 

the  sky,  holds  him  in  ward.1    Other  — additus  custos:  set  as  warder; 

forms  of  the  myth  place  Enceladus  implying  that  the  vulture  would 

there  (cf.  n.  to  v.  56  above). — celer:  never  leave  him.     Cf.  Verg.  A.  6, 

swift  darting,  of  the  volcanic  fires.  90  nee  Teucris  addita  luno  usquam 

77  f .  incontinentis :  the  position  aberit. 

emphasizes  Tityos'  crime  in  offer-  79  f .  Pirithous,  king  of  the  La- 
ing  violence  to  Latona.  —  iecur:  pithae,  and  Theseus  were  chained 
the  seat  of  passion,  at  which  the  to  a  rock  in  Hades  for  their  impious 
punishment  is  appropriately  di-  attempt  to  carry  off  Proserpina, 
rected.  —  ales:  cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  597 ff.  Theseus  was  rescued  by  Hercules, 
rostroque  inmanis  voltur  obunco  \  but  Pirithous  obtained  no  escape. 
inmortale  iecur  tondens  fecunda-  Cf.  4,  7,  27 f. — trecentae:  an  in- 
que  poenis  \  -viscera  rimaturque  definite  number,  '  countless.' 


'While  Jove  is  sovereign  of  the  sky  and  Augustus  rules  on  earth, 
can  it  be  that  Crassus1  disgraceful  defeat  is  yet  unavenged!  Has  a 
Roman  soldier  so  forgotten  his  birthright  as  to  live  under  a  Median 
King,  married  to  a  barbarian  wife!  It  was  this  very  thing  that  Regu- 
lus'  wise  mind  foresaw  when  he  opposed  the  ransoming  of  our  soldiers 
captured  by  the  Carthaginians,  a  precedent  fraught  with  ill  for  later  times 
(1-18).  .  .  .  "No,"  he  said.  "  let  those  who  yielded  die;  will  they  be 
braver  when  bought  back?  No,  let  them  stay,  for  they  have  brought 
disgrace  upon  their  native  Italy  (19-40)."  So  like  one  disgraced  he 
put  aside  his  wife  and  child,  and  stood  with  downcast  eyes,  until  the 
Senate  had  agreed  to  his  proposal ;  then  he  hurried  back  to  torture 
and  to  death  with  heart  as  light  as  for  a  holiday  (41-56). ' 

The  ode  thus  treats  of  the  degeneracy  of  the  Roman  arms  and  the 
loss  of  military  prestige  which  Augustus  was  to  remedy  and  revive.  In 
the  first  strophe  the  allegory  of  the  preceding  ode  gives  way  to  plain 
speech.  The  date  of  composition  is  shown  by  v.  3  to  be  27-26  B.C. 
Metre,  68. 

251 


3.5.0 


HORATI 


10 


Caelo  tonantem  credidimus  lovem 
regnare  :  praesens  divus  habebitur 
Augustus  adiectis  Britannis 
imperio  gravibusque  Persis. 

Milesne  Crassi  coniuge  barbara 
turpis  maritus  vixit  et  hostium 
(pro  curia  inversique  mores !) 
consenuit  socerorum  in  armis, 

sub  rege  Medo  Marsus  et  Apulus, 
anciliorum  et  nominis  et  togae 


i  ff.  caelo:  with  regnare,  in 
contrast  to  praesens  divus.  —  to- 
nantem :  giving  the  reason  for  the 
belief;  also  a  proper  epithet  of 
Jove. — credidimus:  gnomic  per- 
fect. Intr.  103.  —  praesens  divus  : 
a  god  in  very  presence ;  i.e.  on 
earth,  visible  to  men.  Cf.  Ovid. 
Trist.  4,  4, 20  superorum  duorum,  \ 
quorum  hie  {Augustus)  aspicitur, 
creditur  Me  (luppiter)  deus.  2, 
54  per  te  praesentem  conspicuum- 
que  deum.  Verg.  G.  I,  41  nee  tarn 
praesentis  alibi  cognoscere  divos 
(licebat}. — adiectis,  etc.:  when 
they  shall  have  been  added.  — 
gravibus :  vexing;  cf.  i,  2,  22. 

5  f .  milesne:  a  sudden  burst 
of  indignation  aroused  by  the 
mention  of  the  Persians.  Plu- 
tarch. Crass.  31,  tells  us  that  ten 
thousand  Romans  surrendered  at 
Carrhae  in  53  B.C.  and  settled 
among  the  Pai  thians ;  they  were 
actually  compelled  by  their  victors 
to  fight  with  them  against  the 


Romans. — coniuge  barbara:  abl. 
with  turpis;  cf.  i,  37,  9.  —  mari 
tus  :  emphasizing  the  disgrace,  for 
properly  there  could  be  no  conit- 
bium  between  a  Roman  and  a  for- 
eigner. The  emphasis  is  contin- 
ued in  hostium  .  .  .  socerorum.  — 
vixit :  has  actually  lived. 

7  f.  pro  :  an  interjection.  — 
curia :  the  senate  house,  or  senate 
(cf.  2,  i,  14),  typical  of  all  that 
Rome  held  most  ancient  and 
sacred.  — consenuit :  almost  agen- 
eration  had  passed  since  Carrhae. 
Aurel.  Victor  Epit.  32  says  with 
exaggeration  of  the  Prince  Vale- 
rian in  the  third  century  A.D., 
Valerianus  .  .  .  in  Mesopotamia 
bellum  gerens  a  Sapore  Persarum 
rege  super  at  us,  MOX  ctiam  captus, 
apud  Parthos  ignobili  servitnte 
consenuit. 

9  f .  rege :  a  hateful  word  to  a 
Roman  ;  cf.  i,  37,  7.  —  Medo  Mar- 
sus et  Apulus :  effective  juxtapo- 
sition. The  Marsi  were  among 


252 


CARMINA 


[3.  5.  20 


oblitus  aeternaeque  Vestae, 
incolumi  love  et  urbe  Roma? 

Hoc  caverat  mens  provida  Reguli 
dissentientis  condicionibus 
foedis  et  exemplo  trahenti 
perniciem  veniens  in  aevum, 

si  non  periret  immiserabilis 
captiva  pubes.     '  Signa  ego  Punicis 
adfixa  delubris  et  arma 
militibus  sine  caede '  dixit 


the  bravest  of  the  Italian  peoples 
(cf.  2,  20,  1 8);  here  joined  with 
the  sturdy  Apulians  (cf.  1,22,  14), 
Horace's  fellow  countrymen.  —  an- 
ciliorum :  the  ancilia  were  among 
the  sacred  pignora  imperil,  and 
were  in  charge  of  the  Salii.  See 
Cl.  Diet.  s.v.  Salii.  —  nominis  : 
sc.  Romani.  — -togae  :  the  distinc- 
tive dress  of  the  Romans,  \\izgens 
t  ogata. 

1 1  f .  aeternae  Vestae :  the  ever- 
burning fire  on  the  hearth  of  Vesta 
was  symbolical  of  the  permanency 
of  the  state.  —  incolumi  love  :  i.e. 
'while  Jove's  temple  stands.' 
With  the  three  verses,  cf.  Florus 
2,  21,  3  patriae,  nominis,  togae, 
fascium  oblitus  (Antonius). 

13  ff.  hoc:  emphatic,  it  was  this 
very  thing.  —  Reguli:  M.  Atilius 
Regulus,  consul  256  B.C.,  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Carthaginians  in 
Africa  in  255  B.C.  According  to 
the  .common  tradition  he  was  sent 
to  Rome  in  250  B.C.  to  treat  for 


peace  or  to  obtain  at  least  an  ex- 
change of  prisoners,  but  persuaded 
the  Senate  to  decline  to  consider 
either  proposition.  Polybius  does 
not  refer  to  this  mission,  so  that 
the  correctness  of  the  tradition 
has  been  called  into  question,  but 
in  Cicero's  time  it  had  become  a 
favorite  commonplace.  Cf.  Cic. 
de  Off.  I,  39 ;  3,  99 ;  de  Orat.  3, 
1 09 ;  Livy  per.  1 8.  —  condicionibus 
foedis  :  i.e.  those  proposed  by  the 
Carthaginians.  —  exemplo  trahen- 
ti :  a  precedent  destined  to  bring. 
17  f.  si  non  periret:  explain- 
ing exemplo  trahenti.  The  subj. 
represents  peribit  of  Regulus' 
speech.  For  the  quantity  periret 
see  Intr.  35.  —  signa  :  this  would 
recall  to  the  Roman's  mind  Cras- 
sus'  standards,  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  Parthians.  —  ego  :  '  with  my 
own  eyes.'  —  militibus  sine  caede, 
etc. ;  note  the  ironical  contrast, 
'soldiers  who  yielded  up  their 
arms  —  without  a  struggle,1 


253 


HORATI 


'  derepta  vidi ;  vidi  ego  civium 
retorta  tergo  bracchia  libero 
portasque  non  clausas  et  arva 
Marte  coli  populata  nostro. 

Auro  repensus  scilicet  acrior 
miles  redibit.     Flagitio  additis 
damnum.     Neque  amissos  colores 
lana  refert  medicata  fuco, 

nee  vera  virtus,  cum  semel  excidit, 
curat  reponi  deterioribus. 
Si  pugnat  extricata  densis 
cerva  plagis,  erit  ille  fortis 


21  ff.  vidi ;  vidi  ego  :  Intr.  28  b. 
—  civium,  etc. :  yes,  citizens ;  'free 
citizens  of  Rome  have  given  them- 
selves up  to  become  slaves.1  — 
libero:  their  free-born. — portas, 
etc. ;  '  the  Carthaginians  have  come 
to  despise  us  so  that  they  do  not 
take  the  precaution  to  close  their 
city  gates,  and  cultivate  again  the 
fields  our  army  devastated.1 

25  ff.  auro  repensus,  etc. :  said 
in  deepest  scorn  —  'a  price  for- 
sooth (scilicet),  will  make  them 
better  soldiers.1 — flagitio,  etc.: 
impatiently  disposing  of  the  pro- 
posal, —  'besides  suffering  the 
present  disgrace  you  will  waste 
your  money.'  Cf.  Ps.-Eurip. 
Rhes.  102  tturxpov  yap  Tjfuv  KM.  Trpos 
alaxyvy  KO.KOV.  —  neque  .  .  .  nee  : 
the  simile  is  stated  paratactically 
in  place  of  the  more  common  ut 
.  .  .  ita.  So  in  Greek,  e.g.  Aesch. 
Sept.  584  f.  /XT/rpos  T€  irX-rjyjjv  T« 


KuTao-j8«rci  SLKTJ;  |  TraTpi's  re  yala 
077?  VTTO  <77rov8i/s  Sopos  |  aAoi'aa 
rrais  <r<x  ^u/A/ia^os  yeviyatTai  ; 
'  What  atonement  can  quench  the 
sin  of  a  mother's  murder?  How 
can  thy  native  land,  captured  by 
thy  incitement,  ever  be  thy  ally 
again.'  That  is  —  'even  as  .  .  ., 
so  .  .  .'  —  colores  :  the  natural 
color  of  the  wool  (simplex  ille 
candor,  Quint,  i,  i,  5),  lost  when 
the  wool  is  dyed.  —  medicata:  a 
technical  expression,  containing 
the  same  figure  as  the  Greek 
(f>apfjjL(T(Tfiv.  Four  centuries  later 
Paulin.  Nol.  C.  17,  23  repeated 
the  phrase,  medicata  vellera  fuco. 
29  ff.  semel :  once  for  all.  — 
curat:  with  infinitive,  as  2,  13, 
39  f.  nee  curat  .  .  .  agitare.  — 
deterioribus :  i.e.  those  made  so 
by  loss  of  vera  virtus.  The  dative 
belongs  with  reponi.  —  si  pugnat, 
etc. :  an  impossible  supposition. 


254 


CARMINA 


f.3.  5.  46 


35 


40 


45 


qui  perfidis  se  credidit  hostibus, 
et  Marte  Poenos  proteret  altero 
qui  lora  restrictis  lacertis 

sensit  iners  timuitque  mortem. 

Hie,  unde  vitam  sumeret  inscius, 
pacem  duello  miscuit.     O  pudor! 
O  magna  Carthago,  probrosis 
altior  Italiae  ruinis ! ' 

Fertur  pudicae  coniugis  osculum 
parvosque  natos  ut  capitis  minor 
ab  se  removisse  et  virilem 
torvus  hum*  posuis^e  voltum, 

donee  labantis  consilio  patres 
firmaret  auctor  numquam  alias  dato, 


33  ff .  perfidis  :  contrasted  with 
credidit,  and  emphasizing  the  cow- 
ardice of  the  soldier  who  actually 
trusted  his  life  to  an  enemy  whose 
faithlessness  was  well  known. 
Punica  Jides  \vas  proverbial.  Cf. 
also  4,  4,  49  perfidus  Hannibal 
and  n.  —  altero :  a  second.  — 
iners :  predicate,  tamely. 

37  f.  hie :  vividly  continuing 
ille  of  v.  32. — unde  sumeret: 
representing  the  anxious,  unde 
vitam  sitmam  ?  of  the  coward 
whose  anxiety  causes  him  to  for- 
get that  he  must  fight,  not  bar- 
gain, for  his  life.  —  duello  :  this 
archaic  form  for  hello  is  also  found 
3,  14,  18;  4,  15,  8.  —  miscuit:  has 
failed  to  distinguish  between. 

40.  ruinis :  instrumental  abl. 
with  altior  —  exalted  over  the,  etc. 


41  ff.  fertur :  and  yet  men  say, 
used  to  introduce  a  surprising 
statement.  Cf.  i,  16,  13.  This 
quiet  account  of  Regulus'  deter- 
mination is  in  marked  contrast 
with  the  vehement  pathos  of  the 
preceding  strophe.  —  ut  capitis 
minor :  as  one  deprived  of  civil 
rights,  equivalent  to  the  legal 
(prose)  formula  capite  deminutus. 
The  genitive  is  similar  to  the  geni- 
tive in  integer  vitae,  militiae piger. 
Regulus  felt  that  as  a  captive  of 
the  Carthaginians  he  was  no  better 
than  a  slave,  who  of  course  pos- 
sessed no  civil  rights,  and  was 
therefore  unfit  to  enjoy  the  privi- 
leges of  a  Roman  paterfamilias. 

44.    torvus :  grimly. 

45  ff .  donee  .  .  .  firmaret,  etc.  : 
while  he  established;  said  with  ref- 


3.  5.  47J 


HORATI 


55 


interque  maerentis  amicos 
egregius  properaret  exsul. 

Atqui  sciebat  quae  sibi  barbarus 
tortor  pararet :  non  aliter  tamen 
dimovit  obstantis  propinquos 
et  populum  reditus  morantem 

quam  si  clientum  longa  negotia 
diiudicata  lite  relinqueret, 
tendens  Venafranos  in  agros 
aut  Lacedaemonium  Tarentum. 


erence  to  removisse,  posuisse.  — 
consilio  :  connect  with  firmaret.  — 
interque :  and  then  through  the 
midst  of.  —  egregius:  cf.  n.  to  1,6, 
1 1 .  With  the  oxymoron,  cf.  3, 3, 38  f. 
Notice  that  two  points  are  brought 
out  in  this  strophe  :  Regulus1  moral 
courage  in  inducing  the  senate  to 
accept  his  proposal,  and  the  self- 
sacrifice  which  this  involved. 

49  ff .  atqui :  and  yet,  KO.L  rot. 
Cf.  I,  23,  9.  —  sciebat:  he  knew 
all  the  while.  —  non  aliter  .  .  . 
quam  si :  as  undisturbed  .  .  .  as 
if.  —  tortor,  etc. :  the  tortures  to 
which  Regulus  was  subjected,  like 
the  whole  story  of  the  embassy, 
may  be  inventions  of  a  later  time. 
Cf.  n.  to  v.  13  ff.  —  obstantis :  who 
tried  to  hinder  him.  —  reditus : 
plural  for  euphony. 

53  ff.  longa :  wearisome.  —  diiu- 
dicata lite :  the  Roman  patronus 
of  the  Republic  was  bound  to  aid 
and  protect  his  clientes ;  whether 
the  suit  here  is  conceived  of  as  one 
which  Regulus  decided  as  arbitra- 


ger or  one  in  which  he  defended 
his  client's  interests  in  court  is  not 
clear. — tendens  :  taking  his  way, 
into  the  country  for  rest  and  re- 
freshment. —  Venafranos  agros  . . . 
Tarentum:  cf.  2,  6,  12-16  and  nn. 
Note  the  contrast  between  the 
earlier  part  of  the  ode  and  this 
quiet  close.  The  ode  is  one  of 
Horace's  noblest :  its  national 
characteristics  are  well  summed 
up  by  Andrew  Lang  in  his  Letters 
to  Dead  Authors,  p.  191  f.  *  None 
but  a  patriot  could  have  sung  that 
ode  on  Regulus,  who  died,  as  our 
hero  died  on  an  evil  day,  for  the 
honor  of  Rome,  as  Gordon  for 
the  honor  of  England.  .  .  .  We 
talk  of  the  Greeks  as  your  teach- 
ers. Your  teachers  they  were, 
but  that  poem  could  only  have 
been  written  by  a  Roman.  The 
strength,  the  tenderness,  the  noble 
and  monumental  resolution  and 
resignation  —  these  are  the  gifts 
of  the  lords  of  human  things,  the 
masters  of  the  world.' 


256 


CAKMINA  [3,  6,  2 


In  the  last  ode  of  the  series  Horace  considers  the  reasons  for  the 
degeneracy  of  the  times.  These  he  finds  to  be  the  neglect  of  religion 
and  the  growth  of  immorality  that  is  destroying  the  family  and  making 
each  succeeding  generation  worse  than  the  one  which  preceded  it. 

'  The  sins  of  thy  fathers  shall  be  visited  on  thee,  Roman,  until  thou 
repairest  the  ruined  temples  of  the  gods  and  restorest  the  forgotten 
faith  of  an  earlier  time.  Thy  power  depends  on  thy  humility  toward 
Heaven ;  it  was  in  punishment  for  thy  indifference  that  the  Parthian, 
the  allied  Dacian  and  Ethiopian  almost  destroyed  our  city  (1-16). 
But  more  dangerous  than  foreign  foes  is  the  flood  of  immorality  that 
has  swept  over  our  state :  all  modesty  and  respect  for  marriage  ties  are 
gone  ;  adultery  is  unabashed  (17-32).  It  was  not  the  offspring  of  such 
stock  as  this  that  saved  the  state  from  foreign  foes  in  earlier  days. 
There  is  no  hope :  we  are  worse  than  our  forbears  and  our  children 
will  be  more  degenerate  than  we  (33-48).' 

By  its  reference  to  the  loss  of  military  prowess  this  ode  is  naturally 
connected  with  the  preceding.  In  that,  devotion  to  duty  is  the  ideal ; 
here,  purity  and  simplicity  of  life,  as  exhibited  by  the  Sabine  stock. 
The  pessimistic  close  is  surprising  and  shows  that  the  six  odes  were 
hardly  composed  originally  to  form  a  series.  This  ode  was  probably 
written  soon  after  28  B.C.,  the  year  in  which  Octavian.  by  virtue  of  his 
censorial  power,  tried  to  enforce  ordinances  intended  to  check  the  evil 
tendencies  of  the  times.  See  also  n.  to  v.  2  below.  Metre,  68. 

Delicta  maiorum  immeritus  lues, 
Romane,  donee  templa  refeceris 

i  ff.    delicta    maiorum  :    espe-  regere  imperio  populos,  Romane, 

cially  the  civil  wars,  88-31  B.C.  —  memento.  —  refeceris:  one  of  Oc- 

immeritus :  concessive,  '  although  tavian's  first  acts  after  his  return 

innocent    of   their    sins.'      With  from   the  conquest  of  Egypt  was 

the  idea,  cf.   Eurip.  Frg.   980  rot  to  rebuild  the  temples   that   had 

Toiv  TCKOVTWI/  <r<£aA/MaT'   €is  TOWS  fallen  into  decay.     Cf.  Mon.  Anc. 

(K-yovow;  \  ol  Oeol  rpiirovaw-    Ezek.  4,  1 7  duo  et  octoginta  templa  deum 

1 8,  2  '  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  in  urbe consul  sextum  (28  B.C.)  ex 

grapes,  and  the   children's   teetli  decreto  senatus  refect,  nullo  prae- 

are  set  on  edge.'  —  Romane :  with  termisso  quod  eo  tempore  refici  de- 

this  use  of  the  singular,  cf.  Ver-  bebat :    and    Suet.  Aug.  30  aedes 

gil's  famous  line  (A.    6,  851)  tit  sacras  vetustate  conlapsas  aut  in- 
HOR.  CAR. —  17                   257 


3,  6,  3J 


HORATI 


10 


aedisque  labentis  deorum  et 
foeda  nigro  simulacra  fumo. 

Dis  te  minorem  quod  geris,  imperas: 
hinc  omne  principium,  hue  refer  exitum. 
Di  multa  neglecti  dederunt 
Hesperiae  mala  luctuosae. 

lam  bis  Monaeses  et  Pacori  manus 
non  auspicates  contudit  impetus 
nostros  et  adiecisse  praedam 
torquibus  exiguis  renidet. 


cendio  absitmptas  refecit.  —  aedis  : 
here  synonymous  with  templa.  — 
labentis:  moldering.  —  foeda:  de- 
filed. 

5  ff .  quod  geris :  in  that  thou 
bearest  thyself;  i.e.  'thy  rule  de- 
pends  on  thy  humility  toward  the 
gods.'  Cf.  I,  12,  57  te  minor 
latuni  reget  aequus  orbem.  — hinc, 
hue  :  i.e.  the  gods.  .  Cf.  Verg.  E.  3, 
60  ab  love  principium.  Also  Liv. 
45,  39,  10  maiores  vestri  omnium 
magnarum  rerum  et  principia 
exorsi  ab  dis  sunt  et  finem  enm 
statuerunt.  —  principium :  for  the 
scansion,  cf.  Intr.  39.  —  di  neglecti : 
the  cause  of  Rome's  defeats  and 
dangers,  of  which  the  concrete  ex- 
amples follow.  —  Hesperiae  :  Italy, 
cf.  2,  i,  32.  — luctuosae:  i.e.  for 
those  who  have  fallen  in  both  civil 
and  foreign  wars. 

9.  iam  bis,  etc. :  the  Romans 
had  actually  suffered  three  defeats 
in  the  east :  that  of  Crassus  at 
Carrhae  53  B.C.:  thai  of  Decidius 
Saxa  by  Pacorus  in  Syria  40  B.C. ; 


and  that  of  Antony  in  Media  36 
B.C.  As  the  defeat  of  Saxa  was 
avenged  in  38  B.C.  by  Ventidius. 
Horace  may  refer  to  the  first  and 
third  disasters  only,  but  it  is  need- 
less to  demand  historical  accuracy 
of  a  poet  in  every  case.  The  only 
Monaeses  known  to  us  was  a  Par- 
thian noble  who  sought  refuge 
from  Phraates  IV  with  Antonius 
in  37  B.C.  ;  he  afterwards  became 
reconciled  to  Phraates  and  de- 
serted Antony. 

10  ff.  non  auspicates:  and  there- 
fore infaustos.  We  read  in  Veil. 
Pater.  2,  46  of  Crassus'  expedition 
proficiscentem  in  Syriam  diri* 
cum  ominibus  tribuni  plebisfrustra 
retinere  conati.  —  torquibus :  the 
necklaces,  o-TptTrrot,  which  with 
armlets,  i/rc'Ata.  presented  by  the 
king,  were  the  insignia  most  highly 
prized  by  the  Persians.  Cf.  Xen. 
Cyrop.  8,  2,  8  wtnrtp  Ivui 

TWV  /3a<Tl\.l(i)S.   l//e'A.ltt    Kal 

KUI  liriroi  ^pi'iro^aAii/oi.  —  exiguis  : 
in  comparison  with  the  rich  booty 


258 


CARMINA 


[3.  <>>  22 


Paene  occupatam  seditionibus 
delevit  urbem  Dacus  et  Aethiops, 
hie  classe  formidatus,  ille 
missilibus  melior  sagittis. 

Fecunda  culpae  saecula  nuptias 
primum  inquinavere  et  genus  et  domos ; 
hoc  fonte  derivata  clades 
in  patriam  populumque  fluxit. 

* 

Motus  doceri  gaudet  lonicos 
matura  virgo  et  fingitur  artibus, 


taken  from  the  Romans.  —  renidet : 
beams  with  delight ;  hence  used  like 
gaudet  (v.2i)  -with  an  infinitive. 

13  ff.  paene  :  with  delevit.  — 
seditionibus  ;  it  is  important  to  re- 
member that  there  was  a  strong 
party  in  Rome  hostile  to  Octa- 
vian,  so  that  the  reference  is  not 
simply  to  the  struggle  between 
him  and  Antony,  carried  on  out- 
side of  Italy.  The  point  which 
Horace  is  emphasizing  is  that  not 
only  had  the  Romans  failed  in 
their  attempts  against  foreign  foes, 
but  in  the  passion  of  civil  strife  had 
almost  handed  over  the  city  to  the 
mercies  of  the  barbarian  Dacian 
and  Egyptian. —  Dacus  et  Aethiops : 
Dacian  bowmen  served  in  Antony's 
land  forces,  while  the  Egyptian  na- 
val contingent  was  two  hundred 
ships.  That  the  Romans  about 
this  time  had  a  lively  fear  of  an 
invasion  by  the  Dacians  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  Cf.  n  to  i,  26,  3  f. 

17  ff.  Horace  here  turns  to  a  new 
cause  for  the  state's  degeneracy  — 


the  decay  of  domestic  virtue,  the 
growth  of  immorality.  With  the 
following  strophes,  cf.  3,  24, 19-24 ; 
4,  5,  21-24.  — fecunda:  big  with. 
—  inquinavere:  cf.  Epod.  16,  64. 

21  ff.    motus   lonicos :    voluptu- 
ous dances  introduced  from  Ionia, 
motus  is  the  technical  expression 
for  a  mimetic  dance.     The  old- 
fashioned   Romans   did  not   look 
with   favor  on  dancing,    save   in 
connection  with  worship ;  custom 
had,  however,   somewhat  relaxed 
even  in  the  time  of  the  Gracchi. 
Macrobius  3,  14,  6  f.  has  preserved 
the  complaint  of  Scipio  Africanus, 
who  bewailed  the  fact  that   boys 
and  girls  had  come  to  associate 
with  actors  and  learn  songs  and 
dances  which  a  former  generation 
would  have  considered  disgrace- 
ful for  a  freeborn  person  to  know. 

22  ff.    matura:    i.e.   tempest  iva 
viro   i,  23,    12.     'Even   if  these 
dances  and  airs  might  be  forgiven 
in  a  child,  they  cannot  be  over- 
looked in  a  full-grown   maid.1  — 


259 


3.  6,  23] 


HORATI 


iam  nunc  et  incestos  amores 
de  tenero  meditatur  ungui ; 

mox  iuniores  quaerit  adulteros 
inter  mariti  vina,  neque  eligit 
cui  donet  impermissa  raptim 
gaudia  luminibus  remotis, 

sed  iussa  coram  non  sine  conscio 
surgit  marito,  seu  vocat  institor 
seu  navis  Hispanae  magister, 
dedecorum  pretiosus  emptor. 

Non  his  iuventus  orta  parentibus 
infecit  aequor  sanguine  Punico, 


fingitur  artibus  :  'she  learns  artifi- 
cial coquettish  ways.1  —  iam  nunc  : 
i.e.  while  still  unmarried  ;  opposed 
to  mox  v.  25.  —  de  tenero  .  .  .  un- 
gui :  in  imitation  of  the  Greek 
e£  etTroAwv  6vv\(av,  '  from  the  very 
quick.1  Translate,  —  to  her  very 
finger  tips.  Cf.  Anth.  Pal.  5,  129, 

I   ff.  TTJV  0.1TO  TT/S  'A  0-177?    6 

80,    rrjv 


\ 

'  The  dancing  girl 
from  Asia,  vibrating  to  her  very 
finger  tips  in  her  shameless  danc- 
ing figures,  her  I  praise.1 

25  ff.    mox  :  i.e.  when  married. 

—  iuniores  :  i.e.  than  her  husband. 

—  neque  eligit  :  presently  she  falls 
so  low  that  she  can    no  longer 
choose  the  recipients  of  her  favors, 
but  must  obey  the  orders  of  the 
lowest    peddler  or  ship  captain. 
Note  the  carefully  planned   con- 
trasts between   neque   eligit   and 


iussa,  vocat;  donet  anu  emptor, 
impermissa  gaudia  and  dedecorum  ; 
raptim  and  coram :  luminibus  re- 
motis and  conscio  marito. — im- 
permissa :  coined  by  Horace. 

29  ff .  conscio  .  .  .  marito :  the 
corruption  of  the  household  is  so 
complete  that  the  husband  con- 
sents to  his  wife's  adulteries.  — 
institor:  while  the  peddler  be- 
longed to  a  despised  class  his 
trade  naturally  brought  him  into 
contact  with  the  women  of  the 
household.  Cf.  Seneca's  warning, 
Frg.  52  H.  institor es  gemmarmit 
sericarumque  vestium  si  intromi- 
seris,  periculunt  pudicitiae  est.— 
navis  .  .  .  magister :  also  belong- 
ing to  the  lower  classes,  but  like 
the  peddler  able  to  spend  money 
freely  (pretiosus  emptor). 

33  ff.  non  his :  <  the  Romans  who 
made  Rome  great  were  sprung  from 
different  stock.1  —  infecit  aequor, 


260 


CARMINA 


[3.  6,  46 


35 


40 


45 


Pyrrhumque  et  ingentem  cecidit 
Antiochum  Hannibalemque  dirum, 

sed  rusticorum  mascula  militum 
proles,  Sabellis  docta  ligonibus 
versare  glaebas  et  severae 
matris  ad  arbitrium  recisos 

portare  fustis,  sol  ubi  montium 
mutaret  umbras  et  iuga  demeret 
bobus  fatigatis,  amicum 

tempus  agens  abeunte  curru. 

Damnosa  quid  non  imminuit  dies? 
Aetas  parentum,  peior  avis,  tulit 


etc. :  in  the  first  Punic  war,  264- 
241  B.C.,  when  Rome  gained  her 
naval  supremacy.  —  Pyrrhum :  Pyr- . 
rhus  was  defeated  at  Beneventum 
275  B.C.  —  ingentem .  . .  Antiochum: 
Antiochus  the  Great,  defeated  at 
Magnesia,  190  B.C. — dirum:  cf.  4, 
4,  42  dirus  Afer. 

38  ff .  Sabellis :  the  Sabines  were 
proverbial  for  purity  and  upright- 
ness. Cf.  Liv.  i,  1 8,  4  quo genere 
nitllitm  quondam  incorruptiusfuil. 
—  versare  glaebas  et,  etc. :  '  when 
the  field  work  is  done,  the  sturdy 
youth  must  still  cut  and  bring  in  a 
supply  of  wood  to  satisfy  (ad  arbi- 
trium) his  stern  mother.' 

41  ff.  Observe  the  idyllic  note  in 
this  description  of  the  evening.  Cf. 
Epod.  2,  6 1  ff.  —  sol  ubi  mutaret. 
etc. :  '  as  the  day  closes  the  moun- 
tain shadows  shift  and  lengthen.' 
Cf.  Verg.  E.  i,  83  maioresque  ca- 
dunt  altis  de  montibus  umbrae]  2, 


66  f.  aspice,  aratra  iugo  referunt 
suspensa  iu-venci,  \  et  sol  crescentis 
decedens  duplicat  umbras.  —  iuga 
demeret,  etc. :  so  Hesiod,  Op.  580  f. 
says  of  the  morning,  'Hws  .  .  .  «ri 
£uya  flov&i  TiOrjtriv.  —  mutaret,  de- 
meret :  the  subjunctives  are  proba- 
bly due  to  the  close  connection 
between  the  relative  clauses  and 
the  infinitive ;  they  are  possibly 
subjunctives  of  repeated  action,  but 
Horace  has  everywhere  else  the 
indicative  with  ubi  in  that  sense. — 
agens  abeunte  curru :  a  slight  oxy- 
moron ;  with  the  phrase,  cf.  Epist. 
i,  1 6,  6  sol .  .  .  discedens  fugieitte 
curru. 

45  ff.  The  thought  of  the  con- 
trast between  the  Romans  of  an 
earlier  time  and  those  of  h  is  own  day 
leads  Horace  to  his  hopeless  con- 
clusion. —  damnosa  :  damaging ; 
emphatically  expressing  the  poet's 
despair.  Notice  the  skillful  com- 


261 


3,  6,  48]  HORATI 

nos  nequiores,  mox  daturos 
progeniem  vitiosiorem. 

pression  by  which  Horace  has  de-  TTOVTO  \  ^eiporfprjv,  v/tet?  &  KOK to- 
scribed  the  moral  decay  of  four  gen-  repa  Te£eiW#£.  — peior  avis :  worse 
erations  in  three  verses.  Aratus,  than  that  of  our  grandparents. 
Phaen.  123  f.  was  less  successful,  — mox  daturos:  destined  soon  to 
oirjv  xpv&urjv  mire'/aes  yeverjv  eAt-  produce. 


The  unbroken  serious  strain  of  the  national  odes  is  relieved  by  these 
light  verses  addressed  to  Asterie,  whose  lover  is  kept  from  home  by 
opposing  winds.  The  names  are  Greek,  but  the  setting  is  Roman. 

4  Why  dost  thou  weep,  Asterie,  for  thy  lover,  detained  by  winter 
winds  across  the  sea  ?  Be  assured  that  he  is  faithful,  and  ever  turns  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  messages  of  his  love-lorn  hostess,  who  would  tempt 
him  to  her.  Fear  not  for  him,  but  see  that  thou  remain  thyself  as 
true.  Yield  not  to  the  charms  of  thy  handsome  neighbor :  do  not  listen 
to  his  serenade.1 

There  is  no  indication  of  the  date.     Metre,  73. 

Quid  fles,  Asterie,  quem  tibi  candidi 
primo  restituent  vere  Favonii 
Thyna  merce  beatum, 
constantis  iuvenem  fide, 

5  Gygen  ?     Ille  Notis  actus  ad  Oricum 

post  insana  Caprae  sidera  frigidas 
noctis  non  sine  multis 
insomnis  lacrimis  agit. 

i  if.  Asterie:  cf.  the  Greek  names  5ff.  Gygen:  the  name  is  found 

'Ao-repis  and  '\<rrrjp.    Also  n.  to  3,  in  Archil.  Frg.  25  Firyr^  o  woAi;- 

9,  2 1  sidere  pulchrior.  —  cat  didi . . .  \pwros.  —  ad  Oricum  :  Gyges  is  de- 

Favonii :  the  breezes  that  bring  in  tained  at  Oricum  in  Epirus,  directly 

the  bright  spring  weather.     Cf.  i.  opposite     Brundisium.  —  Caprae: 

4.  i  and  n.  —  Thyna:  i.e.  Hith yna;  this  constellation  sets  about   the 

ct-'?35?7-  —  beatum:  enriched;  cf.  middle   of    December,   when    the 

i.  4,  14  —fide:  genitive.  stormy  winter  season  begins. 

262 


[3.  7.  22 


Atqui  sollicitae  nuntius  hospitae, 
TO  suspirare  Chloen  et  miseram  tuis 

dicens  ignibus  uri, 

temptat  mille  vafer  modis. 

Vt  Proetum  mulier  perfida  credulum 
falsis  impulerit  criminibus  nimis 
15  casto  Bellerophontae 

maturare  necem  refert; 

narrat  paene  datum  Pelea  Tartaro, 
Magnessam  Hippolyten  dum  fugit  abstinens, 

et  peccare  docentis 
20  fallax  historias  movet. 

Frustra  :  nam  scopulis  surdior  Icari 
voces  audit  adhuc  integer.     At  tibi 


9  ff .  atqui :  corrective,  '  Yet  he 
might  console  himself,  for,'  etc.  — 
sollicitae  :  sc.  amore,  love-lorn.  — 
tuis :  like  thine.  Naturally  these 
are  not  the  words  of  Chloe's  mes- 
senger to  Gyges,  but  Horace's  to 
Asterie. — mille  vafer  modis:  skilled 
in  countless  wiles. 

12  ff.  The  classical  parallels  to 
the  story  of  Joseph  and  Potiphar's 
wife.  —  mulier:  Anteia  in  Homer 
(//.  6.  :6o),  Stheneboea  in  tragedy, 
wife  of  Proteus,  king  of  Tiryns.  — 
perfida  credulum:  cf.  n.  to  i,  6,  9. 
— maturare  necem:  to  bring  an 
untimely  death. — refert:  i.e..  the 
nuntius  of  v.  9. 

lyff.  narrat:  repeating  refert  in 
sense,  and  thus  connecting  the  two 
strophes.  Intr.  29. —  datum  .  .  . 
Tartaro :  a  variation  of  the  for- 


mula leto  datus. — Hippolyte :  wife 
of  Acastus,  king  of  lolcus.  — absti- 
nens :  in  his  sobriety.  —  movet :  sets 
a-going. 

21  ff.  frustra :  note  the  emphatic 
position,  — yet  all  in  vain, '  for  the 
threats  implied  in  the  stories  of 
Bellerophon  and  Peleus  do  not 
move  thy  Gyges.'  —  scopulis  sur- 
dior: cf.  Eurip  Med.  28  f.  J>s  of 

TTCTpOS    Tj    OaAaOTfTlOS  xAvStoV  OLKOVU 

vovOf.rovii.tvr)  <£iA.«)v,  '  But  like  a 
rock  or  billow  of  the  sea  she  listens 
to  her  friends'  advice.'  Note  the 
oxymoron  in  surdior  .  .  .  audit.  — 
Icari :  a  rocky  island  near  Samos. 
—  voces,  etc.  :  so  Vergil  says  of 
Aeneas,  A.  4.  438  f.  serf  nnllis  ille 
movetnr  \  fletiluis,  ant  voces  nllas 
tractalrilis  audit.  —  at  tibi  :  in 
sudden  transition;  cf-  2,  18,9. — 


263 


3,  7,  23] 


HORATI 


ne  vicinus  Enipeus 
plus  iusto  placeat  cave, 

25  quamvis  non  alius  flectere  equum  sciens 

aeque  conspicitur  gramine  Martio, 
nee  quisquam  citus  aeque 
Tusco  denatat  alveo. 

Prima  nocte  domum  claude,  neque  in  vias 
30  sub  cantu  querulae  despice  tibiae, 

et  te  saepe  vocanti 
duram  difficilis  mane. 


Enipeus  :  named  after  a  river  in 
Thessaly  ;  cf.  Hebrus  3,  12,  2. 

25  ff.  'This  dangerous  rival  ex- 
eels  in  the  athletic  sports  practiced 
by  young  nobles:  Gyges  is  only 
a  trader.'  For  riding  and  swim- 
ming,  cf.  1,8,8;  3,  12,3.  —  flectere 
equum:  in  elaborate  evolutions. 
Cf.  Ovid  A.  A.  3,  384  in  gyros  ire 
coactus  eqttus.  —  conspicitur:  is  the 
object  of  men's  eyes.  —  gramine  Mar- 
tio  :  i.e.  on  the  Campus  Martius. 

29  ff.  Cf.  Ovid  Am.  2,  19,  38 
iam  pritna  claudere  nocte 


forem.  Also  Shylock's  warning, 
Merchant  of  Venice  2,  5  '  Hear  you 
me,  Jessica:  |  Lock  up  my  doors; 
and  when  you  hear  the  drum  |  And 
the  vile  squealing  of  the  wry-neck'd 
fife,  |  Clamber  not  you  up  to  the 
casements  then  |  Nor  thrust  your 
head  into  the  public  street.1  —  que- 
rulae:  the  plaintive.  —  despice:  lit- 
erally,  look  down,  from  an  upper 
story.  —  vocanti:  sc.  Enipeo  ;  the 
participle  is  concessive.  —  duram: 
cruel,  predicate  adjective  with  te.  — 
difficilis  :  unyielding. 


To  Maecenas.  'You  are  puzzled  then,  my  learned  friend,  over  my 
bachelor's  sacrifice  on  the  matrons'  Calends.  This  is  the  day  the  tree 
so  nearly  killed  me  ;  as  each  year  comes  round,  I'll  celebrate  the  season 
with  a  fresh  jar  of  long-stored  wine.  So  drink  deep,  Maecenas,  for  thy 
friend's  escape.  Let  go  the  cares  of  state  ;  our  border  foes  are  all  sub- 
dued or  vexed  by  their  own  quarrels.  Become  to-day  a  private  citizen  ; 
dismiss  your  serious  thoughts,  and  take  what  joys  the  passing  hour  now 
offers.1 

264 


CAR  M  IN  A  [3,  8,  8 

In  this  strain  Horace  invites  his  patron  to  celebrate  with  him  the 
anniversary  of  his  escape  from  the  falling  tree  (2,  13).  The  date  is 
shown  to  be  March  i,  29  B.C.,  by  the  references  in  vv.  17-23.  Cotiso 
and  the  threatening  Dacians  were  subdued  in  the  campaigns  of  30-28 
B.C.  ;  the  news  of  the  struggle  between  Phraates  and  Tiridates  for  the 
Parthian  throne  (cf.  n.  to  I,  26,  5)  probably  reached  Rome  in  January, 
29  B.C.  Furthermore,  at  the  time  of  composition  Maecenas  was  clearly 
at  the  head  of  the  state  and  Octavian  absent ;  but  the  latter  returned  to 
the  city  in  the  summer  of  29  B.C.  All  these  facts  tend  to  show  that  the 
occasion  of  the  ode  was  March  i  of  that  year,  and  since  this  is  evidently 
the  first  anniversary,  that  the  date  of  Horace's  escape  was  March  I,  30 
B.C.  Metre,  69. 

Martiis  caelebs  quid  agam  Kalendis, 
quid  velint  floras  et  acerra  turis 
plena  miraris,  positusque  carbo  in 
caespite  vivo, 

5  docte  sermones  utriusque  linguae  ? 

Voveram  dulcis  epulas  et  alburn 
Libero  caprum  prope  funeratus 
arboris  ictu. 

1.  Martiis . . .  Kalendis  :  the  day  learning.  —  sermones :  the  lore,  lit- 
of  the  Matronalia,  a  festival  shared  erature.     The  accusative  depends 
in  by  married  women  only.     On  on  docte ;  cf.  3,  9,  10  dulcis  docta 
this  day  the  matrons  carried  their  ntodos. — utriusque  linguae:  Greek 
offerings  to  the  temple  of  Juno  Lu-  and  Latin,  the  two  languages  of  the 
cina  on  the  Esquiline,  not  far  from  cultivated  Roman.     Cf.  Suet.  Aug. 
Maecenas1  residence.    The  festival  89  in  evolvendis  utriusque  linguae 
is  caXledfemttteae  Kalendae\>y}\\-  auctoribus. 

venal,  9,  53.     Naturally  Maecenas  6ff.  voveram :  i.e.  long  ago,  be- 

would  be  much  puzzled  over  the  fore  all  these  preparations.     The 

preparations  of  his  bachelor  (cae-  time  is  more  exactly  fixed  by  the 

lebs)  friend.  participle.  —  epulas:    the   regular 

2.  velint:  mean.  accompaniment  of  sacrifice.  —  al- 
4  f .  caespite  vivo  :  the  material  bum :  as  the  sacrifice  is  to  one  of 

of  his  improvised  altar.  Cf.  i.  19,  the  dii  superi. — Libero  :  the  pro- 
13.  —  docte:  given  a  bantering  em-  tector  of  poets.  In  2,  17,  28,  how- 
phasis  by  its  position,  — for  all  thy  ever,  it  was  Faunus  who  saved  him, 

"265 


3,  8,  9] 


HORATI 


20 


Hie  dies,  anno  redeunte  festus, 
corticem  adstrictum  pice  demovebit 
amphorae  fumum  bibere  institutae 
consule  Tullo. 

Sume,  Maecenas,  cyathos  amici 
sospitis  centum,  et  vigiles  lucernas 
perfer  in  lucem  ;  procul  omnis  esto 
clamor  et  ira. 

Mitte  civilis  super  urbe  curas : 
occidit  Daci  Cotisonis  agmen, 
Medus  infest  us  sibi  luctuosis 
dissidet  armis, 


9  ff.  anno  redeunte :  cf.  the  Ho- 
meric TrepwrAo/aevos  eviuuro?,  and 
S.  2,  2,  83  sive  diem  festum  rediens 
advexerit  annus.  For  annus  in  the 
sense  of  season,  cf.  Epod.  2,  29. — 
corticem  adstrictum,  etc. :  cf.  i,  20, 
3  and  n.  — fumum  bibere  :  the  apo- 
theca  was  so  placed  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  house  that  it  could  re- 
ceive the  smoke  from  the  fire,  which 
according  to  common  belief  aided 
the  ripening  of  the  wine.  Cf.  Colum. 
',  6,  20  quoniam  vina  celerius  ve- 
tustescunt,  qnae  fumi  qnodam  te- 
nor e  praecocem  matnritatem  tra- 
hunt.  For  the  infinitive,  see  Intr. 
107. 

12.  consule  Tullo  :  Horace  prob- 
ably means  the  Tullus  whose  con- 
sulship fell  in  33  B.C.,  hardly  L. 
Volcacius  Tullus,  consul  66  B.C. 
Yet  cf.  3,  21,  i,  where  the  vintage 
is  of  65  B.C. 

13  ff.  cyathos  .  .  .  centum:  pro- 


verbial, not  literal. — amici  sospitis: 
over  the  safe  escape  of.  The  geni- 
tive of  the  toast;  cf.  3,  19,  gf.  da 
Innae  .  .  .  novae,  da  noctis  mediae, 
da,  puer,  augiiris  Murenae.  Also 
Antiphan.  ap.  Athen.  10,  21  eyx*- 
dfj.rjv  OLKparov  KvaOovs  6(.Siv  re  Kai 
#€tuvo>v  jjivptovS'  —  perfer :  endure. 

—  in  lucem  :/.<?.  of  the  dawn;  the  ad- 
jective vigiles,  '  transferred '  from 
the  subject  of  perfer,  emphasizes 
the  exhortation  to  continue  until 
morning.    Cf.  the  Emperor  Gallie- 
nus'  words  apud  T  rebel  1.  Poll,  n 
sed  vigiles  nolite  extingiiere  lychnos. 

—  procul  .  .  .  esto,  etc. :   i.e.  the 
revel  shall  not  degenerate  into  a 
brawl.     Cf.  I,  27,  3  and  n. 

i7ff.  During  Octavian's  absence 
Maecenas  was  in  charge  of  affairs 
at  Rome.  —  super:  colloquial  for 
the  more  common  tie. — occidit: 
cf.  i,  28.  7  and  n.  —  Cotisonis.  Me- 
dus :  cf.  introductory  n.  and  nn.  to 


266 


CARM1NA 


[3,9 


servit  Hispanae  vetus  hostis  orae 
Cantaber  sera  domitus  catena, 
iam  Scythae  laxo  meditantur  arcu 
cedere  campis. 

Neglegens  ne  qua  populus  laboret, 
parce  privatus  nimium  cavere  et 
dona  praesentis  cape  laetus  horae ; 
linque  severa. 


1 ,  26,  5  ;  3,  6, 14.  — sibi :  with  both 
infestus  and  luctuosis.     Intr.  100. 
— dissidet :    used   absolutely;    cf. 
Theog.  763  f.  7rtVo>/xev  ^apt'erra  /ACT' 
aAA^AoKTi    Aeyovres,    |    /Ar/Sev   TOV 
M^Swv  SetStores  7r6A.c/iov. 

21  ff.  servit :  a  slave  too  is.  Cf. 
occidit  above.  The  verses  do  not 
tell  the  whole  truth  ;  cf.  n.  to  2,  6, 

2.  — sera :  in  the  predicate,  though 
late ;  for  he  has  been  a  vetus  hostis. 
— domitus:    probably  with  refer- 
ence to  the  successes  of  Statilius 
Taurus  and  Calvisius  Sabinus  ;  the 
latter  enjoyed  a  triumph  over  the 
Spaniards  in   28  B.C.  —  Scythae, 
etc.:  also  exaggeration;  cf.  2,  9, 


23  f.  —  laxo  .  .  .  arcu :  recog- 
nizing the  folly  of  further  resist- 
ance. 

25  f .  neglegens :  logically  paral- 
lel to  parce,  linque.  be  careless,  fol- 
lowed by  ne  . . .  laboret  because  of 
the  anxiety,  fear,  which  it  implies. 

—  parce  :  somewhat  stronger  than 
the  common  noli.     Cf.  Verg.  A. 
3,  42  parce  pias  scelerare  tnatius. 

—  privatus  :  also  part  of  the  exhor- 
tation,— '  become  for  the  nonce  a 
private  citizen  once  more.1 

27!  A  favorite  maxim  repeated 
in  many  forms  ;  cf.  I,  9.  13 ff. ;  1 1. 
8  ;  2,  16,  25  ff. ;  3,  29,  41  ff. ;  4,  12, 
25  ff. 


The  Reconciliation.  Lydia  and  her  lover  have  fallen  out,  but  are  now 
ready  to  return  to  their  former  love.  The  ode  dramatically  tells  the  story. 
In  the  first  strophe  the  lover's  reproaches  show  his  regret  and  hint  that 
he  is  willing  to  be  reconciled ;  Lydia  answers  in  similar  fashion,  but 
without  helping  him  on.  Then  each  defiantly  boasts  of  a  new  sweet- 
heart ;  but  in  the  last  two  strophes  the  lover  yields,  and  proposes  a 
reconciliation,  to  which  Lydia  joyfully  agrees. 

This  exquisite  ode  is  the  only  one  of  Horace's  lyrics  in  dialogue. 
The  amoebean  form  is  perfectly  preserved,  not  simply  in  the  number 
of  verses  employed  by  each  speaker,  but  in  the  exact  parallelism  of 

267 


3,  9,  i]  I10RATI 

expression  as  well:  Lydia  always  caps  her  lover's  lines  with  stronger 
statements.  The  verses  have  been  translated  and  imitated  by  almost 
countless  writers  since  Horace's  day.  The  best  general  comment  on 
the  ode  is  furnished  by  Terence's  line,  Andrta,  555,  amantium  irae 
amoris  ^ntegratio  est.  The  date  is  unknown.  Metre,  71. 


Donee  gratus  eram  tibi 

nee  quisquam  potior  bracchia  candidae 
cervici  iuvenis  dabat, 

Persarum  vigui  rege  beatior. 
5  Donee  non  alia  magis 

arsisti  neque  erat  Lydia  post  Chloen, 
multi  Lydia  nominis, 

Romana  vigui  clarior  Ilia. 
Me  nunc  Thressa  Chloe  regit, 
10  dulcis  docta  modos  et  citharae  sciens, 

pro  qua  non  metuam  mori, 

si  parcent  animae  fata  superstiti. 
Me  torret  face  mutua 

Thurini  Calais  films  Ornyti, 

iff.  gratus:  in  favor  with. — po-  .  .  .  Ilia:  mother  of  Romulus  and 

tiw. preferred; ci. Tibul.  1,5,6901  Remus.     Cf.  n.  to  I,  2,  17. 

tu,  qui  potior  nunc  es,  men  fata  ti-  9  ff.  me :  emphasizing  the  lover's 

meto.  —  dabat:  in  place  of  the  prose  indifference. — -Thressa  Chloe :  this 

compound      circumdabat.  —  Per-  name,  like  that  in  v.  14,  is  chosen 

sarum  .   .  .  rege:    proverbial  for  for   its    pleasant    sound.  —  docta: 

the  height  of  happiness.     Cf.  2,  2,  versed  in;  cf.  docte  sermones,  v.  5 

17. — vigui :  flourished.  of  the  preceding  ode.— citharae: 

5ff.  alia:   causal  abl.  with  ar-  objective  gen.  with  sciens.     Cf.  i, 

sisti.  —  arsisti:    note  that  this  is  15, 24 f.    Sthenelus sciens  |  pugnae. 

much  stronger  than  gratus  of  v.  i.  — animae:    my  life,  i.e.  Chloe. — 

The   perfect   expresses   the  same  superstiti:     proleptic,   and  grant 

time  as  the  imperfect  eram  above.  that  she  may  live. 

—  post:   second  to.  —  multi  Lydia  i3ff.  torret:  this  word  far  out- 

nominis:  a  Lydia  of  mighty  fame',  bids  regit  of  v.  9.  —  Thurini:  of 

imitating  the  Greek  adjectives  TTO-  Thurii,  the  rich  and  luxurious  city 

\v t>i/iy«>s, /xeyuAwvufios. — Romana  of  southern   Italy.      Lydia's  new 

268 


CARM1NA  [3,  10,  2 

15  pro  quo  bis  patiar  mon, 

si  parcent  puero  fata  superstiti. 
Quid  si  prisca  redit  Venus, 

diductosque  iugo  cogit  aeneo, 
si  flava  excutitur  Chloe, 
20  reiectaeque  patet  ianua  Lydiae  ? 

Quamquam  sidere  pulchrior 

ille  est,  tu  levior  cortice  et  improbo 
iracundior  Hadria, 

tecum  vivere  amem,  tecum  obeam  libens. 

lover  is  far  superior  in  birth  and  21  S.  Lydia  teases  her  lover  with 

fortune  to  Thracian   Chloe.  —  bis  a  comparison  unfavorable  to  him 

patiar :  again  capping  non  Vietnam  before  she  yields,  and  so  has  the 

v.  u.  last  word  in  reproaches. —  sidere 

17 S.  redit:  the  present  is  col-  pulchrior:  cf.  3, 19,  26 pitro similem 

loquially    used.  —  diductos:     (us)  Vespero.     The  comparison  is  very 

who  are   now   separated.  —  iugo  old ;    so  Astyanax  is  said  to  be, 

.     . ;..    aeneo:     cf.    I,    33,    u.—  //.  6,  401  dAty/ctoi/  aoWpt  *caAw. — 

flava  -.fair-haired. — excutitur:  i.e.  levior:    and  so  more  fickle.  —  ira- 

from  her  rule  over  me. — Lydiae:  cundior  Hadria:   cf.  i,  33,  15. — 

dative.  libens:  gladly. 


IO 

A  irapaK\av(TiOvpov,  a  lover's  pleadings  before  his  mistress'  house, 
which  is  closed  against  him.     Cf.  i,  25,  jff.     Metre,  72. 

Extremum  Tanain  si  biberes,  Lyce, 
saevo  nupta  viro,  me  tamen  asperas 

i  ff.    extremum :  remotest ;  cf.  2.  longs  to  the  supposition,  and  marks 

18,  4  ultima  Africa.  —  si  biberes  :  the  contrast  with  the  actual  fact  ( v. 

i.e.  'were  dwelling  by  the  Don.1  15).     For  the  supposed  virtues  of 

Cf.  2,  20,  20  Rhodani  potor;  and  4.  the  Sarmatian  nomads,  see  3.  24, 

15,  21  qui profundum  Dammitim  19  f.  — asperas:   cruel;   cf.  Epod. 

bibitnt.  —  saevo:  the  adjective  be-  11.21  non  awicos postis. 

269 


3.  io,  3J 


HORATI 


10 


porrectum  ante  foris  obicere  incolis 
plorares  Aquilonibus. 

Audis  quo  strepitu  ianua,  quo  nemus 
inter  pulchra  satum  tecta  remugiat 
ventis,  et  positas  ut  glaciet  nivis 
puro  numine  luppiter  ? 

Ingratam  Veneri  pone  superbiam, 
ne  currente  retro  funis  eat  rota  : 
non  te  Penelopen  difficilem  procis 
Tyrrhenus  genuit  parens. 

O  quamvis  neque  te  munera  nee  preces 
nee  tinctus  viola  pallor  amantium 


3f.  porrectum:  outstretched. — 
obicere:  object  of  plorares. — in- 
colis :  native  to  that  region. 

5ff.  The  lover  continues  his  ap- 
peal to  Lyce's  pity. — nemus  inter 
pulchra,  etc. :  the  second  court, 
peristylium,  in  the  houses  of  the 
rich  was  often  large  enough  to  con- 
tain trees.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  io,  22 
netnpe  inter  varias  nutritur  silva 
colttntnas. — ventis:  abl.  of  cause. 

—  ut,  etc. :  the  question  belongs  by 
zeugma  to 'audis,  the  exact  force 
of  which  has  been  lost  by  distance. 

—  puro  numine:  in  cloudless  maj- 
esty   (Smith).      Cf.    i,   34,   7. — 
luppiter:  as  god  of  the  sky.    Cf. 
n   to  I,  1,25. 

i  iff.  ne  currente,  etc.:  lest  the 
rope  slip  front  thee  as  the  wheel 
runs  back;  i.e.  thy  present  haughty 
virtue  is  sure  to  break.  The  figure 


is  that  of  a  wheel,  possibly  a  wind- 
lass, which  suddenly  flies  back- 
ward, carrying  the  rope  with  it.  — 
retro:  with  both  currente  and  eat. 
Intr.  100.  —  non  te,  etc.:  with  the 
order  and  expression,  cf.  Verg.  A. 
4,  227  f.  non  ilium  nobis  genetrix 
pulcherrima  talem  \  pro  mi  sit. — 
difficilem:  unyielding;  cf.  3,  7,32. 
— Tyrrhenus:  far  from  being  a  stern 
Sarmatian,  Lyce  is  of  Etruscan 
birth  ;  and  the  effeminacy  and  vices 
of  the  Etruscans  were  notorious. 

13  ff .  quamvis,  etc. :  the  indie,  is 
not  common  until  later.  —  tinctus 
viola  pallor  :  the  lover's  proper  color 
according  to  Ovid  A.  A.  i,  729 
palleat  omnis  amans ;  hie  est  color 
aptus  amanti.  The  yellow,  not 
the  purple,  violet  is  meant.  — 
paelice:  abl.  of  cause.  —  saucius: 
this  bears  the  emphasis,  '  thy  hus- 
270 


CARMINA  [3,  ii 

15  nec  vir  Pieria  paelice  saucius 

curvat,  supplicibus  tuis 

parcas,  nec  rigida  mollior  aesculo 
nec  Mauris  animum  mitior  anguibus : 
non  hoc  semper  erit  liminis  aut  aquae 
20  caelestis  patiens  latus. 

hand's  infatuation  for.1     With  this  closes  is  comic,  like  that  in  Epod. 

use  of  the  adjective,  cf.  i,  14,  5.  n.  15-18,  where  he  vows  that  if 

— curvat:  equivalent  to  incuri'at.  I nachia  persists  in  smiling  on  his 

flectit,  €7riyva/j.7rT«.  —  supplicibus  rich  rival,  he  will  give  her  up  to 

tuis  parcas:    in  irony,  as  if  Lyce  him. 

were  some  goddess  at  whose  shrine  19 f.  hoc:  i.e.  memn\  cf.  Greek 

her  lovers  pray.  oSe.  OVTOS. — aquae  caelestis:  from 

i8ff.  Mauris  .  .  .  anguibus:  pro-  which  he  has  suffered  on  other  oc- 

verbially  savage.  —  non  hoc.  etc.:  casions  (cf.  v.  8). — latus:  equiva- 

the    threat    with    which    Horace  lent  to  corpus;  cf.  2,  7.  18. 


I  I 

'  Mercury  and  my  lyre,  on  you  I  call  to  raise  a  strain  of  music  which 
shall  make  stubborn  Lyde  listen  —  for  Lyde  is  as  shy  as  an  unbroken 
filly,  and  has  no  thought  of  love  and  wedlock  (1-12).  But  thou,  my 
lyre,  canst  charm  wild  beasts,  the  woods  and  rivers  :  aye,  Cerberus  gave 
up  his  fierceness  before  thee ;  even  Ixion  and  Tityos  smiled,  forgetful 
of  their  pain  ;  and  Danaus1  cruel  daughters  had  respite  from  their  end- 
less toil  (13-24).  Ah  !  that  is  the  tale  to  which  Lyde  must  listen,  that 
she  may  learn  how  punishment,  though  sometimes  late,  overtakes  wrong- 
doers even  in  Hades.  And  I  will  sing  of  that  sister,  alone  worthy  of  the 
marriage  torch,  who  won  eternal  fame  by  her  noble  falsehood  to  her 
father,  for  she  saved  her  husband's  life,  and  feared  not  to  pay  forfeit  for 
it  with  her  own1  (25-52). 

The  ode  is  arranged  with  no  slight  skill :  the  invocation  of  the  lyre, 
and  the  celebration  of  the  power  of  music  in  the  first  six  strophes  are 
merely  a  setting  for  the  real  theme,  which  seems  first  suggested  by  the 
apparently  chance  mention  of  the  Danaids  in  v.  22  ff.  From  this  point 
Lyde  is  forgotten,  and  the  application  of  the  rest  of  the  ode  is  left  to  the 
reader's  imagination.  The  Romans  were  familiar  with  the  story  of  the 

271 


3,  II,  i]  HORATI 

daughters  of  Danaus.  who,  compelled  to  marry  their  cousins,  Aegyptus' 
fifty  sons,  were  forced  by  their  father  to  promise  to  kill  their  husbands 
on  their  wedding  night, — a  crime  for  which  they  suffered  eternal  pun- 
ishment. They  had  a  constant  reminder  of  the  myth  in  the  statues  ctf 
Danaus  and  his  daughters,  which  occupied  the  intercolumnary  spaces 
of  the  portico  to  the  temple  of  Apollo  on  the  Palatine.  Cf.  introductory 
n.  to  i,  31  ;  Prop.  3,  29,  3  ;  Ovid  Trist.  3.  I.  61.  The  story  is  essentially 
narrative,  and  proper  for  epic  treatment,  but  Horace  wisely  selected  for 
his  lyric  form  a  single  part  of  the  myth  —  the  story  of  Lycneus  and  Hy- 
permestra,  and  from  this  chose  the  dramatic  moment  when  Hyper- 
mestra  rouses  her  husband  and  bids  him  flee  for  his  life.  The  same 
good  taste  is  shown  in  his  treatment  of  the  story  of  Europa  3,  27 ;  but 
both  odes  are  in  marked  contrast  to  I,  15.  Ovid  followed  Horace  in 
handling  the  same  theme  in  his  Heroides  14.  The  treatment  there 
should  be  carefully  compared  with  this.  Metre,  69. 

Mercuri,  nam  te  docilis  magistro 
movit  Amphion  lapides  canendo, 
tuque  testudo,  resonare  septem 
callida  nervis, 

5  nee  loquax  olim  neque  grata,  mine  et 

divitum  mensis  et  arnica  templis, 
die  modos  Lyde  quibus  obstinatas 
adplicet  auris, 

iff.  nam:  giving  the  reason  for  sff.  loquax:  vocal.   Sappho  calls 

the  invocation. —docilis :    equiva-  to  her  lyre  f''rg.  45  aye   Srj   x£^u 

lent  to  docttts;  cf.   I,  24,  9  flebilis  Sui   /xo;  |  ^wi/acorni  ytVoto.  —  et : 

equivalent    to  fletttx.  —  Amphion:  used  only  here  and  4,  13.  6  at  the 

the  mythical  singer  to  whose  music  end  of  the  verse  without  elision 

the  walls  of  Thebes  rose.  Cf.  Epist.  of  the  last  syllable  of  the  preceding 

2,  3. 394  ff.  dictus  et  Ainphioti,  The-  word .  —  mensis  arnica,  etc. :  cf.  Od. 

banae  conditor  urbis,  \  sava  inovere  8, 99  </>op/wyyo>  ff.  77  Sam  o-wryopos 

sono  testudinis  etprece  blatida  \  du-  «m  &:i\eir).  and   17,270  ci/  8e  TC 

cere,  quo  vellet. — resonare:  di-pen-  <£op/>uyf  -^irvei.  rjv  apa  8am  Beol 

dent  on  callida.  —  septem...  nervis:  Troiijaav  fratprjv.     Also  1,22,  I3f. 

the  lyre  is  called  by  Pindar  TV.  5,  — die  modos:  cf.  i,  32,  3.  —  obsti- 

24  </>6p/uy£  £7rrayA.<ixr<ros.  natas  :   stubborn. 

272 


CARMINA 


[3-  IJ.  2° 


IO 


quae  velut  latis  equa  trima  campis 
ludit  exsultim  metuitque  tangi, 
nuptiarum  expers  et  adhuc  protervo 
cruda  marito. 

Tu  potes  tigris  comitesque  silvas 
ducere  et  rivos  celeris  morari ; 
cessit  immanis  tibi  blandienti 
ianitor  aulae 

Cerberus,  quamvis  furiale  centum 
muniant  angues  caput  eius  atque 
spiritus  taeter  saniesque  manet 
ore  trilingui ; 


gS.  For  the  comparison  of  a  girl 
to  a  colt  or  heifer,  cf.  i,  23,  i  ;  2, 
5,  6.     Also  Anacr.  Frg.  75 
),   TL   ST;    /u.e   A.o£o 


Se  p.'  ov8tv  ctScwu  (ro<f>6v  ;  .  .  .  vw 
§€  Aa/AOJvas  Tf.  /8<XTKeai  Kov<f>d 
re  crKtpToxra  7reu£eis,  '  Thracian 
filly,  why  now  dost  thou  look  dis- 
trustfully at  me  and  flee  without 
pity  ?  Deemest  thou  me  a  wit- 
less fellow  ?  Now  thou  grazest  on 
the  meadows  and  sportest,  lightly 
gamboling.' 

—  trima:  as  yet  unbroken,  for 
colts  were  broken  in  their  fourth 
year.  Verg.  G.  3,  190.  —  tangi: 
cf.  2.  2.  7  and  u.  —  cruda:  not  yet 
matitra  ;  cf.  Stat.  77;.  7.  298  f. 
expertein  Ihalami  crudnnique  ina- 
ritis  |  ignibus. 

13  ff.  The  power  of  the  lyre.  Cf. 
the  similar  passage  i,  12,  gff.  and  n. 

HOR.  CAR.  —  18  273 


— comites :  in  thy  train ;  predicate 
with  both  tigris  and  silvas.  For 
the  position  of  -que,  see  Intr.  31  .— 
cessit :  gave  way  before  thy  charms 
(blandienti).  The  reference  is  to 
the  visit  of  Orpheus  to  Hades  to 
bring  back  Eurydice.  The  story 
is  told  Verg.  G.  4,  457  ff. ;  Ovid 
Met.  io,8ff. — immanis:  with  aulae. 

—  blandienti:  cf.  i,  12,  u  ;  24,  13. 
1 7  ff.  furiale  :  fury-like.  — eius : 

some  critics  would  reject  this 
strophe  as  prosaic,  and  especially 
because  eius  here  adds  nothing  to 
the  sense.  These  are  insufficient 
reasons  for  rejection,  for  Horace 
did  not  always  maintain  the  high- 
est level  in  his  verse.  —  spiritus: 
belonging  by  a  zeugma  to  manet. 

—  manet :  drops  from.  —  ore  trilin- 
gui :  Cerberus  is  three-headed  in 
2,  19,  31  also,  but  hundred-headed 
2,  I3>  34- 


3,ii,2i]  link  ATI 

quin  et  Ixion  Tityosque  voltu 
risit  invito  ;  stetit  urna  paulum 
sicca,  dum  grato  Danai  puellas 
carmine  mulces. 

25  Audiat  Lyde  scelus  atque  notas 

virginum  poenas  et  inane  lymphae 
dolium  fundo  pereuntis  imo, 
seraque  fata 

quae  manent  culpas  etiam  sub  Oreo. 
30  Impiae  (nam  quid  potuere  maius  ?), 

impiae  sponsos  potuere  duro 
perdere  ferro. 

Vna  de  multis  face  nuptiali 
digna  periurum  fuit  in  parentem 

21  ff.  quinet:  cf.  n.  to  i,  10,  13.  28f.    sera:   concessive,   though 

—  voltu  .  .  .  invito  :    i.e.  in  spite  late. — culpas :  Lyde's  sin  is  her  fail- 

of  their  pain.     Ovid  expands  the  ure  to  love. 

scene    Met.    10,   4 iff.    exsangues  30  f.    impiae  .  ..  impiae:  Intr. 

flebant    animae:     nee     Tantalus  28  c. —  potuere:  first  of  physical, 

itndam  \  captavit    refugam,    stu-  secondly  of  moral  courage  —  the 

puitque  I. via fit's  or  bis,  \  nee  carp-  Greek  trXr/trav,  had  the  heart  to. 

sere  iecur  valuer es,  urnisque  va-  — duro. .  .ferro:  the  Homeric  vrj\(i 

carunt  \  Belides,  inque  tuo  sedisti,  ^O\KW. 

Sisyphe,    saxo.    \    Tune   primum  Notice  that  Horace  disposes  of 

laerimis  victarum  carmine  fama  the  general  features  of  the  story 

est   |    Eumenidum    madtiisse  ge-  thus  briefly,  and  quickly  passes  to 

nas.  —  stetit    urna,     etc. :     thus  his  special  theme. 
Horace     apparently    chances    on  33 f.  una  de  multis:   only  Hy- 

his  theme.  permestra  of  all  the  fifty  failed  to 

25!    audiat:    the  asyndeton  is  execute  her  father's  orders.  —  per- 

effective, — yes,   Lyde  shall  hear,  iurum:  because  by  betrothing  his 

etc. — notas  :  with  scelus  as  well  as  daughters    to   Aegyptus1  sons   he 

poenas.  —  lymphae  :    with    inane.  had  pledged  himself  to  do  them 

For  the  order  of  words,  see  Intr.  21.  no  harm. 

274 


CARMINA 


[3.  II, 


35 


40 


45 


splendide  mendax  et  in  omne  virgo 
nobilis  aevum ; 

'  Surge  '  quae  dixit  iuveni  marito, 
'surge,  ne  longus  tibi  somnus,  unde 
non  times,  detur ;  socerum  et  scelestas 
falle  sorores, 

quae,  velut  nanctae  vitulos  leaenae, 
singulos  eheu  lacerant.     Ego  illis 
mollior  nee  te  feriam  neque  intra 
claustra  tenebo : 

me  pater  saevis  oneret  catenis, 
quod  viro  clemens  misero  peperci ; 


35.  splendide  mendax:  a  strik- 
ing oxymoron  ;  cf.  Tac.  Hist.  4,  50 
egregio  mendacio.  St.  Ambrose 
uses  the  phrase  o  beatum  menda- 
chtm.  Cf.  also  Tennyson's  '  His 
honour  rooted  in  dishonour  stood,  j 
And  faith  unfaithful  kept  him 
falsely  true.' 

37 S.  surge,  etc.:  cf.  Ovid  Her. 
14,  73  f.  surge  age,  Belide,  de  tot 
inodo  fratribus  unus  \  no x  tibi,  ni 
properas,  ista  perennis  erit.  Au- 
sonius  too,  Ephem.  i ,  1 7  ff.,  imitated 
Horace,  surge  nugator  lacerande 
itirgis  ;  \  surge,  ne  longus  tibi  soni- 
»MS,  unde  \  non  times,  detur :  rape 
membra  molli,  \  Par  me  no,  lecto.  — 
longus :  shown  by  the  context  here, 
as  in  2,  14,  19  and  4,  9,  27,  to  be 
equivalent  to  aeternus.  —  unde:  the 
antecedent  is  made  clear  by  the 
following  socerum  et,  etc. 

40.  falle :  Aa0e,  elude.  Cf.  i,  10. 
1 6,  and Epist.  I,  5,  31  postico  falle 


client  em.  —  sorores :  cousins.  Cf. 
Ovid  Her.  14,  123  where  Hyper- 
mestra  says  si  qua  piae,  Lycneu, 
tibi  cura  sororis. 

41  ff.  The  comparison  and  the 
thing  compared  are  here  confused, 
as  often  by  Horace :  singulos  des- 
ignates the  sons  of  Aegyptus,  while 
lacerant  belongs  properly  only  to 
leaenae.  '  Each  destroys  her  hus- 
band, alas,  as  lionesses  rend  the  bul- 
locks they  have  made  their  prey.1 
The  figure  is  Homeric,  cf.  //.  5, 
161  f.  (')s  8«  \ftav  Iv  /Sow!  Oopwv 
cf  au^ti/a  0^77  |  Tro/mo?  ^e  /Sods. 
With  the  statement,  cf.  Hyper- 
mestra's  words,  Ovid.  Her.  14,  35  f. 
circum  me  gemitus  morientum  au- 
dire  videbar ;  \  et  tamen  audibam, 
quodque  verebar.  erat. 

44.  tenebo :  for  the  more  com- 
mon compound  retinebo. 

45 f.  me:  in  contrast  with  te  — 
'  thou  shalt  suffer  no  harm,  and  as 


275 


3.  ".47] 


HO  R  ATI 


5° 


me  vel  extremes  Numidarum  in  agros 
classe  releget. 

I  pedes  quo  te  rapiunt  et  aurae, 
dum  favet  nox  et  Venus,  i  secundo 
omine  et  nostri  memorem  sepulcro 
sculpe  querellam.' 


for  me,  let  my  father  do  his  worst.' 
—  oneret  catenis :  Ovid  makes  her 
write.  Her.  14, 3  clausa  dotno  teneor 
gravibusque  coercita  vinclis.  —  Cle- 
mens misero :  effective  juxtaposi- 
tion ;  cf.  i,  5,  9;  2,  4,  6. 

47.  extremes:  cf.  3,  10.  i. 

49  f.  i . . .  i :  the  anaphora  marks 
her  eagerness.  — pedes  .  .  .  aurae  : 
all  inclusive,  '  wherever  on  land 
and  sea.'  —  Venus  :  it  was  she  who 
prompted  her  to  save  her  husband. 
In  Aeschylus1  lost  Danaids  (Frg. 
44)  it  was  Aphrodite  who  saved  Hy- 
permestra  from  condemnation. 

5  iff.  nostri :  of  me,  dependent  on 


memorem. — sepulcro:  for  the  case, 
see  Intr.  95.  —  sculpe  querellam: 
in  Ovid  Her.  14,  128  ff.  Hyper- 
mestra  suggests  her  own  epitaph, 
sculptaque  sint  tttulo  nostra  sepnl- 
clira  brei.>i;  \  iExnl  Hypermestra, 
pretium  pietatis  iniquum,  \  quant 
mortem  fratri  depulit,  ipsa  tulit? 
In  Trajan's  reign  a  woman  touring 
in  Egypt  scratched  this  reminis- 
cence of  Horace's  words  on  the 
pyramid  at  Gizeh,  CIL.  3,  21,  Vidi 
pyramidas  sine  te,  dulcissime  fra- 
ter,  |  ettibi  qiiodpotiti,  lacrimashic 
maesta  profudi  \  et  nostri  nienw- 
rent  luctus  hanc  sculpo  querelam. 


12 

Neobule,  love-sick  for  her  Hebrus,  complains  that  she  cannot  give 
free  rein  to  her  love  or  wash  away  its  pain  in  deep  draughts  of  wine. 
All  interest  in  her  spinning  is  taken  from  her  by  the  thought  of  the 
beauty  of  her  lover,  who  excels  as  swimmer,  horseman,  boxer,  runner, 
and  hunter. 

There  has  been  some  discussion  among  critics  as  to  the  nature  of 
this  ode,  but  it  is  best  regarded  as  a  monologue.  It  is  the  only  experi- 
ment in  pure  Ionic  measure  that  Horace  has  left  us,  and  is  an  imitation 
of  verses  by  Alcaeus,  of  which  the  opening  line  is  preserved  (Frg.  59) 
(fit  8fi\nv.  €/x«  TTiurav  KaKoraTuv  7r«8rj(OMrav.  The  details,  however,  as 
usual,  are  Roman.  Metre,  83. 

276 


CAKMIN'A 


[3. 


Miserarum  est  neque  amori  dare  ludum  neque  dulci 

mala  vino  lavere,  aut  exanimari  metuentis 

patruae  verbera  linguae. 
Tibi  qualum  Cythereae  puer  ales,  tibi  telas 

operosaeque  Minervae  studium  aufert,  Neobule, 

Liparaei  nitor  Hebri, 
simul  unctos  Tiberinis  umeros  lavit  in  undis, 

eques  ipso  melior  Bellerophonte,  neque  pugno 

neque  segni  pede  victus ; 


1.  miserarum  est,   etc.  :    con- 
trasting  the    narrow   lot   of  girls 
with  the  freedom  of  vOung  men. 

-  dare  ludum  :  give  free  rein  to. 
Cf.  Cic.  pro  CaeL  28  datur  Indus 
aetati.  —  lavere  :  iva.sk  away.  — 
aut :  or  else.  Cf.  3,  24,  24  et  pec- 
care  nefas  aut  ('  or  if  one  sin ') 
pretium  est  mart.  —  metuentis  : 
the  accusative  is  natural  following 
exanimari.  but  indicates  the  same 
unhappy  girls  as  miserarum.  — 
patruae,  etc. :  the  uncle  was  pro- 
verbially harsh  ;  cf.  S.  2,  3,  88  ne 
sis  patruus  mihi.  —  verbera :  the 
scourgings. 

2.  Cf.  Sappho  Frg.  90  yA.vKtta 
/xarep    OUTOI    SiW/iai    KpeKrjv    TOV 
IOTOV  |  7ro$<o   Sa/xetcra  vratSo?  /2pa- 
St'vav  oY  'At^poStrav, '  Mother  dear. 
I    cannot    mind     my    loom,    for 
through   soft   Aphrodite's    will,    I 
am    overcome    with    longing    for 
that    child.'    and    Landor's     imi- 
tation,   •  Mother,    I    cannot    mind 
my  wheel,  |  My   fingers  ache,  my 
lips  are  dry.'    Also  Seneca  Phaeil. 
103  f.  Palladis  telae  vacant  et  inter 
ipsas  pensa  labttntitr  wanus. 


—  tibi:  in  self -address,  as 
Catul.  51,  13  ottum,  Catulle,  tibi 
molest  UHI  est.  —  qualum :  wool  bas- 
ket ;  with  this  aufert  has  its  lit- 
eral sense.  —  operosae  Minervae  : 
'A #771/5  fpydvrj,  the  goddess  of 
household  industries,  especially 
of  spinning  and  weaving.  —  Neo- 
bule :  the  name  seems  to  have 
been  taken  from  Archilochus ; 
Frg.  73  is  supposed  to  have  been 
written  after  the  poet  has  lost 
his  love,  T//A/2AaKov,  *<u  TTOV  riv 
dAAov  778'  arrj  Ki^rjcTaTo.  —  Lipa- 
raei :  of  Lipara ;  the  epithet 
simply  individualizes.  Cf.  Opun- 
tiae  Megillae  I,  27,  10;  also  n.  to 
i,  i,  13.  —  nitor:  brilliant  beauty, 
as  i,  19,  5. 

3.  simul  .  .  .  lavit :  connected 
closely  with  nitor.  For  the  cus- 
tom of  swimming  in  the  Tiber,  cf. 
i,  8,  8  and  n. ;  3,  7,  27  f.  Also 
Ovid  Trist.  3.  12.  21  mine  ubi 
perfitsa  est  oleo  labente  ittventus  \ 
defessos  art  us  virgine  tinguit  aqua. 
—  Bellerophonte:  abl.  from  nom. 
Bellerophontes :  cf.  3,  7,  15. — 
segni :  with  both  puguo  and  pede. 


277 


ms  a 
W^sc 

arc  si 


3,  12,  4]  HORATI 

4  catus  idem  per  apertum  fugientis  agitato 

grege  cervos  iaculari  et  celer  arto  latitantem 
fruticeto  excipere  aprum. 

4.    catus:   cf.  I,  IO,  3  and  n. —  Xd^/ijy  TTVACIVT^  KartKeiro /icyas  avs. 

apertum:    substantive,   the  open.  Cf.  //.  II,  415  6  8«  T*  CKTI  (i.e.  6 

—  agitato   grege :   with    fugientis.  Kairpios)  fia.Of.Lrf;   CK  ^v\.6\oio.  — 

-arto  latitantem  fruticeto,  etc.:  excipere:  to  catch. 
as   in   Od.    19,  439  ZvOa.  8'  ap'  ev 

13 

To  the  spring  Bandusia.  These  exquisite  verses  may  have  been 
occasioned  by  the  festival  of  springs,  the  Fontinalia,  which  fell  on 
October  13;  but  the  situation  of  the  spring  thus  immortalized  —  if 
indeed  it  ever  existed  outside  Horace's  fancy —  is  wholly  unknown.  A 
document  of  1103  A.D.  mentions  a  fans  Randusintts  near  Venusia,  but 
it  is  very  probable  that  this  is  an  identification  of  the  Middle  Ages 
rather  than  an  ancient  name.  Bandusia  seems  to  be  a  corruption  of 
IlavSotrtu,  and  may  have  been  given  by  Horace  to  the  large  spring  on 
his  Sabirie  farm,  fans  etiam  rivo  dare  nomen  idoneus,  Epist.  i,  16,  12. 
-need  be  little  concerned,  however,  with  the  situation,  for  the  verses 
sufficient  in  themselves.  Metre,  73. 


O  fons  Bandusiae,  splendidior  vitro, 
dulci  digne  mero  non  sine  floribus, 
eras  donaberis  haedo, 

cui  frons  turgida  cornibus 

5  primis  et  venerem  et  proelia  destinat ; 

frustra :  nam  gelidos  inficiet  tibi 

i  f.    vitro:  crystal.     Cf.   Apul.  6.22  (I-'ontanalibtts)  et  in  fontes 

Met.  i,  \f)flitvius  that  argento  vel  coronas    iaciunt    et   puteos   coro- 

tntro  aenntliis  in  coloretn.  —  dulci  nant. 

digne.  etc. :  note  the  effective  al-  6  ff .    frustra  :    the  knell,  all  in 

literation  and  assonance  heir  and  vain.      Cf.    3,    7.    21.  —  gelidos  : 

elsewhere  in  the  poem.     The  wine  cool  (and  clear),   contrasted  with 

was  poun-d  and  garlands  thrown  rubro,  red  (and  warm). — inficiet: 

into  the  spring;  cf.  Varro  L.  L.  stain. — lascivi:  spoi'tive. 

278 


CAKMINA  [3,  14 

rubro  sanguine  rivos, 
lascivi  suboles  gregis. 

Te  flagrantis  atrox  hora  Caniculae 
10  nescit  tangere,  tu  frigus  amabile 

fessis  vomere  tauris 
praebes  et  pecori  vago. 

Fies  nobilium  tu  quoque  fontium, 

me  dicente  cavis  impositam  ilicem 

15  saxis  unde  loquaces 

lymphae  desiliunt  tuae. 

9  ff.  te  .  .  .  tu:  Intr.  28  c. —  —me  dicente:  from  my  song  of. 
hora:  season',  the  'dog  days'  of  —impositam:  perched  upon.— 
September.  Cf.  i,  17,  17.—  loquaces  lymphae  desiliunt:  the 
nescit :  stronger  than  a  colorless  Anacreontic  AaAov  vS<ap.  The 
ncqitit.  —  frigus,  etc. :  the  bullocks  ;  prattle '  of  these  words  Words- 
rest  at  midday,  when  cool  draughts  worth  reproduced  by  inserting  a 
are  most  welcome.  letter,  '  Or  when  the  prattle  of 

13  ff.  fies  nobilium,  etc. :  i.e.  Blandusia's  spring  |  Haunted  his 

the  fountains  celebrated  in  song,  ear,  he  only  listening.'  Cf.  Epod. 

Castalia,  Dirce,  Hippocrene,  etc.  16,  48  levis  crepante  lympha  desilit 

The  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled,  pede. 


14 

The  following  ode  was  written  in  honor  of  Augustus'  return  to 
Rome  in  the  spring  of  24  B.C.  after  an  absence  in  the  West  of  nearly 
three  years. 

'  Our  Caesar,  a  second  Hercules,  comes  home  victorious  from  the 
Spanish  shore.  His  faithful  consort,  his  sister,  all  ye  matrons  with 
your  children,  should  give  thanks  to  the  gods.  For  me  this  day  puts 
all  care  to  flight :  so  long  as  Caesar  rules  I  have  no  fear  of  civil  strife 
and  violence.  So.  boy,  bring  unguent,  flowers,  and  good  old  wine, 
that  I  may  celebrate  this  festival.  Fetch  Neaera,  too;  yet  if  the  surly 
porter  hinders  you  —  well,  never  mind;  my  hair  is  gray.  When  1  was 
a  hot-headed  youth,  I  would  not  have  stood  it.' 

279 


HORATI 


While  the  first  three  strophes  are  somewhat  stiff  and  formal,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  Horace's  welcome  was  sincere  and  that  the  fourth 
strophe  gives  the  basis  of  the  poet's  gratitude  —  the  sense  of  security 
and  peace  under  Augustus'  rule.  The  light  verses  of  the  last  three 
strophes  simply  expand  exiinet  cur  as  of  v.  14  and  show  Horace's  light- 
heartedness.  Metre,  69. 

Herculis  ritu  modo  dictus,  o  plebs, 
morte  venalem  petiisse  laurum 
Caesar  Hispana  repetit  penatis 
Victor  ab  ora. 

5  Vnico  gaudens  mulier  marito 

prodeat,  iustis  operata  divis, 
et  soror  clari  duels  et  decorae 
supplice  vitta 


i .  Herculis  :  Augustus  was  fre- 
quently compared  with  Hercules ; 
cf  3»  3>  9?  4>  S»  36;  Verg-  A.  6, 
802.  The  points  of  resemblance 
here  are  the  danger  of  the  under- 
taking and  the  victorious  return 
—  note  the  emphatic  position  of 
victor  (v.  4).  — ritu:  like,  after 
the  fashion  of.  Cf.  3,  29,  34 
fluminis  ritu,  'like  a  river';  and 
3,  I,  45  f.  —  modo  dictus:  in  the 
winter  of  25-24  B.C.  Augustus 
had  been  sick  at  Tarraco  (Dio 
Cass.  53,  25),  so  that  fears  for  his 
recovery  may  well  have  been  en- 
tertained in  Rome.  —  plebs :  ye 
people :  used  here  like  populus  in 
general  addresses  to  the  mass  of 
the  people,  not  restricted  to  the 
lowest  class.  Cf.  2,2,  18. 

2  ft.  morte  venalem,  etc. :  which 
men  buy  with  ilcath.  Cf.  Quint. 
9, 3, 71  emit  moi  U  IIHIHOI  talitatein  : 


Aeschin.  in  Ctes.  160  ut/Lurnk  C<TTIV 
y  aperr)  wviu.  —  petiisse  :  sought  to 
win.  Note  the  play  with  repetit. 

—  Hispana   .   .  .  ora :    the  north- 
western coast  of  Spain.     Cf.  3,  8, 
21  and  n. 

5  f .  unico :  her  one  dear ;  cf. 
2,  1 8,  14  itnicis  Sabinis.  The 
word  implies  that  her  husband  is 
the  one  source  of  all  her  happi- 
ness. —  mulier :  Livia.  —  prodeat : 
i.e.  before  the  people  to  join  with 
them  in  thanksgiving  to  the  gods. 

—  operata:  in  technical  sense  like 
facere,    pc£tiv,    to    sacrifice ;    cf. 
Verg.  G.  i.  339  sacra  refer  Cereri 
laetis  operatus  in  lierbis.  —  divis  : 
called  iustis  because,  as  Porphyrio 
says,    they  have   granted    Augus- 
tus victory  and  a  safe  return  as 
he  deserved. 

7  ff.  soror  :  Octavia.  — supplice 
vitta :  in  place  of  the  simple  one 


280 


CARM1NA 


[3.  '4,20 


10 


virginum  matres  iuvenumque  nuper 
sospitum ;  vos,  o  pueri  et  puellae 
non  virum  expertae,  male  ominatis 
parcite  verbis. 

Hie  dies  vere  mihi  festus  atras 
eximet  curas  :  ego  nee  tumultum 
nee  mori  per  vim  metuam  tenente 
Caesare  terras. 

I,  pete  unguentum,  puer,  et  coronas 
et  cadum  Marsi  memorem  duelli, 
Spartacum  si  qua  potuit  vagantem 
fallere  testa. 


ordinarily  worn.  Augustus  had 
declined  the  triumph  which  the 
senate  proposed  for  his  return,  but 
there  was  probably  a  supplicatio  in 
its  stead.  —  virginum  :  the  brides 
of  the  iuvenum.  For  this  meaning 
otvtrgo,  cf.  2,  8,  23.  —  nuper  sospi- 
tum :  just  now  returned  in  safety. 
10  ff.  vos :  the  last  of  the  three 
classes  here  distinguished  —  the 
matrons,  the  young  soldiers  with 
their  brides,  and  the  unwedded 
boys  and  girls.  —  non  virum  ex 
pertae :  i.e.  nondum  nuptae.  — 
male  ominatis  :  the  hiatus  is  harsh, 
and  can  only  be  explained  on  the 
supposition  that  the  two  words 
were  regarded  as  expressing  a 
single  idea.  But  the  text  of  this 
entire  line  is  very  much  in  dispute. 
—  parcite  verbis:  cf.  Epod.  17.  6. 
The  meaning  is  the  same  as  3.  r. 
2  favete  lingnis. 


281 


13  ff.   vere  :   modifying  festus. 

—  curas :   i.e.  for  the   welfare   of 
Caesar  and  the  state. — tumultum  : 
civil  strife;  cf.   4,  4,  47  and   n. 

—  mori  per  vim:    violent   death. 

—  tenente  Caesare  :    temporal,  so 
long  as,  etc.      With  this  expres- 
sion   of   confidence,     cf.    4,    15, 
17-20. 

17  f.  The  requirements  for  his 
revel.  Cf.  2,3,  13-16;  11,17;  and 
Anacreont.  50,  10  f.  f3d\'  v8wp.  Sos 

OIVOV,      W      TTUt.     |     T»)v      fyvxflV       /J.OV 

Kapoxrov,   ;  Throw   in  water,  give 
me   wine,  boy ;   dull  my  senses.' 

—  Marsi  memorem  duelli :  i.e.  the 
Social  War,  90-88  B.C.     Cf.  luv. 
5,  31  calcatamque  tenet  bellis  so- 
cialibns  uvarn. 

19.  The  roving  bands  of  gladi- 
ators under  the  lead  of  Spartacus 
harassed  Italy  73-71  B.C.  —  si 
qua  :  if  by  any  chance. 


3,  14,  21]  HORATI    . 

Die  et  argutae  properet  Neaerae 
murreum  nodo  cohibere  crinem  ; 
si  per  invisum  mora  ianitorem 
fiet,  abito. 

25  Lenit  albescens  animos  capillus 

litium  et  rixae  cupidos  protervae ; 
non  ego  hoc  ferrem  calidus  iuventa 
consule  Planco. 

21.  With  this  summons  of  the  before  his  time;  so  he  describes 

music  girl,  cf.  2,  n,  21  ff. — die  himself,  Epist.  i,  20,  24 f.  corporis 

.  .  .  properet :  tell  Neaera  to  exigui,  praecanmn,  solibus  optima 

hurry.  For  the  construction,  cf.  |  irasci  celerein,  tauten  nt  placabilis 

2.  1 1,22  f.  —  argutae :  Xtyctd,  clear-  essem.  With  the  sentiment,  cf. 

voiced;  cf.  4, 6,  25  argutae  Thaliae.  Epist.  2, 2, 21 1  lenior  et  tnelior  fis  ac- 

-  murreum  :  chestnut.  —  nodo :  cedente  senecta.  —  iuventa  :  abla- 

i.e.  in  simple  coiffure.  —  ianitorem  :  tive.  — consule  Planco  :  42  B.C..  the 

at  the  door  of  the  apartment-build-  year  of  Philippi.  Eighteen  years 

ing  (tnsiila)  in  which  Neaera  had  cooled  his  ardor  for  amours  as 

lives ;  he  is  called  invisum,  churl-  well  as  for  political  lost  causes. 

is/i,  for  refusing  admittance  to  The  reminiscences  here  and  in  vv. 

such  messengers  as  Horace  sends.  iSand  19  are  intentional,  calling  up 

25  ff.  lenit  albescens,  etc.  :  the  contrast  between  those  troubled 

Horace  is  now  forty-one,  but  gray  times  and  the  present  peace. 


15 

This  ode  is  similar  in  subject  to  i,  25  ;  Epod.  5  and  8.  Chloris,  the 
shameless  wife  of  Ibycus.  wishes  in  spite  of  her  years  to  rival  her  own 
daughter.  Metre,  71. 

Vxor  pauperis  Ibyci, 

tandem  nequitiae  fige  modum  tuae 

i  ff.  uxor  pauperis  :  her  hus-  since  past/  —  fige  :  stronger  than 
band's  poverty  she  makes  an  ex-  the  common  pone ;  cf.  I,  16,  3. — 
cuse  for  her  infidelity. —tandem  :  famosis  laboribus  :  'wool-working 
impatiently —*  your  day  is  long  (v.l3)\vouldljeinorefittingforyou.' 

282 


CAKMINA  [3,  15,  1 6 

famosisque  laboribus ; 

maturo  propior  desine  funeri 
5  inter  ludere  virgines 

et  stellis  nebulam  spargere  candidis. 
Non,  si  quid  Pholoen  satis, 

et  te,  Chlori,  decet :  filia  rectius 
expugnat  iuvenum  domos, 
10  pulso  Thyias  uti  concita  tympano. 

Illam  cogit  amor  Nothi 

lascivae  similem  ludere  capreae: 
te  lanae  prope  nobilem 

tonsae  Luceriam,  non  citharae  decent 
15  nee  flos  purpureus  rosae 

nee  poti  vetulam  faece  tenus  cadi. 

4  ff.    maturo:  i.e.  for  which  you  n.    illam:    i.e.    the    daughter, 

are  old  enough  ;  your  death  would  Pholoe.  —  Nothi :    the    name    is 

not  be  premature.  —  propior: 'now  known  from   inscriptions.     Possi- 

you  are  so  near.'  —  ludere:  7rat£eu/,  bly  chosen   here  as  befitting  the 

to  wanton.  —  nebulam   spargere  :  subject  of  the  verses. 
i.e.  l  to  obscure.'  13  ff.  lanae  :  nominative.    Spin- 

7  ff.    satis:    sc.  decet,  'Pholoe  ning  was  particularly  the  work  of  old 

is  young,  but  you —  ! ' —  expugnat :  women.    Cf.  Tibul.  i,  6,  77  f.  victa 

may  possibly   be   taken   literally.  senecta  \  duett  inops  tremula  sta- 

Cf.  Seneca.  Praef.  ad  N.  Q.  4.  6  mina  torta  tnanu.  —  nobilem  .  .  . 

Crispus  Passienus,  saepe  dicebat  Luceriam :    Apulian   wool  was  fa- 

aditlationibus    nos    non    dander e  mous    for    its    excellence.  —  non 

outturn,  scd  aperire,  et  quidein  sic,  citharae,  etc. :  '  It  is  not  for  you  to 

///  ainicae  opponi  solet,  quae si  i>n-  play  the  music  girl  at  revels.'  — 

pulit, grata  est,gratior,  si  effregit.  poti:    passive.  —  vetulam:    effec- 

— -Thyias:  cf.  n.   to   2,    19,  9. —  tively   reserved   to   this   point. — 

tympano:    used   in   the    orgiastic  faece  tenns:  cf.  i,  35,  2J  cadis  cum 

worship  of  Bacchus;  cf.  i,  1 8,  14.  faece  siccatis. 


3,  i6,  ij  110RATJ 

16 

'Danae's  lot,  the  ruin  of  Amphiraus'  house,  the  overthrow  of  cities 
and  defeat  of  rival  princes  by  the  Macedonian's  bribes,  all  show  the 
power  of  gold  to  harm  (1-16).  And  gains  when  made  but  feed  the 
greed  for  more.  I  have  done  well,  Maecenas,  to  follow  thy  example, 
and  to  shun  a  high  estate.  The  more  each  man  denies  himself,  the 
more  the  gods  bestow.  My  small  farm  with  its  clear  stream,  its  little 
wood,  and  faithful  crop,  makes  me  more  fortunate  than  the  lord  of  fer- 
tile Africa,  though  he  know  it  not  (17-32).  I  have  no  luxuries,  that  is 
quite  true  ;  yet  I  escape  the  pangs  of  poverty.  And  thou  wouldst  give  me 
more  if  I  should  wish.  No,  no ;  increase  of  income  I  shall  best  attain 
by  lessening  my  desires.  Happy  is  that  man  on  whom  God  has  be- 
stowed little  and  enough  (33-44). ' 

This  ode  thus  treats  Horace's  favorite  theme :  the  powerlessness  of 
wealth  to  secure  happiness,  the  value  of  a  spirit  content  with  little. 
It  should  be  compared  with  2,  2,  and  16,  and  for  Horace's  personal 
desires  with  i,  31  ;  2,  18.  There  is  no  indication  of  the  date  of  com- 
position. Metre,  72. 

Inclusam  Danaen  turris  aenea 
robustaeque  fores  et  vigilum  canum 
tristes  excubiae  munierant  satis 
nocturnis  ab  adulteris, 

5  si  non  Acrisium,  virginis  abditae 

custodem  pavidum,  luppiter  et  Venus 

i.    This   cynical   interpretation  imprisonment   and   its   futility.  — 

of  the  myth  by  which  the  golden  turris  aenea:  cf.  3,  3,  65. 

shower  in  which  Jupiter  descended  2  ff.    robustae  :  oaken  \  cf.  1,3, 

is  made  a  bribe,  is  also  found  in  9.  —  tristes  excubiae.  grim  guard. 

Ovid    .•////.  3,   8,  29  ff.    Inppiter,  —munierant:  cf.  n.  to  2,  17,28. 

admonitns  tiihil est potciifius auro,  — adulteris:  cf.  1.33,9. 

|  corrnplaf  pretium  virginis  ipse  6  ff.   pavidum  :  for  Acrisius  had 

/nit,  etc.      It  occurs  frequently  in  heard  from  an  oracle  that  he  was 

later  writers,  t'.g.  Petron.    137  B..  destined  to  die  by  the  hand  of  his 

Anth.  Pal.  5.  2 16.  —  inclusam  :  the  daughter's   child.  —  Venus  :    natu- 

pusition  emphasizes  the  fact  of  her  rally  Jove's  accomplice  in  this  mat- 

284 


CAKMINA 


L3f  '.6,  14 


risissent :  fore  enim  tutum  iter  et  patens 
converse  in  pretium  deo. 

Aurum  per  medios  ire  satellites 
et  perrumpere  amat  saxa  potentius 
ictu  fulmineo  ;  concidit  auguris 
Argivi  domus,  ob  lucrum 

demersa  exitio  ;  diffidit  urbium 
portas  vir  Macedo  et  submit  aemulos 


ter. — risissent  :  laughed  in  scorn. 
—  fore,  etc. :  in  ind.  disc,  repre- 
senting the  thought  of  Jove  and 
Venus.  —  converse  . . .  deo  :  dative. 

9.  aurum  :    emphatically   con- 
tinuing pretium  of  the  preceding 
verse.     With  the  sentiment  of  the 
following,   cf.    the    words    Cicero 
attributes  to  Verres,   Verr.  i,  2,  4 
nihil  esse  tain  sanctum,  quod  non 
iriolari,  nihil  tarn  munitum,  quod 
non    expugnari    pecunia    possit. 
Also  Apul.  Met.  9,   18  cum  .   .   . 
aura   soleant  adamantinae  etiam 
perfringi  fores ;     and    Menand. 
Monost.  538  xpvoxk  8'  dvot'yei  Trai/ra 
KCU  *Ai8ou  TruAas. —  per    medios: 
i.e.  openly,  in  broad  daylight.  — 
satellites:  guards;   cf.  2,  18,  34. 

10.  perrumpere  :    notice    that 
this   word,   like   concidit,   diffidit, 
below,  expresses   the  method   by 
which  gold  attains  its   ends  —  it 
does  not  work  subtly  and  in  secret, 
but   bluntly  and  directly,  forcing 
its  way  against  all  opposition.  — 
amat:  is  wont.  —  saxa:  i.e.  'walls 
of,'  etc. 

ii  ff.  concidit .  .  .  diffidit:  note 


the  effect  of  position, — fallen  is, 
etc.  —  auguris  Argivi :  Amphia- 
raus.  When  he  was  unwilling  to 
join  the  expedition  of  the  Seyen 
against  Thebes,  for  he  foresaw  it 
would  end  in  disaster  and  cost 
him  his  own  life,  Polynices  bribed 
Amphiaraus'  wife,  Eriphyle,  with 
the  necklace  of  Harmonia  to  induce 
her  husband  to  go.  Their  son  Alc- 
maeon  slew  his  mother  in  anger 
at  his  father's  death,  and  after- 
wards, like  Orestes,  was  haunted 
by  the  Furies. 

14  f .  vir  Macedo :  Philip,  father 
of  Alexander  the  Great.  It  was 
said  (Plut.  Aemil.  Paul.  12)  that 
his  conquests  were  made  by  means 
of  bribes  on  ra?  TrdAets  atpei  TWJ/ 

'EAA.7/J/0>V     Otl    ^lAtTTTTOS,     aAAa      TO 

4>iAiWov>  xpvo-Lov.  The  Delphic 
oracle  has  advised  him  to  'fight 
with  silver  spears."  Cicero,  ad 
Att.  i,  16,  12,  quotes  a  saying  of 
his,  Philippus  otnnia  castella  ex- 
pugnari posse  dicebat  in  quae 
modo  asellus  onustus  auro  posset 
ascendere.  —  aemulos  reges  :  the 
rival  claimants  of  the  throne. 


285 


HOKATI 


reges  muneribus ;  munera  navium 
saevos  inlaqueant  duces. 

Crescentem  sequitur  cura  pecuniam 
maiorumque  fames ;  iure  perhorrui 
late  conspicuum  tollere  verticem, 
Maecenas,  equitum  decus. 

Quanto  quisque  sibi  plura  negaverit, 
ab  dis  plura  feret.     Nil  cupientium 
nudus  castra  peto  et  transfuga  divitum 
partis  linquere  gestio, 


15  f.  muneribus  ;  munera  :  with 
bribes ;  yes,  bribes,  I  say.  \  ntr .  28  b. 
—  navium  duces  :  some  see  here  a 
reference  to  Menas  (or  Mene- 
dorus).  the  freedman  of  Cn.  Pom- 
pey  and  admiral  of  Sextus  Pom- 
pey.  who  in  38  B.C.  deserted  to 
Octavianus ;  afterwards  he  re- 
turned to  his  earlier  allegiance, 
only  to  desert  again.  —  saevos: 
stern  though  they  be.  —  inlaqueant : 
ensnare. 

17  f.  crescentem,  etc. :  a  com- 
mon sentiment.  Cf.  Theoc.  16, 
64  f.  dnypifytos  8e  01  eir/  dpyupos, 
aui  Bf  TT\t6v(nv  t\oi  r/xtpos  avrov, 
'  His  be  unnumbered  wealth,  but 
may  a  longing  for  more  ever  pos- 
sess him.1  luv.  14,  139  crescit 
amor  nummi,  quantum  ipsa  pe- 
cunia  crevit.  —  fames  :  cf.  Epist. 
I,  1 8,  23  argenti  sitis  importuna 
famesque ;  Verg.  A.  3,  57  auri 
sacra  fames. 

19  f.  late  conspicuum  :  prolep- 
tic,  so  that  it  could  be  seen  afar. 
-  equitum  decus :  Maecenas  was 


a  good  example  of  the  moderation 
Horace  is  urging :  although  pos- 
sessed of  great  wealth  and  influ- 
ence, he  modestly  declined  political 
preferment.  Cf.  n.  to  I,  i,  i  ;  20,  5. 

ai  f.  plura,  .  .  .  plura  :  the 
context  in  this  paradox  shows  the 
meaning.  By  the  first  plura  Hor- 
ace means  money  and  the  unes- 
sential things  which  it  procures, 
'  this  world's  goods ' ;  by  the  sec- 
ond, the  real  goods  which  cannot 
be  bought,  but  are  gifts  from 
heaven,  —  a  contented  mind  and 
ability  to  find  happiness  in  simple 
things.  —  nil  cupientium  :  and  so 
content.  Cf.  Maximian.  i,  54  et 
rerum  dominus  nil  cupiendo  fui. 

23  f .  nudus :  i.e.  leaving  all  en- 
cumbrances of  wealth  and  luxury. 
— transfuga:  continuing  the  figure 
of  the  soldier  eager  to  leave  the 
party  (partis)  to  which  he  now 
.belongs,  and  flee  to  the  opposite 
camp. — divitum:  and  therefore 
discontent,  contrasted  with  nil 
cupientium. 


286 


CARMINA 


25 


contemptae  dominus  splendidior  rei, 
quani  si  quicquid  arat  impiger  Apulus 
occultare  meis  dicerer  horreis, 
niagnas  inter  opes  inops. 

Purae  rivus  aquae  silvaque  iugerum 
paucorum  et  segetis  certa  fides  meae 
f ulgentem  imperio  fertilis  Africae 
fallit  sorte  beatior. 

Quamquam  nee  Calabrae  mella  ferunt  apes, 
nee  Laestrygonia  Bacchus  in  amphora 


25  f .  contemptae  :  i.e.  by  those 
who  do  not  know  the  source  of 
true  happiness.  —  splendidior:  in 
the  sight  of  the  wise.  — arat :  put 
for  the  product  of  the  field.  Cf. 
the  use  trahunt,  2,  18,  8.  For 
the  quantity,  see  Intr.  35-  — 
impiger  Apulus :  cf.  Epod.  2,  42. 
Apulia  was  very  productive  accord- 
ing to  Strabo  6,  284. 

27  f .  occultare :  a  poetic  variant 
for  condere  i,  i,  9.  —  magnas  : 
used  like  saevos,  v.  1 6  above.  —  inter 
opes  inops  :  an  oxymoron  express- 
ing the  difference  between  the 
common  view  and  the  correct  one. 
Cf.  Epist.  i,  2,  56  semper  avams 
eget.  Horace's  phrase  clung  in 
men's  minds :  Paulinus  of  Nola 
at  the  end  of  the  fourth  century 
reproduced  it  exactly,  28,  292  inter 
opes  inopes ;  Seneca  with  a  slight 
variation,  Epist.  74,  4  in  diviitis- 
inopes,  a  phrase  St.  Ambrose  re- 
peated three  centuries  later. 

29  f .  Horace  describes  his  farm 


Epist.  i,  1 6.  —  rivus:  cf.  Epist, 
i,  16,  12,  quoted  in  introductory  n. 
to  3, 13.  —  segetis  :  possessive  gen. 
—  certa  fides:  cf.  3,  i,  30  fimdus 
mendax  and  n. 

31  f.  f  ulgentem  imperio,  etc.  : 
the  proconsul  of  Africa  is  probably 
meant,  although  it  is  possible  that 
we  should  think  rather  of  a  great 
landed  proprietor.  The  provinces 
of  Asia  and  Africa  were  assigned 
each  year  to  the  two  oldest  men 
of  consular  rank  eligible.  —  fallit 
sorte  beatior :  happier  in  lot  es- 
capes the  notice  of,  i.e.  is  a  happier 
lot,  although  he  does  not  know  it, 
than  that  of,  etc.  The  Latin  lan- 
guage having  no  present  participle 
of  esse,  is  unequal  to  the  task  of 
imitating  the  Greek  idiom  Aav- 
Odvfi  oA/8iu>Ttpov  ov. 

33  ff.  Examples  of  the  luxuries 
possessed  by  the  rich.  Cf.  i,  31, 
5  ff. ;  2,  1 6,  33  ff.  — Calabrae  .  .  . 
apes:  cf.  2.  6,  14  f.  —  Laestrygo- 
nia :  Formian.  See  introductory 


287 


3.  1 6,  35] 


1IOKAT1 


35  languescit  mihi,  nee  pinguia  Gallicis 

crescunt  vellera  pascuis, 

importuna  tamen  pauperies  abest, 
nee,  si  plura  velim,  tu  dare  deneges. 
Contracto  melius  parva  cupidine 
40  vectigalia  porrigam 

quam  si  Mygdoniis  regnum  Alyattei 
campis  continuern.     Multa  petentibus 
desunt  multa ;  bene  est  cui  deus  obtulit 
parca  quod  satis  est  manu. 


n.  to  3,  17  for  the  name;  for  the 
wine,  cf.  n.  to  i,  20,  10. — lan- 
guescit: grows  mellow;  cf.  3,  21, 
8  languidiora  vina.  —  Gallicis  .  .  . 
pascuis :  Cisalpine  Gaul  produced 
a  fine  white  wool  according  to 
Pliny  N.  H.  8,  190. 

37.  importuna :  the  worry  of. 
Horace  would  have  called  himself 
pauper,  a  man  of  small  estate  ;  the 
point  he  is  making  here  is  that  he 
is  not  so  poor  that  he  suffers  from 
the  worries  of  extreme  poverty. 

38.  Cf.  2, 18, 12  f.  ;  Epod.  1,31  f. 
39  f.    contracto  .  .  .  cupidine, 

etc.  :  cf.  2,  2,  9  ff.  —  vectigalia : 
income.  '  The  less  a  man  desires, 
the  farther  he  can  make  his  in- 


come go.'  Cf.  Cic.  Par.  6.  49 
O  di  imtnor tales  !  Non  intelligunt 
homines  quam  magnum  vectigal 
sit  parsimonia. 

41  f.  Mygdoniis  :  Phrygian ; 
cf.  n.  to  2,  12,  22.  —  Alyattei : 
Alyattes  was  the  father  of  Croesus 
and  founder  of  the  Lydian  king- 
dom.—  campis:  dative  with  con- 
tinuem  :  join  to  (so  that  I  should 
be  monarch  of  both  realms). 

43  f .  bene  est :  colloquial ;  cf. 
Catul.  38,  i  male  est.  —  quod  satis 
est :  what  is  just  enough.  With 
the  sentiment,  cf.  Sen.  h'pist.  108. 
1 1  is  minima  eget  mortalis,  qtii 
minimum  cupit,  quod  TV///,  Jtabet, 
gut  velle  quod  satis  est  potest. 


17 

'Come.  Aelius,  child  of  the  long  Lamian  line  which  sprang  from 
ancient  Lamus,  that  lord  of  Formiae  and  of  Marica's  strand,  a  storm  is 
threatening.  Before  it  breaks,  lay  in  a  stock  of  dry  firewood  ;  to-mor- 
row shall  thou  make  merry  with  thy  household.' 

288 


CARMINA 


[3.  '7.  8 


These  verses  are  addressed  to  L.  Aelius  Lamia,  apparently  the  friend 
named  i,  26,  8  (cf.  36,  8).  The  Lamian  family  was  not  prominent 
before  Cicero's  time  and  the  name  does  not  appear  in  the  consular  fasti 
until  2  A.D.  ;  during  the  first  century  of  our  era,  however,  the  house 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished.  The  Lamus  to  whom  Horace  play- 
fully refers  his  friend's  ancestry  is  none  other  than  Homer's  cannibal 
lyng  of  the  Laestrygonians,  Od.  10,  81.  The  scene  is  Lamia's  country 
place  ;  the  occasion  unknown.  Metre,  68. 

Aeli  vetusto  nobilis  ab  Lamo, 
quando  et  priores  hinc  Lamias  ferunt 
denominatos  et  nepotum 

per  memores  genus  omne  fastos, 

5  auctore  ab  illo  ducis  originem 

qui  Formiarum  moenia  dicitur 
princeps  et  innantem  Maricae 
litoribus  tenuisse  Lirim 


i.  This  verse  of  address  is  left 
hanging  without  a  verb,  but  is  re- 
sumed by  v.  5  ff.  — nobilis  :  almost 
1  ennobled  by  the  descent  from ' ; 
translate,  noble  child  of. 

2  ff.  quando  :  with  ferunt. 
These  verses  are  inserted  to  sup- 
port Aelius'  relation  to  old  Lamus 
— ;  Since  all  Lamiae  before  thee 
trace  their  line  back  to  Lamus, 
thou  too  must  be  one  of  his  de- 
scendants.'—  hinc:  i.e.  ab  Latrio; 
cf.  Verg.  A.  i,  21  f.  hinc  populinn 
late  regem  belloque  superbum  \ 
venturum,  and  Hor.  C.  i,  12,  17 
unde  equivalent  ab  love. — nepo- 
tum :  descendants. 

4.  memores  .  .  .  fastos  :  family, 
not  public,  records  are  meant ;  see 
introductory  n.  The  phrase  is  re- 
peated 4.  14,  4  per  titulos  memores- 
que  fastos. 

HOR.  CAR. —  19  2 


5  ff.  auctore  ab  illo :  resuming 
v.  i. — Formiarum  moenia  :  For- 
miae  is  identified  with  the  capital 
of  the  Laestrygonians  first  per- 
haps by  Cicero,  ad  Att.  2,  30 ;  the 
Augustan  poets  adopted  the  iden- 
tification, while  the  Greeks  placed 
the  city  near  Leontini  in  Sicily. 
— -  Maricae :  Marica's.  An  Italian 
nymph  ;  according  to  Verg.  A.  7, 
47  the  mother  of  Latinus  by  Fau- 
nus.  She  was  worshiped  in  the 
marshes  near  Minturnae,  where 
the  Liris  loses  itself  in  lagoons : 
hence  innantem,  that  overflows. 
Cf.  Mart.  13.  83,  i  f.  caernleus 
nos  Liris  amat.  quern  sil-va  Mari- 
cae |  protegit. 

9  f .  late  tyrannus :  the  Homeric 
cvpv  Kfjtiw,  cleverly  applied  to 
the  Homeric  (cannibal)  chief. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  i,  21  late  regem  of 


1  7,  9]  HORATI 


10 


late  tyrannus,  eras  foliis  nemus 
multis  et  alga  litus  inutili 
demissa  tempestas  ab  Euro 
sternet,  aquae  nisi  fallit  augur 

annosa  cornix  ;  dum  potes,  aridum 
compone  lignum  ;  eras  genium  mero 
15  curabis  et  porco  bimenstri 

cum  famulis  operum  solutis. 

the   Roman   people.  —  alga  ...  13  ff.    Lamia's  holiday  is  to  be 

inutili  :    proverbial  ;    cf.   S.    2,    5,  celebrated  in  simplicity,  like  one 

8  vilior  alga.  of    horace's    own.  —  eras,    etc.  : 

12  f.    aquae  .  .  .  augur:    the  notice  that  this  verse  has  the  same 

Greek  iiero/xavTis.     Cf.  3,   27,  10  lilt  as  v.  9  above.  —  genium  :  the  at- 

imbrinm    di-vina    avis    imminen-  tendant    self,    a    kind     of    guar- 

tum.     Also  Arat.  1022  f.  ^ei/iwvos  dian    angel  ;    the    Greek    8a.ip.wv. 

fJLtya  tn}/xa  /cat  eVveaveipa  Kopwvr)  \  The   phrases  gcnio  indiilgere,  ge- 

vvKTfpov   deiSowra.  —  annosa  cor-  nium  placare.  etc.,  are  common. 

nix:  the  crow  lives  nine  times  as  Wine  was  the  regular  offering  to 

long  as  man  according  to  Hesiod  the  Genius  as  a   pig  was  to   the 

Frg.     193    (.vv'ia.   TOI  £to«   yevea?  Lares.  —  bimenstri:    the   earliest 

Aoxepv£a    Koptavr]  \  dvSpwv   yfltov-  age  at  which  the  animal  might  be 

To)v,   and  cf.   the   quotation  from  sacrificed.  —  operum:  for  the  con- 

Aratus  above.  struction,  cf.  2,  9,  17  and  n. 

18 

A  hymn  to  Faunus  as  protector  of  the  flocks  and  herds.  The  occa- 
sion, as  the  tenth  verse  shows,  was  not  the  great  city  festival  of  the 
Lupercalia  on  February  15,  but  the  country  celebration  which  fell  on 
the  5th  of  December.  The  first  two  strophes  contain  the  prayer  for 
the  god's  favor;  the  remaining  two  describe  the  holiday.  Metre,  69. 

Faune,  nympharum  fugientum  amator, 
per  meos  finis  et  aprica  rura 

i.  The  character  of  the  Greek  n.  —  fugientum  amator  :  juxta- 
Fan  is  given  to  his  Italian  coun-  posed  in  playful  irony  —  '  they  flee 
terpart,  Faunus.  Cf.  I,  17,  2  and  for  all  thy  love.1 

290 


C ARM  IX A 


[3.  18, 


10 


lenis  incedas,  abeasque  parvis 
aequus  alumms, 

si  tener  pleno  cadit  hacdus  anno, 
larga  nee  desunt  Veneris  sodali 
vina  craterae,  vetus  ara  multo 
fumat  odore. 

Ludit  herboso  pecus  omne  campo, 
cum  tibi  nonae  redeunt  Decembres ; 
festus  in  pratis  vacat  otioso  t 
cum  bove  pagus; 

inter  audacis  lupus  errat  agnos, 
spargit  agrestis  tibi  silva  frondis, 
gaudet  invisam  pepulisse  fossor 
ter  pede  terram. 


3  f.  Notice  the  chiastic  order. 
— incedas  abeasque :  not  of  a 
single  occasion,  but  'in  thy  re- 
visitings.'  —  aequus  :  in  kindli- 
ness.—  alumnis:  the  young  of  herd 
and  flock  ;  cf.  3, 23,  7  dukes  alumni 
(lion  sentient)  grave  tempus. 

5  ff.  si  tener,  etc. :  the  condi- 
tions on  which  the  poet  hopes  for 
the  god's  favor.  —  pleno  anno  :  ab- 
lative of  time,  at  the  year's  comple- 
tion. —  cadit :  i.e.  as  victim ;  sc.  tibi. 
—  Veneris  sodali  .  .  .  craterae : 
Love  and  Wine  are  boon  compan- 
ions. Cf.  the  proverb  'A^pooYrr; 
Kai  Aidvwos  /J.€T  a\Xr)\wv  curt.  — 
vina:  for  the  plural,  cf.  i,  2,  15  f. 
—  vetus  ara.  etc. :  asyndeton. 

9  ff.  herboso  .  .  .  campo :  in 
the  Italian  climate  the  fields  are 
green  in  December. — tibi:  dative 
of  reference,  thy .  —  festus  :  cor- 


responding in  emphasis  to  ludit 
above. — otioso:  free  from  work 
(for  the  day) .  —  pagus  :  the  coun- 
try side.  '  Man  and  beast  alike 
share  in  the  holiday.' 

13.  audacis :  grown  bold,  for 
Faunus  protects  the  sheep  against 
the  wolves.  Cf.  Prud.  Cath.  3, 
158  f.  impavidas  lupus -inter  oves 
tristis  obambulat.  —  spargit,  etc. : 
in  the  poet's  imagination  the  wood 
joins  in  honoring  the  god ;  cf. 
Verg.  E.  5.  40  spargite  humum 
foliis  (i.e.  in  honor  of  Daphnis). 

15  f.  invisam  .  .  .  terram : 
hated  as  the  source  of  all  his  toil. 
—  pepulisse,  etc.  :  i.e.  in  the  dance, 
the  tripudium.  With  the  ex- 
pression, cf.  Ovid  Fast.  6,  330  et 
viridem  celeri  ter  pede  pulsat  hu- 
mum. —  fossor  :  i.e.  the  common 
peasant. 


291 


j,  19,  I]  HORATI 


'9 

*  You  prate  of  ancient  genealogies  and  wars,  but  never  a  word  do  you 
say  on  the  real  questions  of  the  moment  —  how  much  we  shall  pay  for  a 
jar  of  wine,  how,  where,  and  when  we  shall  drink.  Come,  a  toast  to 
the  Moon,  to  the  Night,  to  otn  friend  Murena,  the  augur.  The  wine 
shall  be  mixed  as  your  tastes  demand ;  give  music,  scatter  flowers,  and 
let  old  Lycus  hear  our  din  and  envy  our  light  loves.1 

Horace  thus  dramatically  portrays  a  company  which  has  fallen  into 
serious  conversation  on  mythological  subjects,  and  forgotten  the  pur- 
pose of  the  gathering.  In  the  first  two  strophes  he  recalls  his  compan- 
ions from  their  soberer  talk  ;  then  suddenly  assuming  the  character  of 
magister  bibendi,  he  names  the  toasts,  the  strength  of  the  wine  that 
shall  be  used,  and  calls  for  flowers  and  music.  The  occasion  for  the 
ode  may  have  been  a  symposium  in  Murena's  honor  (v.  iof.),  but  it  is 
more  likely  that  the  poet's  imagination  gave  the  impulse  for  the  lines. 
They  should  be  compared  with  C.  I,  27.  The  date  of  composition 
cannot  be  determined.  Metre,  71. 

Quantum  distet  ab  Inacho 

Codrus,  pro  patria  non  timidus  mori, 
narras  et  genus  Aeaci 

iff.  Such  remote  mythological  mater Hec ubae ' /  ' quod Achilli no- 

questions  were  no  doubt  frequently  men  inter  virgines  /tassel"*  ?  '•quid 

discussed   by  litterateurs  in  Hor-  Sirenes  cantare  sint  solitae"1  f  — 

ace's  day,  as  they  were  later.     luv.  distet:  in  point  of  time. — Inacho: 

7.  233  ff.  gives  the  kind  of  question  the  first  mythological  king  of  Ar- 

the  poor  schoolmaster  must  be  pre-  gos.     Cf.  2.  3,  21. — Codrus:  the 

pared  to  answer  off-hand — dicat  \  last  king  of  Athens ;  he  provoked 

ntitricem  Anchisae,  nomcn  patri-  his  own  death  because  of  an  oracle 

unique  novercae  \  Anchemoli,  dical  that  the  enemy  would  defeat  the 

qnot  Acestes  vixerit  annis,  etc.    Cf.  Athenians  if  they  spared  the  life 

Mayor's  note.  Tiberius  was  fond  of  of  the  Athenian  king.  —  mori:  for 

proposing  similar  questions  :  Suet.  this  construction,  see  Intr.  108. 
Tib.  70  inaxime  tamen  curavit  no-  3f.  narras:   you   babble,   collo- 

titiam   historiae  fabularis,   usque  quial.  —  genus    Aeaci:    Telamon 

ad  ineptias  atque  derisuw.     Nam  and  Peleus,  with  their  descendants, 

et  grammalicHs  .  .' .  eins  modi  fere  Ajax,  Teucer.  Achilles,  and  Neop- 

quaestionibus  experiebatur:  '  quae  tolemus,  all  of  whom  engaged  in 

292 


<  AKMINA 


[3.  »9.  14 


et  pugnata  sacro  bella  sub  I  Ho : 
quo  Chium  pretio  cadum 

mercemur,  quis  aquam  temperet  ignibus, 
quo  praebente  domum  et  quota 

Paelignis  caream  frigoribus,  taces. 
Da  lunae  propere  novae, 

da  noctis  mediae,  da,  puer,  auguris 
Murenae.     Tribus  aut  novem 

miscentur  cyathis  pocula  commodis. 
Qui  Musas  amat  imparis, 

ternos  ter  cyathos  attonitus  petet 


the  war  against  Troy.  —  pugnata . . . 
bella :  cf.  4,  9,  19  pitgnavit  proelia ; 
Epist.  i,  1 6,  25  bella  tibi  terra  pug- 
natatnariquc. — sacro  .  .  .  sub  Ilio: 
the  Homeric  lAio?  Iprj.  Neuter 
here  as  i,  10,  14. 

5  ff.  The  really  important  ques- 
tions of  the  moment.  The  carouse 
is  a  <rvfj./3o\.-rj,  one  to  which  each 
participant  makes  a  contribution. 
—  Chium  :  the  Chian  was  a  choice 
wine.  —  quis  aquam,  etc.:  to  mix 
with  the  wine,  for  the  evening  is 
chill. — quo  praebente,  etc. :  cf.  S. 
i,  5,  38  >1fnrena  praebente  domum, 
Capitone  culinant.  —  quota :  sc. 
hora.  —  Paelignis  .  .  .  f rigoribus  : 
cold  like  that  atnong,  etc. — taces  : 
never  a  word  do  you  say. 

9  ff .  Three  toasts.  —  da :  sc.  cya- 
thos.  —  lunae . . .  novae :  the  Roman 
month  was  originally  lunar,  so  that 
this  is  equivalent  to  a  toast  to  the 
New  Month,  as  we  drink  a  health 
to  the  New  Year.  With  the  geni- 
tives lunae.  noctis,  Murenae  giving 
the  subjects  of  the  toasts,  cf.  3,  8. 


13.  So  in  Greek,  e.g.  Marcus  Ar- 
gent. Anth.  Pal.  5,  109,  i  f.  f.y\u 
oV»cu,  TT}S  $f  iro- 
era  /*<*.,  \a.Tpi, 
St'Sov  KvaQw.  Theoc.  14.  18  f.  ISof ' 
tTTtxeurftu  aKparov  \  w  TIVOS  T/$eA' 
cKturro?,  '  We  decided  thai  each 
should  toast  whom  he  wished  in 
unmixed  wine.' 

—  noctis  mediae:  the  carouse 
shall  last  until  morning. 

n f.  Murenae:  apparently  the 
Licinius  Murena  of  2,  10;  but  we 
do  not  know  from  any  other  source 
that  he  was  ever  augur. — tribus 
aut  novem,  etc. :  the  sextarius  was 
divided  into  twelve  cyathi.  Here 
the  wine  is  to  be  mixed  either  three 
parts  wine  to  nine  parts  water  for 
the  weaker  brethren,  or  nine  parts 
wine  to  three  parts  water  for  the 
stronger  heads^  —  commodis:  to 
suit  the  taste.  Cf.  4, 8,  i  commodus 
and  n. 

13 ff.  'The  devotee  of  the  nine 
Muses  will  choose  the  stronger 
mixture ;  those  who  honor  the 


3.  19,  '5]  HORATI 

15  vates ;  tris  prohibet  supra 

rixarum  metuens  tangere  Gratia 
nudis  iuncta  sororibus. 

Insanire  iuvat:  cur  Berecyntiae 
cessant  flamina  tibiae  ? 

20  Cur  pendet  tacita  fistula  cum  lyra  ? 

Parcentis  ego  dexteras 

odi :  sparge  rosas ;  audiat  invidus 
dementem  strepitum  Lycus 

et  vicina  seni  non  habilis  Lyco. 
25  Spissa  te  nitidum  coma, 

puro  te  similem,  Telephe,  Vespero 
tempestiva  petit  Rhode ; 

me  lentus  Glycerae  torret  amor  meae. 


modest  Graces,  the  weaker.'  —  at- 
tonitus :  inspired,  with  a  double 
meaning — by  the  Muses  and  the 
wine.  —  tris ...  supra :  for  the  order, 
see  Intr.  33. 

i6f.  rixarum :  objective  genitive 
with  metuens,  as  3,  24,  22  metuens 
alterius  viri.  —  Gratia  .  .  .  iuncta : 
cf.  i ,  4, 6  iunctaeque  Nymphis  Gra- 
tiae  dfcentes.  —  nudis :  so  repre- 
sented in  Hellenistic  and  Roman 
art.  Cf.  n.  to  i.  4.  7. 

i8ff.  insanire:  to  revel,  bacchari. 
Cf.  the  Anacreontic  0«A<o,  OtXta 
Ijunvfjvai.  —  Berecyntiae  .  .  .  tibiae: 
Mt.  Berecyntus  in  Phrygia  was  the 
center  of  the  wild  orgiastic  worship 
of  the  Great  Mother.  —  pendet :  i.e. 
on  the  wall  unused. 

21  ff.  parcentis:  ni^artt;  bear- 
ing the  em phasis.  —  rosas:  here 
symbolical  of  luxury,  for  the  season 


is  winter  (cf.  v.  8),  and  the  roses 
are  to  be  scattered  (sparge)  with  a 
generous  hand.  Cf.  i,  36,  15.  — 
audiat  invidus  :  parallel  —  hear  and 
envy.  —  Lycus  .  .  .  Lyco:  scornful 
repetition,  as  I,  13,  i  f.  —  non  habi- 
lis: not  suited  (in  years)  as  tem- 
pestiva (v.  27)  shows. 

25  f.  spissa:  thick,  marking  the 
contrast  between  young  Telephus 
and  old  Lycus.  —  te  .  .  .  te  :  parallel 
to  Lycus  .  .  .  Lyco.  —  nitidum  :  sleek 
and  spruce.  —  similem  .  .  .Vespero  : 
the  comparison  is  as  old  as  Homer. 
Cf.  //.  22,  31  7  f.  oio?  8'  aor»7|0  e?ai 


os  KaAAto"ro«  fv  ovpavia 
UTTUTUI  cio-n/p  .  A  I  so,  C.  3,  9.  2  1  .  — 
tempestiva:  cf.  1.23,  12.  —  lentus: 
cf.  i,  13,  8.  —  Glycerae:  the  same 
love  i,  19,  5  ;  30.  3.  Cf.  i,  33,2.— 
torret:  cf.  i,  33,  6. 


294 


CARMINA  [3,  20,  10 

20 

A  warning  to  Pyrrhus,  who  attempts  to  steal  the  boy  Nearchus  from 
a  girl  who  also  loves  him.  ;  She  will  fight  like  a  lioness  whose  cubs  are 
stolen ;  but  the  boy  looks  on  unconcerned,  as  beautiful  as  Nereus  or 
Ganymedes.1 

The  verses  are  evidently  a  study  from  the  Greek.     Metre,  69. 

Non  vides  quanto  moveas  periclo, 
Pyrrhe,  Gaetulae  catulos  leaenae  ? 
Dura  post  paulo  fugies  inaudax 
proelia  raptor, 

5  cum  per  obstantis  iuvenum  catervas 

ibit  insignem  repetens  Nearchum  : 
grande  certamen,  tibi  praeda  cedat, 
maior  an  ilia. 

Interim,  dum  tu  celeres  sagittas 
10  promis,  haec  dentis  acuit  timendos, 

i  S.  moveas  :  disturb. — Gaetulae  and  after  v.  10  the  figure  is  entirely 

.  .  .  leaenae :  a  similar  comparison  dropped.     For  a  similar  confusion 

1,23,  10.  —  post  paulo:   in  prose,  in  comparisons,  cf.  i.  15,  29  ff.  — 

ordinarily,  paulo  post. — inaudax:  insignem:  distinguished  among  all 

a   compound   coined    by    Horace.  the  rest. peerless  (Smith).     Cf.  i, 

apparently  to  reproduce  the  Greek  33,  5. 
droA./Aos.  7  f .  grande  certamen :  defined  by 

5ff.  per  obstantis,  etc. :  the  con-  the   alternatives  which    follow.— 

ception  is   Homeric.      Cf.   //.   1 8,  cedat :  fall.  —  maior :  superior,  vic- 

3i8ff.     The  phrase  represents  the  torious.  —  ilia:  sc.  sit. 
0at\.epoi  al^rjoL  of  Homer;  here  it  loff.  dentis  acuit :  Homeric;  cf. 

means  the  friends  and  supporters  //.   n,  416;    13,  474  of  the  wild 

of  Pyrrhus.     The  girl,  enraged  by  boar.  —  arbiter  pugnae:  the  boy  is 

the  fear  of  losing  Nearchus,  will  not  only  the  prize  of  the  contest, 

rush  like  a  lioness  through  all  op-  but  is  also  its  judge,  since  he  may 

position.     The  introduction  of  the  choose   which    he   will    follow. — 

name  Nearchus  disturbs  the  meta-  posuisse  palmam  :  quite  indifferent 

phor  with  which  the  ode  begins.  as  to  the  outcome,  Nearchus  places 

295 


3,20,11]  HORATI 

arbiter  pugnae  posuisse  nudo 
sub  pede  pal  mam 

fertur  et  leni  recreare  vento 
sparsum  odoratis  umerum  capillis, 
15  quails  aut  Nireus  fuit  aut  aquosa 

raptus  ab  Ida. 

his  foot  on  the  emblem  of  victory.      after  Achilles,  //.  2,  673  f.  Nipeus,  os 

—  nudo :  added  simply  to  help  out      KaAAwrros  avrjp  VTTO  "IXtov  rj\6t  \ 
the  picture.  TWV  aAAwv  Aavaaiv  /ACT*   d/tu/Aova 

13 ff.  fertur:    'you  will   hardly  Hrjktitava.     Cf.  Epod.  15,  22,for- 

believe  it,  but  this  is  the  story.'  maque  vincas  Nirea  (licebit). — 

Cf.  3,  5,  41  for  a  similar  use  of  the  aquosa :  from  its  many  springs;  the 

verb.- — sparsum  odoratis,  etc. :  cf.  Homeric *l8r) 7roA.u7ri8u£.  —  raptus: 

Ovid  Fasti.   2,  309  ibat  odoratis  Ganymedes ;  cf.  Verg.  A.  5,  254  f. 

macros  perfnsa  capillis  \  Maeonis.  quern  praepes  ab  Ida  \  sitbliinen 

—  Nireus :  the  fairest  of  the  Greeks  pedibus  rapnit  lovis  armiger  uncis. 


21 

An  address  to  ajar  of  wine,  which  Horace  will  broach  in  honor  of 
his  friend  Corvinus. 

Marcus  Valerius  Messala  Corvinus  was  a  student  in  Athens  with 
Horace,  and  like  him  served  in  Brutus'  army  in  42  B.C.  :  later  he  took 
part  in  the  struggle  against  Antony.  He  was  consul  in  31  B.C..  and  in 
27  B.C.  enjoyed  a  triumph  over  the  Aquitanians.  After  this  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  practice  of  law  and  the  pursuit  and  patronage  of  litera- 
ture. His  eloquence  is  praised  by  Cicero  {ad  Brut.  I,  15,  i);  Quin- 
tilian  (10.  I,  113)  compared  his  oratory  with  that  of  Asinus  Pollio. 
Messala's  great  wealth  and  high  social  position  made  it  possible  for  him 
to  gather  about  him  a  literary  circle  second  only  to  that  of  Maecenas. 
Tibullus  was  the  most  distinguished  of  this  company,  and  has  left  many 
references  in  his  verses  to  his  patron. 

The  ode  is  dramatically  conceived :  the  poet  stands  before  the  jars 
stored  in  his  apotheca  and  bids  one  contemporary  with  himself  come 
down  and  yield  up  its  store,  whether  it  contain  sport  or  contention. 
As  the  gossip  of  tradition  credits  Messala  with  being  a  connoisseur  of 
wines,  w.  7-10  possibly  refer  to  his  ability.  The  date  of  composition 

296 


CARMINA 


[3. 


may  safely  be   put  after  27  B.C.,  so  that  Horace  and  his  wine  were 
close  to  forty  years.     Metre,  68. 

O  nata  mecum  consule  Manlio, 
sen  tu  querellas  sive  geris  iocos 
seu  rixam  et  insanos  amores 
seu  facilem,  pia  testa,  somnum, 

5  quocumque  lectum  nomine  Massicum 

servas,  mover!  digna  bono  die, 
descende,  Corvino  iubente 
promere  languidiora  vina. 

Non  ille,  quamquam  Socraticis  madet 
10  sermonibus,  te  negleget  horridus : 

narratur  et  prisci  Catonis 
saepe  mero  caluisse  virtus. 


i  ff.  L.  Manlius  Torquatus  was 
consul  in  65  B.C.  Cf.  Epod.  13, 6  tu 
vina  Torquato  move  consule  pressa 
meo.  Evenus  addressed  a  meas- 
ure of  wine  in  similar  fashion, 
Anth.  Pal.  II,  49  BaK^ou  /j.1- 
rpov  aptcTTOv,  b  fir)  TTO\V  fj.rjr 
eXa^ttrrov  •  |  CCTTI  yap  rj  \v7rr)S 
airtos  77  fjuivirjs  |  .  .  .  et  oc  TroAns 
•jrvewreuv,  a.iri<TTpa.TrTai  fJJkv  epwras.  | 
paTTTt^fi  8'  VTTVW  yetVovt  TO!  9a.va.Tov. 

3  f.  seu  rixam.  etc.:  cf.  I,  13. 
ii  f .  :  17,  22  ff. — facilem  som- 
num: cf.  2,  n,  8;  3,  I,  20  f . : 
Epod.  2,  28. — pia:  the  amphora 
(testa)  has  been  faithful  to  its 
charge. 

5  ff.  quocumque  .  .  .  nomine  :  a 
bookkeeping  expression,  on  what- 
ever account.  —  lectum  :  vintage. 
—  mover! :  i.e.  from  its  place  in  the 
apotheca ;  cf.  Epod.  13.  6  quoted 


above.  For  the  infinitive,  see 
Intr.  1 08.  —  bono  die:  *a  ''red 
letter"  day  such  as  this  in  honor 
of  Corvinus.1 — descende  :  the 
apotheca  was  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  house.  See  n.  to  3,  8,  11.— 
promere  :  to  broach.  —  languidiora : 
mellmuer ;  cf.  3,  16,  35  languescit. 

9  f .  non  ille  :  emphatic  as  non 
ego  i,  1 8.  ii. —  Socraticis  .  .  . 
sermonibus :  the  arguments  of  the 
Socratic  school.  —  madet  :  is 
steeped ;  used  as  by  us  in  a  double 
sense.  Cf.  Mart.  6,  441  f.  credis  te 
.  .  .  solum  multo  permaduisse  sale 
(wit) .  —  horridus  :  rude,  boorish. 

ii  f.  prisci  Catonis  .  .  .  vir- 
tus :  honest  old  Cato.  With  the 
expression,  cf.  i,  3,  36  Herculeus 
labor,  and  luv.  4,  81  Crispi  iu- 
cunda  senectns,  'cheery  old  Cris- 
pus.'  —  saepe  mero,  etc. :  Cicero 


297 


3.  2i,  13] 


HORATI 


Tu  lene  tormentum  ingenio  admoves 
plerumque  duro  ;  tu  sapientium 
15  curas  et  arcanum  iocoso 

consilium  retegis  Lyaeo; 

tu  spem  reducis  rhentibus  anxiis 
virisque  et  addis  cornua  pauperi, 

post  te  neque  iratos  trementi 
20  regum  apices  neque  militum  arma. 


in  his  essay  de  Senectute  makes 
old  Cato  say  that  he  is  fond  of 
modica  convivia  ;  cf.  also  Sen.  de 
Tranq.  Aniiiri  1  7,  4  Cato  vino  laxa- 
bat  animum  curis  publicis  fatiga- 
titm. 

13  ff.  For  similar  praise  of 
wine,  see  I,  18,  36°.;  4,  12,  19  f. 
(cadits)  spes  donare  novas  largus 
ainaraque  \  curarum  eluere  effi- 
cax.  Also  Bacchyl.  Frg.  20  Bl. 
(OTUV)  yAvica'  dvayKO.  |  (revop.tva.v 


8' 

yw/xeva    AIOVIKTIOKTI    rtiu  juts. 

8pacn  8'  ui/forarto  rre/iTret 

|     aVTlKO.       fJifV       TToAlW       Kp(i&f.fJLl'a 

Avci,  |  iratri    8'    avBpu>Troi<i   p.ova.p- 
ia   8'  f\e<J»a.vTt 
Trvpo<f»6poi 


8e  /CUT'   cuyAaei'Ttt    (TTOVTOV)  |  vacs 
O.TT 


cos  TTIVOKTO;  op/uuvu  Kfap. 
'  When  sweet  constraint  warms 
the  soul  as  the  cups  hurry 
round,  and  Cypris'  hope  commin- 
gled with  the  gifts  of  Dionysus 
rushes  through  the  heart,  men's 
thoughts  are  raised  most  high. 
This  straightway  breaks  down 


the  battlements  of  cities,  and  seems 
sole  lord  of  all ;  with  gold  and 
ivory  gleam  the  houses  ;  the  grain 
ships  bring  greatest  riches  from 
Egypt  over  the  glimmering  sea. 
So  is  the  heart  moved  of  the  man 
who  drinks.' 

—  tu  .  .  .  tu  .  .  .  tu :  resum- 
ing the  address  to  the  jar  and 
serving  as  connectives.  —  tor- 
mentum :  spur.  —  plerumque  :  cf. 
I,  34,  7  and  n.  —  curas:  serious 
thoughts.  —  et  arcanum,  etc. :  cf. 
Vitalis  Anth.  Lot.  633,  6  R.  arca- 
num detnens  detegit  ebrietas. — 
Lyaeo :  the  releaser ;  cf .  i ,  7,  22 
and  n. 

1 8  f.  virisque  :  object  of  addis. 
For  the  position,  see  Intr.  31. 
Cf.  Ovid  A.  A.  i,  239  lunc  (i.e. 
post  vino)  veniunt  rtsus,  tmn 
Pauper  cornua  suttiit,  \  tuin  dolor 
et  curaerugaque  frontis  abit.  On 
cornua  as  the  symbols  of  power, 
cf.  n.  to  2,  19,  30;  Ovid  Am.  3, 
n,  6  venerunt  capiti  cornua  sera 
meo,  and  I  Saw.  2,  I  '  Mine  horn 
is  exalted  in  the  Lord.1 

19  f.  post  te :  cf.    i,    18,    5. — 
iratos  apices :    for  the  transferred 


298 


CARMINA 


[3.  22,  6 


Te  Liber  et,  si  laeta  aderit,  Venus 

segnesque  nodum  solvere  Gratiae 

vivaeque  producent  lucernae 

dum  rediens  fugat  astra  Phoebus. 


adjective,  see  Intr.  99.  —  apices: 
see  n.  to  i,  34,  14.  —  trementi : 
transitive  here. 

21  ff.  Love  and  wine  are  com- 
panions, cf.  3,  1 8,  6  f.  —  nodum  : 
of  intertwined  arms  ;  cf.  3,  19,  16  f. 
—  solvere  :  with  segues.  —  Gra- 
tiae :  to  the  pleasures  of  wine  and 


love  the  Graces  add  the  charm  of 
wit  and  courteous  society.  — vivae  : 
cf.  3,  8,  14  "vigiles  Iticernae.  — pro- 
ducent: carry  on,  prolong;  cf.  S. 
!>  5>  7°  pr or  sits  iucunde  cenain 
producinius  tllam.  Mart.  2,  89 
nimio  gaudes  noctetn  proditcere 
•vino. 


22 

A  hymn  dedicating  to  Diana  of  the  woods,  a  pine  tree  that  rises  above 
the  poet's  country  house.     Metre,  69. 

Montium  custos  nemorumque  virgo, 
quae  laborantis  utcro  puellas 
ter  vocata  audis  adimisque  leto, 
diva  triformis, 

5  imminens  villae  tua  pinus  esto, 

quam  per  exactos  ego  laetus  annos 


i  ff.  This  strophe  is  very  similar 
to  Catull.  34,  gff.  inontiitm  doinina 
tit  fores  |  silvarumque  vircntium  \ 
saltnumqtte  reconditoruin  \  ainni- 
11  tuque  sonantiim.  \  Tu  Lucina  do- 
lentibus  \  luno  dicta  puerperis,  \ 
tu  potens  Trivia  et  not  ho  es  \  dicta 
In  mine  Luna.  —  custos:  cf.  Verg. 
A.  9,  405  nenionun  Latonia  custos. 
On  Diana  Nemorensis,  cf.  1.21.6 
and  n. 

2 if.  quae.  etc.:  as  the  goddess 
of  child-birth,  Ilithvia.  Cf.  C.  X. 


i3ff.  —  puellas:  used  of  young  mar- 
ried women.  Cf.  Ovid  Am.  2,  13, 
1 9  tuque  labor  antes  utero  miser  at  a 
puellas.  —  ter :  the  sacred  number ; 
cf.  i,  28,  36. — triformis :  Luna,  Di- 
ana, and  Hecate.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  4, 
5 1 1  tergeminamque  Hecaten,  tria 
I'irginis  ora  Dianae. 

5ff.  The  Italian  pine  grows  to  a 
large  size ;  its  lower  trunk  is  free 
from  branches,  but  above  it  spreads 
into  a  broad  'umbrella'1  head. — 
quam  .  .  .  donem  :  that  I  may.  defin- 


3.  22,  7] 


1IORATI 


verris  obliquum  meditantis  ictum 
sanguine  donem. 


i  n »  t  he  purpose  of  the  dedication.  — 
per  exactos  .  .  .  annos :  as  the  years 
close.  Cf .  3, 1 8,  5 .  —  laetus :  rejoic- 
ing (in  the  service),  corresponding 
to  the  libens  nterito  of  inscriptions. 
—  verris  obliquum,  etc.:  the  regu- 
lar stroke  of  the  boar,  due  to  the 


way  his  tusks  grow.  Cf.  Od.  19, 
45 1  At/cpi^is  dt£as,  of  the  wild  boar 
that  wounded  Odysseus.  Also 
Ovid.  Her.  4,  104  obliquo  dente 
timendiis  aper.  The  description 
of  the  victim  fixes  his  age,  as  also 
in  3,  13,  4  f. 


23 

'Thy  small  but  faithful  offerings,  Phidyle,  will  save  thy  crops  and 
flocks ;  thou  needest  not  be  anxious  that  thou  hast  no  great  victim. 
Pure  hands,  a  little  salt  and  meal,  is  all  thy  guardian  gods  require.1 

Thus  Horace  reassures  a  country  housewife,  and  shows  that,  for  all 
his  lack  of  faith  in  the  state  religion,  he  was  not  without  sympathy  with 
the  beliefs  of  the  common  folk.  Read  Lang,  Letters  to  Dead  Authors, 
p.  210;  Sellar,  p.  i62f.  Metre,  68. 

Caelo  supinas  si  tuleris  manus 
nascente  luna,  rustica  Phidyle, 
si  ture  placaris  et  horna 

fruge  Laris  avidaque  porca, 

5  nee  pestilentem  sentiet  Africum 

fecunda  vitis  nee  sterilem  seges 


if.  caelo :  dative,  Intr.  88.— 
supinas :  with  palms  upturned  (VTT- 
Tio,-),  the  regular  attitude  of  prayer. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  3,  \j6f.  temloqiie  su- 
/iiiuis  ad  caelitm  cum  twee  inamis. 

nascente  luna:  on  the  first  day 
of  the  month,  the  Kalends.  Cf.  3, 
\()  9  and  n.  On  this  da\  sacrifice 
w.is  regularly  made  to  the  house- 
hold gods.  — Phidyle:  <l>u8uAi/,the 


'Sparer1  (<f>el8ofjuu),  well  chosen 
to  suit  the  subject  of  the  ode. 
—  horna :  i.e.  with  the  first  fruits  of 
the  harvest. — porca:  cf.  3,  17,  15, 
and  n. 

5  ff.  pestilentem  .  .  .  Africum : 
the  Sirocco,  whose  parching  heat 
burned  up  the  grapes.  —  fecunda: 
Ing-clustered,  sterilem :  active  as 
palma  twbilis  i.  i,  5. — robiginem  : 


300 


CARM1NA 


23. 


robiginem  aut  dukes  alumni 
pomifero  grave  tempus  anno. 

Nam  quac  nivali  pascitur  Algido 
devota  quercus  inter  et  ilices 
aut  crescit  Albanis  in  herbis 
victima  pontificum  securis 

cervice  tinguet:  te  nihil  attinet 
temptare  multa  caede  bidentium 
parvos  coronantem  marino 
rore  deos  fragilique  myrto. 


the  rust  which  injured  the  grain  in 
a  wet  spring.  The  festival  to  the 
divinity  Robigo  fell  on  April  25. — 
alumni :  as  3,  18,  4. —  pomifero . . . 
anno :  a  similar  circumlocution 
Epod.  2, 29  annushibernus. — grave 
tempus :  cf.  Livy  3,  6  grave  tempus 
et ...  annas  pestilens.  The  careful 
arrangement  of  this  second  strophe 
should  be  noted :  each  of  the  three 
subjects,  vitis,  seges,  alumni,  has 
a  position  different  from  the  other 
two  with  reference  to  its  object. 

9  ff .  nam  quae,  etc. :  Mt.  Algfdus, 
a  ridge  of  the  Alban  hills,  belonged 
to  the  pontifices,  and  was  used  by 
them  as  pasturage  for  their  in- 
tended victims  (devotae  victimae). 
Cf.  n.  to  I,  21,  6.  —  inter:  for  the 
position,  see  Intr.  32.  —  Albanis 
in  herbis:  a  part  of  the  ancient 
Alban  territory  which  tradition 
said  (Dionys.  Hal.  3,  29)  King 
Numa  assigned  to  the  pontifices. 

13 ff.  tinguet:  concessive,  may 
stain ;  cf.  1,7,1  laudabunt  alii, 


etc. — te  nihil  attinet,  etc.:  'the 
great  and  powerful  may  offer  rich 
sacrifice,  but  for  thee  there  is  no 
need,'  etc.  With  this  emphatic 
contrast,  cf.  e.g.  i,  7,  10. — temp- 
tare  :  to  beset,  importune ;  its  object 
is  deos,  which  also  serves  as  object 
of  coronantem.  —  bidentium:  i.e.  of 
the  age  when  they  might  be  sacri- 
ficed. The  meaning  of  the  tech- 
nical term  bidens  was  uncertain  in 
antiquity ;  in  one  place  the  epitome 
of  Festus  (p.  4)  says  that  it  means 
sheep  with  both  rows  of  teeth,  in 
another  (p.  33)  it  offers  the  com- 
moner explanation  which  refers  it 
to  the  two  prominent  teeth  in  the 
sheep's  lower  jaw  which  replace 
the  milk  teeth.  Translate,  full- 
grown. — parvos:  intentionally  con- 
trasted with  multa  caede.  thus  sug- 
gesting the  folly  of  great  sacrifice 
to  the  little  images  of  the  household 
gods  kept  by  the  hearth. — coro- 
nantem: on  the  Kalends,  Nones, 
and  Ides  of  each  month  and  at 


301 


3»  23. 


HORATt 


Immunis  aram  si  tetigit  manus, 
non  sumptuosa  blandior  hostia, 
mollivit  aversos  Penatis 
farre  pio  et  saliente  mica. 


other  special  festivals  honor  was 
paid  to  the  Lares.  So  Cato  de  Agr. 
143  directs  (vilica)  kalendis  idibus 
nonis,  festits  dies  cum  erit,  coro- 
nain  infocum  indat,per  eosdenique 
dies  Lari  familiari  pro  copia  sup- 
plicet.  —  marine  rore  :  the  aromatic 
rosemary  used  by  those  who  could 
not  afford  the  costly  imported  in- 
cense. —  frag  ill :  brittle. 

17  f.  immunis  :  here  innocent ', 
guiltless;  elsewhere  in  Horace  it 
means  '  without  bringing  a  gift,' 
4,  12,  23;  Epist.  I,  14,  33.  In 
this  passage,  however,  the  point 
which  Horace  wishes  to  empha- 
size is  the  acceptability  of  inno- 
cence over  great  offerings,  so  that 
immunis  is  used  absolutely  in  the 
sense  of  immunis  sceleris.  The 
idea  is  commonplace.  Cf.  Eurip. 
Frg.  327  *y***  &*  TroAAaKis  <ro<f>wTe- 
povs  I  TrtVi/ras  avSpas  £iox>pu>  TWJ/ 
irAowtW,  |  KCU  (TOVS)  #£ 
Ovovras  Tt\r)  |  Ttiiv 
wras  ewrt/SeoTt'povs.  '  1  ofttimes 
see  poor  men  are  wiser  than 
the  rich,  and  they  who  make  small 
offerings  to  the  gods  more  pious 


than  men  who  sacrifice  great  vic- 
tims : '  also  Frg.  946  ev  Ivff,  orav 
TIS  ivatfitav  6vy  0«ois,  |  KU.V  [uxpa 
Qvg,  Tvy\aiV(.i  (T<i>Tr)pia.<;.  '  Be  sure 
that  when  a  pious  man  makes 
offering  to  the  gods,  even  though 
his  offering  be  small,  he  gains 
their  saving  aid.' 

—  non  sumptuosa,  etc.  :  the 
verse  somewhat  awkwardly  adds  a 
new  idea  to  the  preceding  state- 
ment —  (thy  hand)  not  made  the 
more  persuasive  by  any  costly  vic- 
tim. 

19  f.  mollivit:  the  gnomic  per- 
fect in  conclusion  —  it  has  (and 
always  will),  etc.  —  aversos:  not 
'  hostile,'  but  disinclined,  indiffer- 
ent ;  cf.  Epod.  10,  1 8. — Penatis: 
not  distinguished  from  the  Lares. 
—  farre  pio,  etc.  :  a  circumlocu- 
tion for  the  nwla  salsa,  the  sacri- 
ficial cake,  made  of  spelt  and  salt. 
The  phrase  is  used  by  Tibullus  3, 
4,  10  fat  re  pio  placant  et  saliente 
sale :  also  by  Ovid  Fast.  4,  409  f. 
farra  deae  micaeque  licet  salientis 
honor  em  detis.  —  saliente :  i.e. 
when  the  salt  was  thrown  on  the  fire. 


24 

'  Not  all  the  wealth  of  the  Orient  nor  villas  by  the  sea  shall  set  thee 
free  from  fear  of  death.  The  nomad  Scythians  live  better  far,  for 
among  them  virtue  and  chastity  have  their  true  place :  there  the  price 

302 


CARMINA  [3,  24,  5 

of  sin  is  death  (1-24).  He  who  will  be  known  as  father  of  the  state, 
must  check  the  current  license,  trusting  to  posterity  for  his  reward 
(25-32).  Our  sin  must  be  cut  out,  laws  without  the  support  of  charac- 
ter are  vain.  The  source  of  our  sin  is  greed  for  gain,  so  that  neither 
torrid  heat  nor  northern  cold  check  the  eager  trader ;  for  gold  men  do 
and  suffer  all.  Poverty  alone  is  great  disgrace.  Then  let  us  dedicate 
^to  Jove  or  cast  into  the  sea  our  gems  and  gold  if  we  are  really  penitent 
(33-50) •  Present  luxury  is  too  great.  Our  boys  must  be  trained  in  a 
sterner  school.  To-day  no  freeborn  youth  can  ride  his  horse ;  yet  he 
is  well  skilled  in  weaker  sports  and  dice.  Honor  and  fidelity  are  gone. 
Riches  will  still  grow  to  harm,  but  never  satisfy  (51-64).' 

This  moralizing  on  riches  as  the  source  of  evil  is  similar  to  much  in 
the  opening  odes  of  this  book,  especially  to  3,  1, 14-44.  Cf.  also  2,  15  ; 
16;  18  ;  Epod.  16.  The  savior  invoked  in  vv.  25  ff.  is  clearly  Augustus, 
who  endeavored  by  legislation  and  example  to  check  the  growing 
license  of  his  time.  His  success  was  only  slight  and  temporary  in 
spite  of  his  words  Mon.  Anc.  2,  12-14  legibus  no-vis  latis  compliira  ex- 
enipla  maioruni  e.volentia  iani  ex  nostro  usu  reduxi  et  ipse  nndtaruin 
rerum  exempla  iinitanda  pouter  is  tradidi.  The  date  of  composition 
cannot  be  determined,  but  probably  the  ode  was  written  at  about  the 
same  time  as  3,  1-6.  Metre,  71. 

Intactis  opulentior 

thesauris  Arabum  et  divitis  Indiae 
caementis  licet  occupes 

Tyrrhenum  omne  tuis  et  mare  Apulicum, 
5  si  figit  adamantines 

i  f.     intactis  :     imrifled,    and  an  early  date,  and  the  nature  of 

therefore   the  greater.      Probably  the  merchandise  — ivory,  precious 

the   word   contains   a  covert    re-  stones,  and  costly  stuffs — had  im- 

proach  also,  for  by  Horace's  time  pressed    the     Romans     with    the 

the    Romans     had     looted     Asia  wealth  of  the  Indies. 

Minor  and  might  be  thought  to  be  3  f.    caementis  :  rubble,  for  foun- 

longing   for   the   treasures  of  the  dations;  cf.    3,    i.    35    and    n.  — 

East.     Cf.  Prop.  2,  10, 16  et  domns  Tyrrhenum   .    .    .  et   mare  Apuli- 

intactae  te   tremit  Arabiae.     On  cum:   i.e.  every  part  of  the  sea- 

the  wealth  of  Arabia,  cf.  I,  29,  i  coast  from  North  to  South, 

and  n.     Trade  with  India  by  way  5  f-    figit :  for  the  quantity,  see 

of  Asia  Minor  had  existed  from  Intr.   35.  —  adamantines:    cf.    i, 

303 


3:24,6] 


HORATI 


sum  mis  verticibus  dira  Necessitas 
clavos,  non  animum  metu, 

non  mortis  laqueis  expedics  caput. 
Campcstres  melius  Scythae, 

10  quorum  plaustra  vagas  rite  trahunt  domos, 

vivunt  et  rigidi  Getae, 

immetata  quibus  iugera  liberas 
fruges  et  Cererem  ferunt, 

nee  cultura  placet  longior  annua, 
15  defunctumque  laboribus 

aequali  recreat  sorte  vicarius. 
Illic  matre  carentibus 


6,  13. — summis  verticibus:  i.e. 
in  the  roof  tree  of  your  palaces. 
'  Man  may  plan  and  build  but  the 
completion  is  in  the  hands  of 
Fate.1  In  i,  35,  18  clavi  trabales 
are  the  instruments  of  Necessitas. 
With  the  general  concept,  cf.  2, 
18,  29-32. 

8.  mortis  laqueis  :  the  figure  is 
old  ;  cf.  Psalms  18,  5  ;  The  snares 
of  death  prevented  me.' 

9  f .  campestres  :  of  the  steppes ; 
cf.  3,  8.  24.  The  position  of  the 
word  emphasizes  the  patent  con- 
trast between  these  nomads  and 
the  Romans  with  their  magnificent 
palaces.  With  this  description  of 
the  Scythians,  cf.  Aesch.  P.  V. 
709  f.  SKV#US  8'  a<J>i£r)  KO/ua&is,  dt 
TrAtKTas  ort'yas  |  TrcSupmoi  1/aiOW* 
fir  evjcuKAot?  o^ois.  •  And  thou 
shalt  reach  the  Scythian  nomads, 
who  dwell  in  wattled  homes  raised 
in  the  air  on  fair  wheeled  cars.' 
Sail.  Hist.  3.  76  M.  Scythae  n<>- 


mades  tenent  quibus  plaustra  sedes 
sunt. — rite:  as  is  their  custom. 

IT  f.  rigidi  Getae:  stern ;  cf. 
Epist.  i,  i,  1 7  virtutis  verae  custos 
rigidusqne  sat  ell es  ;  and  A  nth. 
Lat.  899,  7  B.  qlti  pot  nit  riguias 
Gothorum  subdere  inentes.  —  im- 
metata quibus,  etc. :  the  land  is 
not  held  in  severally  and  the  prod- 
ucts are  common  (liberas)  prop- 
erty. 

14  ff.  Caesar  B.  G.  4.  i  attri- 
butes the  same  customs  to  the 
Suevi.  Cf.  Tac.  Germ.  26.  — 
annua:  ablative. — defunctum  la- 
boribus: cf.  2,  1 8,  38  f  11  net  u  in  la- 
boribus,  used  in  a  different  sense. 
—  aequali  .  .  .  sorte:  ablative  of 
manner.  —  vicarius  :  substitute. 

17  f.  Examples  of  the  virtues 
that  flourish  among  these  simple 
peoples,  as  pictured  by  Horace's 
imagination.  In  similar  fashion 
Tacitus  extols  the  excellences  of 
the  (iermans.  Notice  that  here 


304 


CARMINA 


[3.  24,  29 


25 


privignis  mulier  temperat  innocens, 
nee  dotata  regit  virum 

coniunx,  nee  nitido  fidit  adultero; 
dos  est  magna  parentium 

virtus  et  metuens  alterius  viri 
certo  foedere  castitas, 

et  peccare  nefas  aut  pretium  est  mori. 
O  quisquis  volet  impias 

caedis  et  rabiem  tollere  civicam, 
si  quaeret  pater  urbium 

subscribi  statuis,  indomitam  audeat 
refrenare  licentiam, 


the  comparison  is  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  the  women  alone ;  the 
appeal  to  the  Roman  men  is  made 
somewhat  differently,  v.  25  ff.  — 
matre  carentibus  :  motherless. 
With  the  periphrasis,  cf.  i,  28,  i. 

—  temperat :   treats  kindly.     The 
cruelty  of  the  stepmother  was  pro- 
verbial.    Cf.    Epod.   5,  9.  —  inno- 
cens :    and    does  them   no  harm, 

•logically  parallel  to  temperat. 

19  f.  On  the  proverbial  arro- 
gance of  richly  dowered  wives,  cf. 
Plant.  Men.  766  it  a  Istaec  solcnt 
(/itae  iriros  siibservlre  \  sibl  posttt- 
Idnt  dote  fretae,  feroces.  Also 
Martial's  clever  answer  8.  12  ;/.r- 
orem  quare  locnpletem  ducere  nolirn 
|  quaeritis  ?  nxorinubere  nolo  meae. 

—  nitido:  cf.  3,  19,  25  and  n. 

21  f.  dos  est,  etc.  :  cf.  Plaut. 
Amph.  839  f.  non  ego  illam  m'tJii 
dot  em  esse  di'u'o.  quae  dos  dicititr.  \ 
sed  pndicitiam  H  pndorem  et  seda- 
tum  cupidinon. — metuens:  that 
HOR.  CAR.  —  20  1 


shrinks  from;  cf.  3,  19,  16.  No- 
tice that  the  second  half  of  this 
verse  is  contrasted  by  position  as 
well  as  by  thought  with  the  cor- 
responding part  of  v.  20. 

23  f .  certo  foedere  :  descriptive 
ablative,  loosely  attached  to  casti- 
tas. —  peccare  :  in  the  restricted 
sense  of  infidelity;  cf.  3,  7,  19.  — 
nefas:  sc.  est.  —  aut:  cf.  3,  12,  i 
and  n. 

25  ff.  quisquis  volet :  equiva- 
lent to  si  quis  volet.  —  impias  : 
because  the  strife  had  been  be- 
tween kinsmen.  Cf.  n.  to  2,  i. 
30.  —  pater  urbium  :  a  title  of 
honor  similar  to  pater  patriac. 
The  colony  of  Jadera  in  Illyria 
called  Augustus  parens  coloniae 
CIL.  3.  2907 :  he  was  also  called 
CIL.  ii,  3083  pater  patriae  et 
i>ntnicip(ii}  ;  and  Statius  Silv. 

3.  4,  48  names  Domitian  pater  in- 
clitus  urbis.  —  refrenare,  etc. :  cf. 

4,  15,  lofrena  licentiae  iniecit. 


3.  24,  jo] 


HORATI 


35 


clarus  post  genitis, —  quatenus,  heu  netasl 
virtutem  incolumem  odimus, 

sublatam  ex  oculis  quaerimus  invidi. 
Quid  tristes  querimoniae, 

si  non  supplicio  culpa  reciditur, 
quid  leges  sine  moribus 

vanae  proficiunt,  si  neque  fervidis 
pars  inclusa  caloribus 


30  ff.  post  genitis  :  found  only 
here.  —  quatenus  :  si'ttce,  introduc- 
ing an  explanation  of  the  preced- 
ing words.  The  sentiment  is  a 
commonplace.  Cf.  Menander  (?) 
Seivoi  yap  dv8/3i  Travres  (crfifv  cu- 


8'  aive'am,  '  For  we  all  are  quick 
to  envy  the  man  of  good  repute 
while  he  is  alive,  but  when  he  is 
dead  to  praise  him.1  Horace  him- 
self has  developed  the  thought 
Epist.  2,  i.  JO  ff.,  26  ff.  Modern 
poets  too  have  many  echoes  of  the 
strain.  Herrick  declares  with 
mock  resignation,  •  I  make  no 
haste  to  have  my  numbers  read  :  | 
Seldome  comes  Glorie  till  a  man 
be  dead.'  Pope's  line  also  is  fa- 
miliar. '  These  suns  of  glory  please 
not  till  they  set.' 

—  incolumem  :  in  the  living.  — 
quaerimus  :  -n-oOorfj-tv.  long  for, 
miss.  As  soon  as  one  generation 
is  dead,  its  virtues  are  extolled  by 
the  surviving  to  disparage  the 
generation  that  succeeds. 

33!  quid,  etc.:  i.e.  Mo  bring 
about  a  genuine  reform  we  must 
cut  at  the  root  of  the  civic  corrup- 


tion ;  mere  dismal  (tristes)  com- 
plainings are  of  no  avail  without 
bold  action.'  —  reciditur:  a  meta- 
phor taken  from  pruning;  cf.  ^V.  1,3, 
122  et  magnis  parva  miner  is  (de- 
lict a)  |  falce  recisurnm  si m Hi  te. 

35  f.    The  inefficiency   of  laws 
unless  supported  by  public  senti- 
ment and  character  (mores)  is  rec- 
ognised by  Aristotle  Pol.  2,  5,  14 
6  ...   vd/xos    itr^irv  ou8«/u.tuv  e^ei 
Trpos    TO   TTtiOiaOaL  irapa.   TO  e#os. 
and   present   day  conditions  sup- 
ply many  examples.     Some  years 
later  Horace    extolled    Augustus' 
reign    with   the   words  mos  ct  lex* 
maculosum  edomuit  tie/as    (4.    5, 
22) ;  Tacitus  glorifies  his  Germans 
plus  ibi  boni  mores  valent  qitam 
alibi  bonae  leges  (Germ.  19). 

36  ff.    si  neque,  etc. :  the   spe- 
cial cases  to  illustrate  the  general 
truth   contained  in  the  preceding 
question:  'if  the  greed   for  gain 
hap  grown  so  great  that  men  dare 
everything  save  the  crowning  dis- 
grace of  poverty,  what  can  mere 
statutes    do?'      Cf.    Petron.     14 
(/iiiti  faciant  leges ,  ubi  sola  pecunia 
i-egnatl  —  pars:    cf.    3,   3,    55.— 


306 


CARMINA 


[3.  24, 


40 


45 


mundi  nee  Boreae  finitimum  latus 
durataeque  solo  nives 

mercatorem  abigunt,  horrida  callidi 
vincunt  aequora  navitae, 

magnum  pauperies  opprobrium  iubet 
quidvis  et  facere  et  pati, 

virtutisque  viam  deserit  arduae  ? 
Vel  nos  in  Capitolium, 

quo  clamor  vocat  et  turba  faventium, 


inclusa  :    fenced    in,    intrenched 
(against  man).     The  same  idea  i, 
22,  22   terra   domibus   negata.  — 
latus:    cf.  1,22,  19.  —  solo:  loca- 
tive ablative.     Intr.  95. 

40.  mercatorem:  Horace's  type 
of  the  man  restless  and  reckless 
for  gain.  Cf.  1.  1,  16  ;  1,3  entire  ; 
Epist.  i,  i,  45  f.  itnpiger  extremes 
CHrris  mercator  ad  Indos,  \  per 
mare  pauper  iem  fugiens,  per  saxa, 
per  ignes.  —  horrida  callidi  :  jux- 
taposed to  strengthen  the  contrast 
between  man's  skill  and  nature's 
savagery. 

42  f  .  magnum  .  .  .  opprobrium  : 
cf.  S.  2,  3,  91  f.  credidit  ingens 
Pauperism  vitium.  With  the 
sentiment,  cf.  Theogn.  649  ff.  a 
SuAr)  Trevtrj,  TI  e/nois  CTriKfifievrf 
erw/ia  Karawr^weis  xat  voov 
A  OVK  e6f.\ov- 


TUL  (3ir)  Kat  rroAAa  SiSao-^ets,  '  Ah, 
wretched  poverty,  why  dost  thou 
weigh  on  my  shoulders  and  de- 
grade my  body  and  my  mind  ? 
And  though  I  would  not,  thou 
dost  teach  me  perforce  much  that 
is  shameful.'  Lucian  Apol.  10 


TravTtt  Troteiv  Kat 
a.va.irf.iBovo'a.v,  is  €K<f>vyoi.  TIS 
auTT/v,  '  Poverty  who  persuades 
a  man  to  do  and  suffer  all  things 
that  he  may  escape  her.1 

44.  '  The  path  of  virtue  steep ' 
is  proverbial ;  cf.  Hes.  Op.  289  ff. 
•njs  8'  dpc-ri}?  iSpoira  0eoi 
poiOtv  tOrjKav  |  ada.va.TOi  • 
Se  KOI  opOios  o?/tos  CTT'  avrr/v,  and 
Hamlet's  '  steep  and  thorny  way 
to  Heaven.'  —  deserit:  the  ab- 
stract pauperies  suggests  a  con- 
crete subject  pauper. 

45  ff.  Horace  here  expresses 
himself  with  the  fire  of  a  religious 
reformer.  Sacrifice  of  jewels  and 
gold  will  prove  the  people's  sin- 
cerity. Epod.  1 6  is  written  in 
the  same  strain.  —  in  Capitolium  : 
as  an  offering  to  Jove.  There  is 
no  verb  until  we  reach  mittamus 
v.  50,  but  the  Roman  reader  would 
hardly  be  conscious  of  the  lack.  — 
clamor  et  turba  :  the  shouting 
crowd.  —  faventium  :  Horace  pic- 
tures the  common  people  applaud- 
ing the  rich  as  they  march  to  the 
Capitol  to  dedicate  their  wealth 


307 


t>  24, 47] 


HORATI 


55 


60 


vel  nos  in  mare  proximum 

gemmas  et  lapides  aurum  et  inutile 
summi  materiem  mali, 

mittamus,  scclerum  si  bene  paenitet. 
Eradenda  cupidinis 

pravi  sunt  elementa  et  tenerae  nimis 
mentes  asperioribus 

formandae  studiis.     Nescit  equo  rudis 
haerere  ingenuus  puer 

venarique  timet,  ludere  doctior, 
seu  Graeco  iubeas  trocho, 

seu  malis  vetita  legibus  alea, 
cum  periura  patris  fides 

consortem  socium  fallat  et  hospites, 


48  ff.  gemmas  et  lapides :  no 
distinct  classes  are  meant  any 
more  than  in  our  parallel  expres- 
sion %gems  and  precious  stones.1  — 
aurum  et :  on  the  position,  see 
Intr.  31.  —  inutile:  that  is  good 
for  naught.  —  materiem  :  the 
source;  the  'stuff  of  which  any- 
thing is  made.  Cf.  Sail.  Catil. 
\  o  priino  imperi,  delude  pecitniae 
cupido  crevit ;  ea  quasi  tnateries 
omnium  malorum  fnere.  —  bene : 
truly,  sincerely. 

51  £.  eradenda.  etc. :  practical 
measures  of  reform  —  the  Roman 
youth  must  be  trained  in  a  stur- 
dier school,  and  taught  to  give  up 
his  present  luxury.  Similar  ex- 
pressions are  found  3,  2,  i  ff. ;  6, 
37  ff.  —  elementa:  the  seeds.— 
tenerae  nimis  :  i.e.  beyond  na- 
ture's limit. 


54  ff.  rudis  :  supporting  nescit 
ignorant  and  untaugltf,  and  con- 
trasted with  doctior.  —  ingenuus  : 
emphasizing  the  disgrace,  for  rid- 
ing and  hunting  were  distinctly 
the  exercises  of  a  Roman  gentle- 
man.—ludere:  Intr.  108. 

57  f .  trocho  :  trundling  a  hoop 
was  a  favorite  amusement  of  Greek 
children,  but  to  the  conservative 
Roman  mind  it  stood  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  sturdier  native 
sports.  —  mails:  notice  the  quan- 
tity. —  vetita  legibus  alea  :  gam- 
bling with  dice  was  much  practiced 
among  the  Romans  :  although  for- 
bidden by  law,  the  vice  was  but 
slightly  checked. 

59  if.    cum.    etc.  :    while,   etc. 
The   clause  adds  another  charac- 
teristic of  the  time.  — periura  .  . 
fides:  cf.   i.  5,  5  and  n.  —  consor- 


308 


CARMINA  [3,  25,  5 

indignoque  pecuniam 

heredi  properet.     Scilicet  improbae 
crescunt  divitiae :  tamen 

curtae  nescio  quid  semper  abest  rei. 

tern   socium :    his  partner.     Sors  probae  :    shameless,  for  they  have 

is  the  word  for  capital  invested.  —  no  regard  for  right  and  honor.  — 

indigno  .   .   .  heredi :  the  dreaded  curtae  :     proleptic,    '  the     greedy 

heir,   called   ironically   dignior  2,  man's   wealth    cannot  keep   pace 

14,    25. —  properet:    cf.    deprope-  with  his  desires.1     Cf.  Epist.  1,2, 

rare  2,  7,  24.  56  semper  avarus  eget ;  Apul.  de 

62  ff .    scilicet :  yes,   of   course.  Mag.  20  nee  montibits  auri  satia- 

Sumtning  up  the  whole   sad  mat-  bilur    (avarus),  sed   semper   ali- 

ter,  — '  with  all  man's  getting,  he  quid,  ante  parta  ut  augeat,  men- 

will    never    get    enough.'  —  im-  dicabit. 

25 

In  dithyrambic  strains  Horace  celebrates  'the  eternal  glory  of 
Caesar.'  The  poet  imagines  himself  carried  away  by  the  power  of 
Bacchus  to  the  wild  haunts  of  the  Naiads  and  Nymphs,  where  he  will 
sing  his  new  and  loftier  theme.  The  ode  has  the  form  of  an  introduc- 
tion to  a  larger  work ;  the  mention  of  the  Emperor  is  apparently 
merely  incidental,  but  forms  the  real  subject  of  the  verses.  The  occa- 
sion is  unknown.  Mtetre,  71. 

Quo  me,  Bacche,  rapis  tui 

plenum  ?     Quae  nemora  aut  quos  agor  in  specus 
velox  mente  nova  ?     Quibus 

antris  egregii  Caesaris  audiar 
5      aeternum  meditans  decus 

iff.    tui  plenum:    cf.  2,  19,  6.  4.    antris:    dative.      Intr.    87. 

—  quae  nemora:  in  the  same  con-  —egregii:    see  n.  to  i,  6,  u.— 

struction  as  quos  .  .   .  specus.  meditans:    practicing*   planning, 

mente  nova  :    i.e.  being  possessed  /neAeroiv,  used  here    of  composing 

by  the  god,  the  poet  has  become  a  aloud,   as   by    Verg.    E.    6,    82  f. 

new  being.  omnia  quae  Plwebo  quondam  medi- 

309 


,  6J 


IIORATI 


stellis  inserere  et  consilio  lovis  ? 
Dicam  insigne,  recens,  adhuc 

indictum  ore  alio.     Non  secus  in  iugis 
exsomnis  stupet  Euhias, 

Hebrum  prospiciens  et  nive  candidam 
Thracen  ac  pede  barbaro 

lustratam  Rhodopen,  ut  mihi  devio 
ripas  et  vacuum  nemus 

mirari  libet.     O  Naiadum  potens 
Baccharumque  valentium 

proceras  manibus  vertere  fraxinos, 


tante  beatus  \  attdiit  Eurotas.  — 
et  consilio  lovis :  the  deification 
of  Augustus  was  early  accomplished 
by  the  poets  of  his  court.  Cf. 
Verg.  G.  i,  24  f.  tuque  adeo,  quern 
inox  quac  stint  habitura  deorum  \ 
concilia,  incertum  est.  Also  intro- 
ductory n.  to  i,  2.  p.  56  f. 

7.  insigne:  cf.  i,  12,  39  and 
n.  The  context  makes  it  unneces- 
sary to  supply  the  obvious  carmen. 
Cf.  n.  to  i,  6,  5. 

8  f .  non  secus,  etc. :  the  poet  is 
possessed  by  the  divine  influence 
as  fully  as  ever  Maenad,  who  in 
her  ecstasy  has  wandered  una- 
wares far  from  her  home  to  some 
height  where,  suddenly  coming  to 
herself,  she  sees  before  her  the 
valley  of  the  Hebrus  and  Rhodope 
beyond.  —  exsomnis  :  the  revels  of 
the  bacchantes  were  carried  on  by 
night.  Sleeplessness  is  a  character- 
istic of  the  orgiastic  state.  —  stupet : 
is  amazed;  cf.  Ovid,  Trist.  4.  i. 
42  (Bacche)  dum  stupet  I  due  is 
e. \ululata  tttgis. 


10  ff .  nive  candidam :  a  tradi- 
tional epithet  of  Thrace.  Cf.  //. 

I4>    227    ©p^KOII/    Opf.0.    VL^)O€VTa.  — 

pede  barbaro  lustratam  :  traced  by 
stranger  feet ;  i.e.  she  has  passed 
out  of  her  own  country.  —  ut :  with 
non  secus  in  place  of  the  more 
common  ac  to  avoid  collision  with 
ac  in  the  preceding  verse. 

13.  ripas  :  used  absolutely  as 
3,  i,  23.  —  vacuum:  the  sacred 
grove  (cf.  l,(i,  30)  is  untenanted 
by  mortals,  so  that  the  poet  may 
wander  there  at  will  (devio). 

14  ff.  Naiadum  potens:  cf.  i, 
3,  i  and  n.  Also  2,  19,  3:  and 
Orph.  Hymn  53,  6  Nairn  KOI  BUK- 
X<us  yyovfjieve.  • — valentium,  etc.: 
the  bacchantes  were  supposed  to 
possess  superhuman  strength. 
The  special  allusion  is  to  the  mur- 
der of  Pentheus  at  the  hands  of 
the  Maenads,  who  pulled  up  by 
the  roots  the  tree  from  which  he 
had  overlooked  their  orgies,  and 
then  in  their  frenzy  tore  him  limb 
from  limb.  vertere:  equivalent 


3'0 


CARMINA  [3,  26,  6 

nil  parvum  aut  humili  modo, 

nil  mortale  loquar.     Dulce  periculum  est, 
O  Lenaee,  sequi  deum 

cingentem  viridi  tempora  pampino. 


to  evertere.     For  the   mood,   see  winepress1  (A^vos)-!  —  cingentem: 

Intr.  1  08.  best   taken   with    the    subject    of 

18  ff  .   dulce  periculum  :  an  oxy-  sequi,  —  the  poet  crowns  his  brow 

moron.     The   danger  consists   in  with  fresh  grape  leaves  in  honor 

the  near  presence  of  the  god  ;  cf.  of   the  god    and   follows   in    his 

2,  19,  5  ff.  —  Lenaee:  "god  of  the  train. 

26 

'  Not  without  honor  have  I  served  in  Cupid's  cause  ;  now  I'll  give  up 
my  arms  and  dedicate  them  in  Venus'  temple.  Goddess  Queen,  I  pray 
thee,  punish  with  a  single  blow  Chloe  so  disdainful.' 

The  last  verse  betrays  the  lover  and  the  cause  of  his  determination 
to  be  done  with  love.  A  similar  turn  will  be  found  4,  i,  33  ff.  Metre, 
68. 

Vixi  puellis  nuper  idoneus 
et  militavi  non  sine  gloria  : 

nunc  arma  defunctumque  bello 
barbiton  hie  paries  habebit, 

5  laevum  marinae  qui  Veneris  latus 

custodit     Hie,  hie  ponite  lucida 

i  f  .   vixi  :  the  definite   perfect  nius    armis  Herculis  ad  postern 

shows  that  all  is  over.  —  idoneus:  yf.m,  as  a  sign   that   his  service 

i.e.  a  fit  companion,  aptus.  —  mili-  as  gladiator  was  ended;   Terent. 

tavi  :  for  this  common  figure,  cf.  Maur.  2633  f.  opima  adposui  senex 

4,  i,  if.  inter  missa*   Venus,  din  Amori  arma  Feretrio.      So  here 

rursus  bella  moves;  Ovid,  Am.  i,  Horace  will  hang  the  implements 

9,  i  militat  omnis  amans  et  habet  he  has  used  while  in  Love's  ser- 

sua  castra  Cupido.  vice  on  the  right  wall  of  Venus' 

4.    hie  paries,  etc.  :  the  dedica-  shrine.  —  marinae   .  .   .   Veneris  : 

tion  of  weapons,  implements,  as  a  protectress  of  sailors;  cf.  i,  3.  i. 
sign  of  completed  service  was  cus-  6  ff.  hie,  hie  :  marking  his  haste 

tomary.     Cf.  Epist.   i,  i,  4   Veia-  to  be  done  with  his  service.     Cf. 


3,  26,  7]  HORATI 

funalia  et  vectis  et  arcus 
oppositis  foribus  minacis. 

O  quae  beatam  diva  tenes  Cyprum  et 
10  Memphin  carentem  Sithonia  nive, 

regina,  sublimi  flagello 

tange  Chloen  semel  arrogantem. 


2,  17,  10;   Epod.  4,  20.  —  lucida:  of  'A^pooYr?;  £fivij.  according  to 

expressing  the  general  character-  Herod.  2,   112.  —  carentem.   etc.: 

istics;  the  links  are  not  lighted  at  cf.  Bacchyl.  Frg.  39  rav  d^ei/xav- 

the  time  of  dedication.  —  funalia:  rov  TI  Mc/x</>u/.     With   the   peri- 

to  light  the  lover  on  his  nocturnal  phrasis  cf.   I,  28,   i  :  31,   20.   etc. 

raids.  —  vectis:  to  pry  open  doors  —  Sithonia:  cf.  I,  18,  9. 
where   the  lover   is    excluded.  —          n  f.    regina:  cf.  i,  30,  i  and  n. 

arcus:  if  this  be  the  correct  read-  —  sublimi  flagello  tange  :   raise  thy 

ing,  the  instrument  thus  designated  whip  and  touch.     Cf.  Mart.  6,  21, 

is  unknown  to  us,  unless  we  may  9  arcano  perc  nssit  (  Venus}  />ec  torn 

conceive  that  the  lover  is  armed  loro.  —  semel  :  once  and  once  only. 

with  Cupid's  bow  and  arrows.  —  arrogantem:    the  last  word  be- 

9  f  .  o  quae,  etc.  :  cf.  i,  3,  i  ;  30,  trays  the  cause  of  all  the  lover's 

i.  —  Memphin:  here  was  a  shrine  distress. 


27 

'  May  the  wicked  be  attended  by  all  bad  omens  ;  but  only  good  signs 
be  thy  companions,  Galatea ;  live  happily  and  ever  remember  me. 
Yet  beware  of  storms.  I  know  the  tricks  of  the  Adriatic  and  of  the 
West  Wind.  May  our  foes,  their  wives  and  children,  tremble  before 
them,  as  Europa  once  trembled  (1-28).  That  maid,  who  so  lately 
gathered  flowers  in  the  meadow,  broke  into  bitter  self-reproaches  when 
she  reached  Crete  with  its  hundred  cities  (29-66).  But  Venus  came, 
laughed  her  to  scorn,  and  told  her  the  honors  that  awaited  her  (67-76).' 

The  structure  of  this  ode  is  similar  to  that  of  3,  1 1  with  which  and 
with  i,  15  it  should  be  carefully  compared.  The  first  six  strophes  are 
designed  solely  to  introduce  the  real  subject  of  the  poem.  This  intro- 
duction, however,  is  less  skillfully  managed  than  the  opening  strophes 
of  3,  n.  The  story  of  Europa  was  as  well  known  as  that  of  Hyper- 
mestra;  the  familiar  portions  of  it  are  passed  quickly  over  in  vv.  25-32  : 
and  touched  on  again  at  the  end  (66-76).  The  scene-  chosen  for  fuller 


CARMINA 


[3.  27, 


treatment  is  the  moment  when  Europa,  having  reached  Crete,  realizes 
her  position.     Metre,  69. 

Impios  parrae  recinentis  omen 
ducat  et  praegnans  canis  aut  ab  agro 
rava  decurrens  lupa  Lanuvino 
fetaque  volpes; 

5  rumpat  et  serpens  iter  institutum, 

si  per  obliquum  similis  sagittae 
terruit  mannos  :  ego  cui  timebo 
providus  auspex, 

antequam  stantis  repetat  paludes 
10  imbrium  divina  avis  imminentum, 


1-12.  '  May  the  wicked  only  be 
exposed  to  the  evil  powers ;  but 
for  thee  I  will  secure  a  good  omen.' 
All  the  omens  mentioned  vv.  1-7 
are  evoSioi  o-u/i^oXot, '  signs  by  the 
way,'  Aesch.  P.  V.  487.  — parrae  : 
mentioned  with  other  prophetic 
birds  by  Plautus,  Asin.  260  picus 
et  comix  ab  laeva,  cdrvos  parra  a 
dexter  a  \  cdnsuadent,  and  also  by 
Festus  s.v.  oscines  (cf.  v.  u)  — 
cum  cecinit  corvus  comix  noctiia 
parra  picus.  The  bird,  however, 
is  not  identified.  Owl  may  be 
used  in  translation.  —  recinentis  : 
droning. 

2  ff.  ducat:  escort  (on  their 
way) .  —  agro  .  .  .  Lanuvino  : 
Lanuvium  was  situated  on  one  of 
the  southwestern  spurs  (hence 
decurrens)  of  the  Alban  Hills,  on 
the  right  of  the  Appian  Way  as 
one  traveled  from  Rome.  It  is 
evident  from  vv.  17  ff.  that  Horace 


has  in  mind  for  his  Galatea  a  long 
journey  across  the  Adriatic  to 
Greece.  —  rava  :  tawny ;  cf.  Epod. 
1 6,  33  raves  leones. 

5  f .  rumpat :  break  off.  If 
such  unfavorable  omens  as  are 
mentioned  here  appeared,  the  trav- 
eler would  feel  obliged  to  •  turn 
back  and  begin  his  journey  anew. 
—  per  obliquum  :  logically  modi- 
fying similis  sagittae ;  translate, 
darting  across. 

7  f .  mannos  :  ponies,  bred  in 
Gaul.  Cf.  Epod.  4,  14. —  ego: 
bearing  the  emphasis,  but  giving 
the  logical  contrast  — '  but  for  my 
friends.1 — cui,  etc.:  i.e.  ei  cui 
timebo  .  .  .  suscitabo. 

9  ff.  'I  will  anticipate  bad 
omens  by  securing  good.1  — stan- 
tis :  stagnant.  —  divina :  prophetic 
of;  cf.  Epist.  2.  3.  218  divina  fu- 
turi. — avis:  the  crow:  cf.  3.  17. 12. 
Also  Verg.  G.  i,  388  turn  comix 


3'3 


3.  27. 


HORATI 


20 


oscinem  corvum  prece  suscitabo 
soils  ab  ortu. 

Sis  licet  felix,  ubicumque  mavis, 
et  memor  nostri,  Galatea,  vivas, 
teque  nee  laevus  vetet  ire  picus 
nee  vaga  cornix. 

Sed  vides  quanto  trepidet  tumultu 
pronus  Orion  ?     Ego  quid  sit  ater 
Hadriae  novi  sinus  et  quid  albus 
peccet  lapyx. 


plena  pluviam  vocat  improba  voce. 

—  oscinem  :  a  technical  term  in  au- 
gury for  birds  that  give  omens  by 
their  cries ;  to   this   class   belong 
all  the  birds  named   in   this  ode 
(cf.  Festus  quoted  above) ;  those 
whose  flight  was  significant,  such 
as   the   eagle  and    vulture,    were 
called    alites.  —  soils   ab  ortu :    a 
favorable  quarter. 

13  f.    sis  :  optative  subjunctive. 

—  licet:   added    paratactically    in 
the  sense  of  per  me  licet,  to  show 
that  he  will  not  hinder.     Cf.  Plaut. 
Ritd.  1 39  mea  quidem  hercle  causa 
salvos  sis  licet.  —  memor   nostri : 
cf.   3,   u,  51.     The  phrase   is   a 
formula  of  farewell. 

15  f.  laevus  :  when  observing 
the  omens  the  Roman  ausper  sat 
facing  the  south  so  that  the  east 

—  the     quarter    in    which     good 
omens  appeared  —  was  on  his  left, 
therefore  laerns   and    sinister  in 
the  technical  usage  may  mean  fa- 
vorable ;  the  Augustan  poets,  how- 


ever, influenced  by  the  Greek 
usage,  employ  both  words  in  the 
sense  of  '  unlucky/  so  that  confu- 
sion frequently  follows.  Here 
laevus  is  unfavorable.  —  vaga  : 
flitting. 

17  ff.  sed  vides,  etc. :  suddenly 
the  poet  remembers  the  dangers 
to  which  Galatea  will  be  exposed, 
and  exclaims  thus  in  anxious  warn- 
ing. The  abruptness  of  this 
strophe  after  the  smoothness  of  the 
preceding  corresponds  to  the 
change  in  mood.  —  trepidet :  as 
if  the  constellation  were  trembling 
at  the  storm  it  caused.  —  pronus  : 
as  he  sets;  cf.  i,  28,  21  dewxtts 
Orion.  — ater :  i.e.  with  the  storm, 
but  the  word  has  also  by  associa- 
tion the  meaning  'gloomy,1 'fatal.' 
Cf.  i.  28,  13;  37,  27:  2.  14.  17.— 
albus  .  .  .  lapyx:  cf.  i,  7.  15 
albus  Notus  and  n.  —  peccet  : 
hmt<  treacherous  he  is.  —  lapyx  : 
the  last  two  verses  show  that  Hor- 
ace has  in  mind  a  voyage  to  Greece. 


CARM1NA 


[3.  27,  32 


Hostium  uxores  puerique  caecos 
sentiant  motus  orientis  Austri  et 
aequoris  nigri  fremitum  et  trementis 
verbere  ripas. 

Sic  et  Europe  niveum  doloso 
credidit  tauro  latus  et  scatentem 
beluis  pontum  mediasque  fraudes 
palluit  audax. 

Nuper  in  pratis  studiosa  florum  et 
debitae  Nymphis  opifex  coronae, 
nocte  sublustri  nihil  astra  praeter 
vidit  et  undas. 


21  ff.  'May  the  storms  smite 
our  enemies,'  a  common  execra- 
tion ;  cf.  Verg.  G.  3,  5 1 3  di  meliora 
piis  erroremque  hostibus  ilium; 
Ovid  A.  A.  3,  247  hostibus  eveniat 
tamfoedi  causa  pudoris. —  caecos 
.  .  .  motus :  such  as  squalls  and 
sudden  storms. — sentiant:  cf.  2, 
7,  gfugatn  sens/.  — orientis :  ordi- 
narily surgentis  is  used  of  a 
wind. 

23  f.  Notice  the  recurrence  of 
the  r-sounds.  —  nigri:  cf.  n.  to  i, 
5.7. — verbere:  the  lash  (of  the 
surf) . 

25  if.  sic  :  i.e.  '  as  confidently 
as  thou  dost  prepare  to  face  the 
dangers  of  the  sea.'  —  doloso  credi- 
dit:  for  the  juxtaposition,  cf.  r. 
6.  9  and  n. ;  also  3,  5,  33  perfidis 
se  credidit. — latus:  self;  cf.  2.  7. 
1 8. — scatentem  beluis:  cf.  i.  3. 
1 8.  —  medias  :  around  her.  — 
palluit  audax :  grew  pale  at  .  .  . 


in  her  boldness  ;  cf.  the  oxymoron 
with  3,  20,  3  f.  inaudax  raptor. 
With  this  transitive  use  of  pallere, 
cf.  Pers.  5.  184  sabbata  palles. 

29  ff.  nuper:  but  just  now ; 
emphatically  contrasting  Europa's 
position  as  described  in  vv.  29-30 
with  that  indicated  in  30-31.— 
debitae  :  i.e.  as  vowed  ;  cf.  i,  36,  2 
sanguine  debito.  —  nocte  sublustri : 
the  glimmering  night.  —  nihil  astra 
praeter,  etc. :  so  Mosch.  2,  127  ff. 
TJ  8'  ore  Sr)  you'i^  airo  irarpi 809  rjev 
avev#ev,  |  <£aiv£To  8'  ovr*  a.Ki~r)  TIS 
dAippotfos  ovr'  opes  a'nrv,  \  dAA'  arjp 

/JiCV  VTTfpOfV,    fVfpOf.  8f  7TOVTOS   OLTTfl- 

pwv.  ...  '  But  when  she  now 
was  far  off  from  her  own  country, 
and  neither  sea-beat  headland  nor 
steep  hill  could  now  be  seen, 
but  above,  the  air,  and  beneath, 
the  limitless  deep  .  .  .  (Lang). 
For  the  position  of  praeter,  see 
Intr.  32. 


315 


3.  2?,  33J 


HORATI 


35 


Quae  simul  centum  tetigit  potentem 
oppidis  Creten,  '  Pater,  —  o  relictum 
filiae  nomen,  pietasque  '  dixit 
'  victa  furore ! 

Vnde  quo  veni  ?     Levis  una  mors  est 
virginum  culpae.     Vigilansne  ploro 
turpe  commissum,  an  vitiis  carentem 
ludit  imago 

vana,  quae  porta  fugiens  eburna 
somnium  ducit  ?     Meliusne  fluctus 
ire  per  longos  fuit,  an  recentis 
carpere  flores  ? 


33  ff.  Horace  adopted  that  form 
of  the  story  according   to  which 
the    bull    vanished    on     reaching 
Crete,  and  Europa  was  left  alone 
for  a  short  time  until  Zeus  reap- 
peared in  his  proper  form.     While 
alone   she  comes   to   herself  and 
breaks   out    in  self-reproaches.  — 
centum   .    .    .    potentem  oppidis  : 
the  Homeric  K.prjrr)  €KuTo/u.7roAis. 

34  ff.   pater :  her  first  word  re- 
minds her  that  by  her  folly  she 
has  lost  a'  daughter's  right  to  ap- 
peal to  her  father  for  protection. 

—  filiae:  genitive  defining  nomen. 

—  furore :  folly. 

37  ff.  unde  quo  :  the  compressed 
double  question  marks  her  excite- 
ment. Cf.  the  Homeric  Tt's  -rruQiv 
t*s  uv&puii' ;  also  Verg.  . /.  10,  670 
quoferor,  nndc  abii,  quae  me  fiiga 
quenwe  reduiit .-  —  levis  una  mors  : 
iaiitated  by  Seneca  //.  O.  866 


levis  una  mors  est:  levis*  at  ex~ 
tendi  potest.  —  virginum  :  the  gen- 
eralizing plural,  a  maiden's.  —  cul- 
pae :  dative ;  for  the  meaning  of 
the  word,  see  3,  6,  17.  —  vigilans, 
etc. :  she  can  hardly  believe  that 
it  is  not  all  a  delusion.  —  ludit 
imago  :  cf.  Verg.  A.  i,  407  f.  quid 
natuin  totiens  crudelis  tu  quoque 
falsis  |  litdis  imaginibus  ? 

41.  porta  .  .  .  eburna:  whence 
false  dreams  issued.  Cf.  Vergil's 
imitation,  A.  6,  893  ff..  of  Od.  19, 
562  ff.  sttnt  geminae  soinni  portae, 
quarumalterafertnr  \  cornea,  qua 
veris  facilis  datur  cxitus  utnbris, 
|  altera  candctiti  perfecta  nitens 
elcphanto.  \  sed  falsa  ad  caelitm 
mitt  nut  insomnia  manes. 

42  f .  meliusne,  etc. :  in  ironi- 
cal self-reproach.  —  fluctus  .  .  . 
longos:  of  the-  distance  she  has 
come.  Cf.  3,  3,  37  longus  pontus. 


CARM1NA 


[3.  27,  54 


45 


Si  quis  infamem  mihi  mine  iuvencum 
declat  iratae,  lacerare  ferro  et 
frangere  enitar  modo  multum  amati 
cornua  monstri. 

Impudens  liqui  patrios  penatis, 
impudens  Orcum  moror.     O  deorum 
si  quis  haec  audis,  utinam  inter  errera 
nuda  leones ! 

Antequam  turpis  macies  decentis 
occupet  malas  teneraeque  sucus 


45  ff.  si  quis  .  .  .  dedat :  a  vir- 
tual wish. —  nunc  :  in  contrast  to 
the  time  when  she  yielded  to  his 
approaches.  —  lacerare  :  with  cor- 
nua ;  cf.  v.  71  f.  below. — enitar: 
even  in  her  rage  she  is  conscious 
of  her  own  weakness.  —  modo  .  .  . 
amati,  etc. :  in  the  meadow  she  had 
wreathed  his  horns  witli  flowers. 

49  f .  impudens  :  she  now  feels 
the  shame  of  her  position  and  fears 
possible  starvation  or  slavery  — 
for  her,  a  princess.  Therefore 
she  prays  for  death.  —  liqui  patrios 
penatis :  so  Europa  exclaims  in 
Moschus1  poem  142  ff.  CH/AOI,  eyw 
/u.eya  8ij  n  Swaytx/xopos,  rf  pa.  re 
SW/JM  |  Trarpos  aTTOTrpoAiTToCo-a  Kui 
fo-rrofjievrj  /3oi  rwSe  £eivr)v  vavn- 
\ir)v  (<f>fTr<a  KO.L  rrA.a£o/Aai  otr;, 
'  Alas  for  me,  and  alas  again,  for 
mine  exceeding  evil  fortune,  alas 
for  me  that  have  left  my  father's 
house,  and  following  this  bull,  on 
a  strange  sea-faring  I  go,  and 
wander  lonely1  (Lang).  —  Orcum 


moror :  /  keep  death  waiting, 
(when  1  ought  to  seek  him). 

51  f .  si  quis :  equiv.  lent  to 
quisquis.  Cf.  3,  24,  25  and  n. — 
inter:  Intr.  33.  —  nuda:  defense- 
less. 

53  ff.  With  the  ancient  con- 
cept of  life  after  death  as  a  continu- 
ation of  the  present,  it  was  natural 
to  believe  that  in  the  other  world 
the  body  appeared  in  the  same 
form  in  which  it  left  this.  The 
cases  of  Dido  and  Deiphobus,  A. 
6,  450  and  494,  are  familiar  illus- 
trations. Also  Stat.  Silv.  2,  i, 
154  ff.  says  of  the  death  of  a  fav- 
orite boy  gratum  est,  fata,  ta»ien, 
quod  non  mars  lent  a  iacentis  \  exe- 
dit  puerile  decus  manesque  sub- 
ii>it  |  integer  et  millo  temeratns 
corpora  damno.  It  was  natural 
then  that  Europa  should  pray  for 
death  before  her  beauty  had  faded. 

53  ff.  decentis:  comely;  cf.  i, 
4,6.  —  sucus:  cf.  Ter.  Etni.  318 
of  a  girl,  color  -!>er?ts.  corpus  soli- 


317 


3.  27.  SSl 


HORATI 


55 


60 


defluat  praedae,  speciosa  quaero 
pascere  tigris. 

Vilis  Europe,  pater  urget  absens. 
Quid  mori  cessas  ?     Potes  hac  ab  orno 
pendulum  zona  bene  te  secuta 
laedere  collum ; 

sive  te  rupes  et  acuta  leto 
saxa  delectant,  age  te  procellae 
crede  veloci,  nisi  erile  mavis 
carpere  pensum 

regius  sanguis,  dominaeque  tradi 
barbarae  paelex.'     Aderat  querenti 


dtim  et  sitci  plenum.  —  praedae  : 
said  in  self-pity,  which  is  height- 
ened by  the  adjective  tenerae.  — 
speciosa  :  while  still  fair. 

57  f  .  vilis  :  she  recognizes  that 
she  has  cheapened  herself  by  her 
folly.  —  pater  urget:  the  thought 
of  her  father  spurs  her  on  to  sui- 
cide. —  potes  hac  ab  orno,  etc.  :  so 
Helen  cries,  Eurip.  Hel.  298  ff. 
Kpa.Ti(TTOv  •  irois  Odvotfj.'  av 


vai  fJif.Ta.pcncn  |  .  .  .  atftayal  &' 
t\ov(Tiv  evyevt?  11  KU.L  KoAov,  '  To 
die  is  best.  How  then  can  I 
die  nobly?  Unseemly  is  choking 
by  the  noose  in  mid-air,  .  .  .  but 
the  sword's  blows  have  something 
fair  and  noble  in  them.1 

59  f.  zona  bene  te  secuta  : 
which  fortunately  you  have  iuith 
you.  Spoken  in  irony  :  her  girdle. 
emblem  of  maidenhood,  will  be  a 


fit  instrument  of  her  death.  — lae- 
dere :  in  place  of  the  harsher  eli- 
dere. 

61  ff.  sive:  or  if,  cf.  1, 15, 25. — 
leto :  dative.  The  rocks  below 
the  cliffs  (rupes)  are  sharpened 
for  her  death.  —  procellae  :  which 
blow  off  the  cliff's  and  will  carry 
her  out  as  she  leaps  to  her  doom. 
—  erile  :  set  by  a  mistress.  —  car- 
pere pensum :  the  duty  of  en- 
slaved women  was  to  card  and 
spin  the  wool  assigned  them  by 
their  mistress.  Cf.  Hector's  fear 
for  Andromache,  //.  6,  456  KCU 
Kfv  (v  "Apyti  covtru  Trpos  a\\rft 
iarov  {i^xiiVots,  and  Prop.  4.  6,  1 5  t. 
tristis  erat  dotnus,  et  tristes  sua 
pensa  urinistrae  \  carpebant,  me- 
dia nebat  et  ipsa  loco. 

65  f.  regius  sanguis :  spoken 
with  proud  indignation,  which 
prompts  the  adjective  barbarae 


C  A  KM  IN  A 


[3,2* 


75 


perfidum  ridens  Venus  et  remisso 
filius  arcu ; 

mox,  ubi  lusit  satis,  '  Abstineto ' 
dixit  '  irarum  calidaeque  rixae, 
cum  tibi  invisus  laceranda  reddet 
cornua  taurus. 

Vxor  invicti  lovis  esse  nescis. 
Mitte  singultus,  bene  ferre  magnam 
disce  fortunam  :  tua  sectus  orbis 
nomina  ducet.' 


also.  Cf .  Creusa's  speech  Verg.  A. 
2,  785  ff.  non  ego  Myrmidonum 
sedes  Dolopumve  superbas  \  aspici- 
arn,  aut  Gratis  servitum  matribns 
ibo,  |  Dardanis,  et  divae  Veneris 
mints.  —  aderat  querenti :  the 
goddess  comes  and  interrupts  the 
maiden's  sell-reproaches. 

67  f .  perfidum :  cf.  I,  22,  23 
ditlce  ridentem.  —  remisso . . .  arcu : 
with  bow  unstrung,  for  his  task  is 
ended.  So  Tennyson  says,  Elea- 
nore,  '  His  bowstring  slackened, 
languid  Love.' 

69  ff.     lusit  :     sc.     Venus.  — 
irarum  .  .   .  rixae  :     genitive    of 
separation.      Intr.  94.  —  laceran- 
da. etc.  :  referring  in  mockery  to 
Europa's  wish  v.  45  if. 


73  ff .  uxor  esse :  a  Greek  con- 
struction for  the  more  common 
te  uxor  em  esse.  —  invicti:  <so  it 
is  useless  for  thee  to  struggle 
against  thy  fate.1  —  mitte :  cf.  3, 
8,  17.  —  sectus  orbis:  half  the 
world.  Cf.  Varro  L.  L.  5,  31 
divisa  est  caeli  regionibus  terra  in 
Asiam  et  Europam;  and  Plin. 
N.  H.  3,  5  Europam  plerique 
vierito  non  tertiam  portionem  fe- 
cere,  verum  aequain,  in  diias 
paries  ab  amne  Tanai  ad  Gadi- 
tanum  fretum  iiniverso  orbe  di- 
viso.  —  nomina  :  cf.  r,  2,  15.  — 
ducet:  shall  take;  cf.  S.  2,  I, 
66  Laelius  aut  qui  \  dnxit  ab 
oppressa  merititm  Carthagine  no- 
men. 


28 

'Come,  Lyde,  bring  out  some  good  old  wine,  relax  your  fortified 
sobriety.  'Tis  now  past  noon  ;  \ve  must  be  quick  to  celebrate  with  cup 
and  song  Neptune's  great  holiday.  We'll  sing  in  amoebean  strains 
until  Night  claims  a  parting  song.' 

3»9 


3.  28,  i] 


HORATI 


The  festival  which  occasioned  this  ode  was  the  Neptnnalia,  which 
fell  on  July  23.  The  people  celebrated  it  in  open  air  festival,  erecting 
booths  of  boughs,  called  umbrae,  along  the  banks  of  the  Tiber  or  on  the 
seashore,  for  protection  from  the  sun.  Horace,  however,  represents 
himself  as  on  his  farm,  where  he  bids  his  severe  housekeeper  join  him 
in  a  carouse.  Metre,  71. 

Festo  quid  potius  die 

Neptuni  faciam  ?     Prome  reconditum, 
Lyde,  strenua  Caecubum, 

munitaeque  adhibe  vim  sapientiae. 
5  Inclinare  meridiem 

sentis  et,  veluti  stet  volucris  dies, 
parcis  deripere  horreo 

cessantem  Bibuli  consulis  amphoram. 
Nos  cantabimus  invicem 


i  ff .  It  suddenly  occurs  to  Hor- 
ace that  it  is  the  day  of  Neptune's 
festival,  which  furnishes  him  an 
excuse  for  some  relaxation.  — 
prome  :  cf.  1,36,  1 1 .  —  recondi- 
tum :  hoarded  away  in  the  back 
of  the  apotheca  ;  cf.  Epod.  9,  I 
repast  urn  Caecnbttin.  —  strenua  : 
to  be  taken  with  prome,  hurry  and 
broach.  —  munitae  .  .  .  sapientiae: 
your  well  fortified  (and  stern) 
philosophy.  Lyde  is  evidently  not 
given  to  carouses,  but  Horace 
begs  her  for  once  to  do  violence 
to  her  strenuous  principles.  Some 
critics  have  wished  to  believe  that 
Lyde  —  who  probably  lived  only 
in  Horace's  imagination  —  was  a 
flute  girl,  yet  music  girls  possessed 
no  munitam  sapientiam  to  hinder  a 
carouse,  and  the  whole  wit  of  Hor- 
ace's verses  lies  in  the  absurditv 


of  this  proposal  tp  his  severe  and 
probably  old  housekeeper  to  join 
him  in  a  drinking  bout  and  song. 

5  f .  'It  is  already  late  and  we 
must  hurry.'  —  inclinare  meridiem  : 
a  common  belief  was  that  the  sun 
and  stars  were  fixed  in  the  vaulted 
sky,  which  revolved,  carrying  them 
with  it.  Cf.  Cic.  Tusc.  3,  3,  7  /;/- 
clinato  ia>n  in  posttneridiannm 
tempus  die.  —  et :  and  yet.  —  stet : 
were  standing  still. 

7  f .  deripere  :  to  hurry  down. 
Cf.  3,  21,  7,  descende  and  n.  With 
the  infin.,  cf.  Epist.  i,  3,  16  tit 
tangere  "vitet.  —  horreo  :  i.e.  the 
apotheca.  —  cessantem  :  as  if  the 
jar  were  reluctant. — Bibuli :  M.  Cal- 
purnius  liibulus.  consul  in  59  K.c. 

9  f.  nos :  /,  as  lu,  v.  II  shows  : 
cf.  i,  6,  5  and  n.-^ invicem:  in 
my  turn.  —  viridis :  the  tradi- 


320 


CARMINA 


[3.  29 


10 


Neptunum  et  viridis  Nereidum  comas ; 
tu  curva  recines  lyra 

Latonam  et  celeris  spicula  Cynthiae ; 
summo  carmine  quae  Cnidon 

fulgentisque  tenet  Cycladas,  et  Paphum 
iunctis  visit  oloribus ; 

dicetur  merita  Nox  quoque  nenia. 


tional  color  of  the  sea-nymphs. 
In  general  the  colors  and  ap- 
pearance of  the  sea  are  attributed 
to  the  divinities  whose  home  is 
in  it ;  hence  Thetis  is  mater 
caerula,  Epod.  13,  16.  Cf.  also 
Stat.  Silv.  i,  5,  1 6  f.  tie  deae 
•virides  liquidosqiie  advertite  ind- 
ti4s  |  et  vitreutn  teneris  crincm 
redimite  corymbis. 

ii  f.  recines:  sing  in  anyiver- 
ing strains.  —  Latonam  .  .  .  spicu- 
la :  note  the  correspondence  with 
v.  10.  With  the  theme,  cf.  Eurip. 
Hec.  462  f.  <ruv  A^Aiacriv  re  KOV- 

palS      A/3T€/il8oS    T£    #CaS     \pV<ji<UV 

a/ATTi'Ka  TO£O.  T'  f.v\oyr)O'(a.  *  And 
with  the  Delian  maidens  I  will 
praise  the  golden  head-band  and 
the  weapons  of  the  goddess  Arte- 
mis ' 

13  f.  summo  carmine :  at  the 
end  of ;  cf.  Epist.  I,  I,  I  summa 


dicende  camena  ;  and  luv.  i,  5 
summilibri.  —  quae  :  i.e.  earn  quae  ; 
cf.  3,  26,  9.  The  verb  cantabimus 
still  continues.  With  this  para- 
phrase for  Venus,  cf.  the  address  of 
Posidippus  Anth.  Pal.  12,  131,  i  f. 
a  Kvrrpoi/  a  Tf.  K.v6rjpa.  Kal  a 
rov  €7rotvets  KOL  TO 


ITTTTOKpOTOV 

cf.  i,  14,  19  nitentes  Cycladas. 
The  worship  of  Aphrodite  was 
widespread  among  the  islands  of 
the  Aegean,  and  was  especially 
cultivated  at  Naxos. 

15  f.  iunctis  .  .  .  oloribus  : 
drawn  by,  etc.  The  swan  was 
sacred  to  the  goddess  and  in  po- 
etry frequently  draws  her  car.  For 
the  construction,  cf.  3,  3,  16.— 
dicetur:  cf.  i,  6,  5  and  n.  —  Nox: 
'we  will  continue  until  nightfall." 
—  nenia:  a  good-night  song:  not 
here  a  '  dirge1  as  in  2,  i,  38. 


29 

'  Maecenas,  child  of  Tuscan  kings,  long  have  the  wine  and  roses 
waited  for  thee  on  my  Sabine  farm.  Do  not  delay;  leave  thy  lofty  city 
pile,  and  all  that  thou  canst  see  from  it  of  Tivoli  and  Tusculum,  the 
smoke  and  din  of  Rome,  and  soothe  thy  cares  with  grateful,  simple 
feasts  (1-16).  Now  rages  dog  clay  heat  and  drought;  the  shepherd 
HOR.  CAR.  —  21  321 


j,  29,  i]  HORATI 

and  his  flock  seek  the  shade  and  cool,  and  every  breeze  is  stilled.  Yet 
thou  art  anxious  for  our  state  and  fear  our  furthest  border  foes  (17-28). 
All  that  is  wrong.  God  has  hidden  the  future  from  man's  sight  and 
laughs  at  mortals'  anxious  care.  Deal  with  the  present  and  be  satisfied  ; 
for  all  besides  goes  like  a  stream,  now  quiet,  now  wild  (29-41).  He 
shall  be  master  of  himself  who  lives  the  present  hour ;  that  single  gift 
Heaven  cannot  take  back  (41-48).  Dame  Fortune  plays  with  man, 
but  I  will  not  be  her  sport.  If  she  be  kind,  'tis  well ;  but  if  she  fly 
away,  I  am  unchanged  with  honor  still.  No  timid  trader  I  to  bargain 
with  the  gods  to  save  my  goods  when  the  southwester  blows.  Nay,  from 
the  storm  my  little  boat  and  the  Twin  Gods  will  keep  me  still  unharmed 
(49-64).' 

The  last  place  before  the  epilogue  in  his  collected  lyrics  Horace  thus 
gives  to  the  friend  and  patron  to  whom  he  had  dedicated  the  three 
books.  See  Introductory  n.  to  i,  i.  Maecenas'  care  for  the  well-being 
of  the  state  and  anxiety  over  possible  foreign  foes  furnish  Horace  an 
opportunity  to  urge  again  the  wisdom  of  thinking  solely  of  the  present 
hour;  that  only  that  which  we  already  have  is  surely  ours.  He  then 
goes  to  develop  in  his  own  manner  a  kindred  theme  —  independence 
of  the  whims  of  fortune. 

The  allusions  in  vv.  26-28  seem  to  fix  the  date  as  26-25  B>c->  when 
Augustus  was  absent  in  the  West.  Metre,  68. 

Tyrrhena  regum  progenies,  tibi 
non  ante  verso  lene  merum  cado 
cum  flore,  Maecenas,  rosarum  et 
pressa  tuis  balanus  capillis 

5  iamdudum  apud  me  est:  eripe  te  morae, 

ne  semper  udum  Tibur  et  Aefulae 

i  ff.  Tyrrhena,  etc. :  see    I,  r,  here  the  oil  pressed  from  the  nut 

i  and  n.  — verso :  '  tipped '  to  pour  for  unguent ;  translate,  nut  oil.  — 

the  wine  into  the   mixer ;  hence  iamdudum,   etc. :    '  I  have  waited 

broached. — lene:    tnellmv ;   cf.    3,  long;  come.'     Cf.  I-~pist.    i,  5,    7 

21,8  languidiora  i<ina.  — flore  .  .  .  iamdmitim  splendet  focus  et  iibi 

rosarum  :  cf.  2,  3,  \^flores  anioenae  ittnnda  supellcv. 
roscu ;  3,  15,  15.  —  balanus:  prop-  5  ff.    morae  :    hesitancy.  —  ne, 

t-rly  the   ntyrnbalanus,  'ben  nut,'  etc.:    a  purpose-   clause  following 

grown    in    Egypt     and     Arabia ;  eripe.     Translate,   however,  as   a 

322 


CARMINA 


[3,  29,  14 


declive  contempleris  arvum  et 
Telegoni  iuga  parricidae. 

Fastidiosam  desere  copiam  et 
10  molem  propinquam  nubibus  arduis ; 

omitte  mirari  beatae 
fumum  et  opes  strepitumque  Romae. 

Plerumque  gratae  divitibus  vices, 
mundaeque  parvo  sub  lare  pauperum 


negative  exhortation,  do  not  al- 
ways, etc.  —  udum  Tibur  :  well 
•watered  Tivoli.  For  the  applica- 
bility of  the  adjective  cf.  i,  7,  13 
and  n.  —  Aefulae,  etc. :  a  town 
a,mong  the  hills  between  Tibur 
and  Praeneste. 

8.  Telegoni,  etc.  :  Tusculum, 
founded  by  Telegonus,  the  son  of 
Ulysses  and  Circe.  When  his 
mother  sent  him  in  quest  of  his 
father  he  came  to  Ithaca  and  there 
unwittingly  slew  Ulysses.  With 
the  preceding  verses  cf.  Ovid.  Fast. 
4,  71  f.  et  iam  Telegoni,  i  am  moe- 
nia  Tiburis  udi  \  stabant. 

9  f.  fastidiosam  :  cloying.  — 
molem  propinquam,  etc. :  thy 
pile,  near  neighbor,  etc.  Cf.  2, 
15,  2.  The  palace  called  alta 
domus  Epod.  9,  3  which  Maecenas 
built  on  the  Esquiline.  It  had  a 
lofty  tower  which  commanded  a 
view  of  the  Campagna  and  sur- 
rounding hills.  From  this  turris 
Maecenatiana,  as  it  was  later 
called,  Nero  is  said  (Suet.  Nero 
38)  to  have  watched  the  burning 
of  Rome. 


ii  f.  omitte :  cf.  the  simple 
mitte  i,  38,  3 ;  3,  27, 74.  —  beatae : 
cf.  i,  4,  .14;  3,  26,  9.  —  fumum  et 
opes,  etc. :  this  graphic  line  is  fa- 
mous ;  Tennyson's  verse,  In  Mem. 
89,  is  a  reminiscence  of  it,  '  The 
dust  and  din  and  steam  of  town.' 

13.  A  general  statement  —  'the 
rich  suffer  from  ennui  and  are 
eager  for  a  change  simply  for  a 
change's  sake,  and  not  because  it 
brings  them  any  real  advantage.' 
Cf.  Lucretius'  description  of  the 
uneasy  3,  1057  ff.  hand  ita  (i.e. 
if  men  could  know  the  cause  of 
their  uneasiness)  vitam  agerent 
ut  mine  plerumque  videmus  \  quid 
sibi  quisque  velit  nescire  et  quae- 
rere  semper  \  commutare  locum, 
quasi  onus  deponere  possit ;  \  exit 
saepe  for  as  magnis  ex  aedibus  Hie, 
|  esse  domi  quern  pertaesumst,  subi- 
toque  revertit  \  quippe  forts  nilo 
melirts  qui  sentiat  esse.  \  currit  agens 
mannos  ad  villain  praecipitanter. 

— plerumque:  cf.  i,  34,  7  and 
n.  —  gratae  :  sc.  sunt.  —  vices : 
a  change. 

14  ff.    mundae  :  simple,  striking 


323 


3.  29.  'S3 


HORATI 


15  cenae  sine  aulaeis  et  ostro 

sollicitam  explicuere  frontem. 

lam  clarus  occultum  Andromedae  pater 
ostendit  ignem,  iam  Procyon  furit 

et  stella  vesani  Leonis, 
20  sole  dies  referente  siccos ; 

iam  pastor  umbras  cum  grege  languido 
rivumque  fessus  quaerit  et  horridi 
dumeta  Silvani,  caretque 
ripa  vagis  taciturna  ventis  : 

25  tu  civitatem  quis  deceat  status 

curas  et  urbi  sollicitus  times 


the  mean  between  pretentiousness 
and  cheap  squalor,  as  Horace  him- 
self defines  the  word,  S.  2,  2,  65  f. 
mnndns  erit,  qui  non  offendet  sor- 
dibits  atque  \  in  neutratn  partem 
cultus  miser.  Cf.  n.  on  munditiis 
I,  5,  5.  —  lare:  roof;  cf.  i,  12,44. 
—  pauper um  :  cf.  n.  on  pauperiem 
I ,  1 ,  1 8 .  —  aulaeis  :  tapestries.  — 
ostro  :  used  in  the  aulaea  and  up- 
holstery. —  explicuere  :  gnomic 
perfect.  Intr.  103. 

1 7  ff .  '  The  dog  days  are  come ; 
it  is  the  time  for  rest.'  —  clarus 
occultum  :  with  this  antithesis,  cf. 
1 , 6, 9  and  n .  —  Andromedae  pater : 
Cepheus,  once  king  of  Egypt,  hus- 
band of  Cassiopea  and  united  with 
her  in  the  sky  in  the  constellation 
that  bears  her  name.  It  rose  July 
9.  —  Procyon  :  the  lesser  dog-star, 
rising  July  15. — Leonis:  now 
called  Regulus.  rising  July  30. 

2t  ff.    iam  pastor,  etc. :  cf.  the 


anonymous  Greek  epigram  ^w 
Trot/xav  ev  opecrcri  p.f.<rap.ftpivov 
ay\66i  Trayas  |  criyu'o'Stuv,  Aaaiu? 
Bdfj.v(t>  UTTO  TrXardvov  \  KavfjuciT 
oTrtoptvoto  <£vytoi>  Kvvos.  'And 
the  shepherd  on  the  mountains  at 
midday,  piping  by  a  spring  and 
shunning  the  heat  of  the  summer 
dog-star  in  a  copse  under  a  thick 
plane  tree  ; '  and  Theognis1  impa- 
tience, 1039  f.,  at  those  who  do 
not  fortify  themselves  in  hot 
weather  a<f>pove<i  avOponroL  KOU. 

VT/7TIOI,     OlTlVtS      OIVOV   \   fJirj     TTIVOVO' 

aarpov  Kal  KVVO<;  ap)^o(j.evov.  'Silly 
senseless  men.  who  drink  not  wine 
while  the  Dog-star  is  supreme  ! ' 

—  rivum  :  cf.  2,  5,  6  and  3,  13, 
9-12.  —  horridi:  rough,  as  be- 
comes the  dweller  in  the  thickets ; 
cf.  n.  to  Epod.  2.  22. 

25  ff.  tu :  •  The  shepherd  and 
his  sheep  rest,  but  you,'  etc.  Cf. 
2,  9,  9.  —  status  :  policy.  The 


324 


CARMINA 


[3.  29.  34 


quid  Seres  et  regnata  Cyro 

Bactra  parent  Tanaisque  discors. 

Prudens  futuri  temporis  exitum 
30  caliginosa  nocte  premit  deus, 

ridetque  si  mortalis  ultra 

fas  trepidat.     Quod  adest  memento 

componere  aequus :  cetera  fluminis 
ritu  feruntur,  nunc  medio  alveo 


reference  is  apparently  to  Maece- 
nas1 position  as  Augustus'  chief 
adviser  in  the  settlement  of  the 
empire,  and  as  the  Emperor's  rep- 
resentative during  his  absence  in 
26-258.0.  —  urbi  :  with  both  sol- 
licitus  and  times.  —  Seres,  etc.: 
Horace  ironically  chooses  remote 
peoples  to  show  how  needless 
Maecenas'  fears  are.  —  regnata 
Cyro  :  cf.  2,  6,  1  1  .  —  Bactra  :  the 
farthest  part  of  the  Parthian  Em- 
pire. —  Tanais  :  i.e.  the  Scythians. 
With  this  use  of  the  river  for  the 
people  who  dwell  by  it,  cf.  2,  9,  21  ; 
20,  20.  —  discors:  and  so  not  to 
be  feared  by  us. 

29  ff.  The  uncertainty  of  to- 
morrow and  the  folly  of  being 
anxious  for  it.  Cf.  Theog.  1075  ff. 
Trp^ypiTos  d.Trpr)KTov  ^aAcTrwraTOi/ 
tori  reXevrrjv  \  yvwvai,  OTTOS  /xe'A- 


yap  TeVarai.  '  Of  that  which  is 
yet  unaccomplished  it  is  most 
difficult  to  recognize  the  end  and 
know  how  God  will  complete  it. 
A  mist  is  stretched  before  us.'  - 
—  prudens  .  .  .  deus:  cf.  1,3. 


21.  —  caliginosa  :  cf.  op^vq  in  the 
passage  of  Theognis  just  quoted, 
and  luv.  6,  556  et  genus  humanum 
dam  Hat  caligo  futuri. 

31  f.  ridet :  laughs  in  scorn ; 
cf.  3,  27,  67  ridens  Venus.  — 
mortalis  ultra,  etc. :  '  mortal  should 
have  mortal's  thoughts ; '  cf.  2, 
1 6,  17.  —  trepidat:  frets  him- 
self] cf.  2,  11,4.  —  quod  adest, 
etc. :  one  of  Horace's  favorite 
rules  for  a  wise  life.  So  Find. 
P.  3,  21  ff.  CCTTI  8f  <f>v\.ov  av- 
i  fjuaraioTarov,  \  OOTIS  aur- 
€7Tt^wpia  TraTrraivci  TO. 
/jLeTafJuavta  @r)ptv<av  aKpdv- 
TOIS  eXirivw.  '  There  is  a  tribe 
most  foolish  among  men.  of  such 
as  scorn  the  things  of  home  and 
gaze  at  that  which  is  far  off,  chas- 
ing vain  objects  with  hopes  that 
shall  never  be  fulfilled.' 

33  ff.  aequus :  i.e.  '  keep  thy- 
self unruffled  whether  the  hour 
bring  good  or  ill.'  —  cetera:  i.e. 
all  the  future.  —  ritu:  like]  cf.  3, 
14,  I  and  n.  —  feruntur :  are  swept 
along:  marking  the  impossibility 
of  directing  the  future.  Cf.  Sen. 


32$ 


3»  29,  35] 


HOKATI 


35 

f 


cum  pace  delabentis  Etruscum 
in  mare,  nunc  lapides  adesos 

stirpisque  raptas  et  pecus  et  domos 
volventis  una,  non  sine  montium 
clamore  vicinaeque  silvae, 
cum  fera  diluvies  quietos 

inritat  amnis.     Ille  potens  sui 
laetusque  deget,  cui  licet  in  diem 
dixisse  '  Vixi ;  eras  uel  atra 
nube  polum  pater  occupato, 


Epist.  23  ceteri,  eorum  more  quae 
flnniinibns  innatant,  non  emit  sed 
feruntiir.  —  nunc  medio  alveo, 
etc. :  most  of  the  rivers  known  to 
Horace  were  mountain  streams, 
which  in  dry  seasons  are  small  and 
quiet,  but  after  a  rainfall  become 
swollen  torrents  quickly.  — Etrus- 
cum :  the  verse  is  hypermetric. 
Intr.  68.  —  lapides  adesos.  etc.: 
cf.  //.  11,  492  ff.  <!>s  8*  OTTOTC  TrA/ty- 
6tav  Trora/tAos  TreSi'ovSe  Kareunv  | 
Xfi/Aappovj  KO.T  op(.(T<f>iv,  O7ra£o- 
/xcvo9  Ato?  ofj.(3pto. 
Spvs  a£uAeus,  TroAAas  8e  re 
|  ca^eperai,  and  Lucret  I,  281  ff. 
et  cum  mollis  aquae  fertiir  natitra 
repente  \  fluminc  abundant  i,  quam 
largis  imbribus  angel  \  montibus 
ex  alt  is  magnus  decurstis  aguai,  \ 
fragmina,  coniciens  sih'arum  ar- 
bustaqtie  iota.  |  .  .  .  ita  iinigno 
tnrbidns  imbri  .  .  .  aninis  \  <tat 
sonitit  Hiagno  stragem  t'oh'ittjite 
sub  undis  \  gnutdia  sa.va. 

37  ff.    raptas :    with    all    three 


nouns.  —  clamore  :    personifying 
the  mountains  and  woods. 

41.  potens  sui:  independent: 
i.e.  not  enslaved  by  his  thoughts 
of  the  morrow,  by  '  hope  to  rise  or 
fear  to  fall.1  The  dependent  man  is 
described  Epist.  i ,  1 6,  65  nain  qui 
cupiet,  met  net  qnoqne ;  porro  \  qui 
metnens  vivet,  liber  mihi  non  erit 
umquam. 

43  ff.  '  To-day  is  mine  ;  let  to- 
morrow be  what  it  will,  it  cannot 
take  from  me  that  which  I  have 
once  enjoyed.1  A  common  senti- 
ment. Cf.  Sen.  Epist.  12  in  som- 
nnm  itnrilaeti  hilaresque  dicamns: 
1  vixi  et  quern  dederat  cur  sum  For- 
fiinn,  pet'egiS  Mart.  I,  15,  u  f. 
mm  est,  crede  mihi,  sapientis  di- 
cer e:  '  viva in?  \  sera  nimis  vita 
est  crastina.  *.<h>e  Jwdie',  5,  58, 
7  f.  eras  vives  ?  hodie  iam  vivere^ 
/'(>  \tttwe,  serum  est.  \  ille  sapit 
t/iiisi/iris,  1'ustnnie,  vixit  heri.  — 
dixisse  :  with  the  tense,  cf.  3,  4,  51, 
—  pater:  cf.  i,  2,  2. 


326 


CARMINA 


[3.  29,  58 


45 


55 


vel  sole  puro  :  non  tamen  inritum 
quodcumque  retro  est  efficiet,  neque 
diffinget  infectumque  reddet 
quod  fugiens  semel  hora  vexit' 

Fortuna,  saevo  laeta  negotio  et 
ludum  insolentem  ludere  pertinax, 
transmutat  incertos  honores, 
nunc  mihi,  nunc  alii  benigna. 

Laudo  manentem  :  si  celeris  quatit 
pennas,  resigno  quae  dedit  et  mea 
virtute  me  involve  probamque 
pauperiem  sine  dote  quaero. 

Non  est  meum,  si  mugiat  Africis 
malus  procellis,  ad  miseras  preces 


45  ff.  inritum  :  void.  —  diffin- 
get :  change.  —  infectum  reddet : 
destroy.  —  fugiens  :  in  Us  flight. 

49  ff.  cf.  Dryden's  famous  para- 
phrase, '  Fortune  that  with  mali- 
cious joy  |  Does  Man,  her  slave, 
oppress,  |  Proud  of  her  office  to 
destroy,  |  Is  seldom  pleased  to 
bless :  |  Still  various,  and  incon- 
stant still,  |  But  with  an  inclination 
to  be  ill,  |  Promotes,  degrades,  de- 
lights in  strife,  |  And  makes  a  lot- 
tery of  life.  |  I  can  enjoy  her 
while  she's  kind ;  |  But  when  she 
dances  in  the  wind,  |  And  shakes 
her  wings  and  will  not  stay,  |  I 
puff  the  prostitute  away :  |  The 
little  or  the  much  she  gave,  is 
quickly  resigned,  |  Content  with 
poverty  my  soul  I  arm,  |  And  vir- 
tue, though  in  rags,  will  keep  me 
warm.' 


49  ff.  laeta  :  rejoicing  in.  — / 
ludum  :  cf.  2,  i,  3.  —  ludere  :  Intr. 
1 08.  —  transmutat  honores:  cf.  i, 

34r 14  ff. 

52.  mihi :  Horace  here  lapses 
into  his  common  habit  of  using 
himself  as  a  concrete  illustration 
of  the  principle  (here  of  indepen- 
dence) he  has  been  urging. 

54  ff.  pennas :  Fortune  is  al- 
ways winged  :  cf .  i ,  34,  1 5 .  —  re- 
signo :  /  yield  back ;  apparently  a 
book-keeping  term  <  to  carry  to 
the  other  side  of  the  account,'  '  to 
credit  back.'  —  me  involve:  his 
honor  is  his  only  cloak.  Cf. 
Plato's  proposal  for  his  ideal  state 
Rep.  5,  457  A.  uperr/v  avrl  ifjuaTiwv 
a.fJL(f>i:(TOVTai  (ui  yvviiiKfs) .  — 
quaero  :  as  a  lover  his  bride. 

57.  non  est  meum  :  colloquial. 
it's  not  my  way.  Cf.  Plaut.  Asin. 


327 


3,  29,  59]  HORATI 

decurrere  et  votis  pacisci, 
60  ne  Cypriae  Tyriaeque  merces 

addant  avaro  divitias  mari : 
tune  me  biremis  praesidio  scaphae 
tutum  per  Aegaeos  tumultus 
aura  feret  geminusque  Pollux. 

190  AR.  non  nieum  est.  CL.  nee  point  is  that  a  tiny  boat  will  save 

ineiini  quidein  edepol,  —  mugiat:  a  man  from  the  storms  of  life  if 

cf.  i,  14,  5.  only  he  possess  a  soul  content 

59  f .  votis  pacisci :  ironically  within  itself.  —  aura  :  the  breeze, 

said  of  the  common  '  bargain '  contrasted  with  Africis  procellis. 

prayer.  —  Cypriae  Tyriaeque  :  con-  —  geminus  Pollux  :  Castor  and 

crete  for  '  Oriental.'  Pollux,  who  will  secure  him  the 

61  ff.  avaro  .  .  .  mari:  acorn-  favoring  breeze  and  a  safe  voyage, 

mon  personification;  cf.  I,  28,  18.  For  the  Dioscuri  as  protectors  of 

—  biremis  :  two-oared  skiff.  The  sailors,  see  I,  3,  2  and  n. 


In  the  prologue  to  the  three  books  of  odes  Horace  expresses  the 
modest  hope  that  Maecenas  will  count  him  a  lyric  poet;  in  the  epi- 
logue he  triumphantly  declares  that  he  has  built  a  monument  of  verse 
that  will  outlast  bronze  and  unnumbered  time  itself.  He  boasts  that 
his  fame  shall  grow  when  he  is  dead,  and  that  so  long  as  Rome  shall 
last,  men  shall  say  that  he  was  the  first  to  transplant  Aeolian  verse  to 
Italy.  So  let  the  Muse  place  the  laurel  crown  upon  his  brow. 

It  is  little  wonder  that  when  Horace  surveyed  the  substantial  body 
of  lyric  verse  which  he  was  about  to  intrust  to  the  world,  he  felt  a  nat- 
ural pride  in  his  accomplishment.  This  feeling  was  undoubtedly  in- 
creased by  the  thought  of  his  humble  origin  and  by  the  memory  of  his 
early  struggles  for  recognition  and  of  the  envious  scorn  he  had  aroused 
among  the  noble  poetasters  of  his  day.  Of  this  last,  however,  there  is 
no  hint  in  this  ode.  Horace  now  knew  that  his  fame  was  secure.  He 
was  the  first  Roman  to  write  a  large  amount  of  lyric  poetry,  and  his 
odes  had  already  received  the  favorable  judgment  of  the  best  critics  in 
Rome.  If  to  our  modern  taste  he  seems  too  frank  in  expression,  we 
must  remember  that  antiquity  apparently  took  no  sucli  offense,  for  he 
had  many  predecessors,  and  latt  i  poets  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  with 
equal  boldness.  Metre,  only  i,  i  and  here,  53. 

328 


CARMINA 


[3,  30, 


Exegi  monumentum  acre  perennius 
regalique  situ  pyramidum  altius, 
quod  non  imber  edax,  non  Aquilo  impotens 
possit  diruere  aut  innumerabilis 
annorum  series  et  fuga  temporum. 
Non  omnis  moriar,  multaque  pars  mei 
vitabit  Libitinam  ;  usque  ego  postera 
crescam  laude  recens ;  dum  Capitolium 


i  ff.  exegi  :  emphasizing  the 
completion  of  the  work.  Horace 
may  have  had  in  mind  Pindar's 
boast,  P.  6,  7  ff.  CTOI/MOS  V/AVWV 

...   I  TOV 


c  \0iav  fpi/3po/jiov  vc<£e  Axis,  |  arparos 
a/xei  Ai^os,  OVT  ave/xos  es  /ni^ous  aAos 


vov.  'A  ready  treasury  of  song  has 
now  been  built.  .  .  .  neither  winter 
storm,  coming  fiercely  from  the 
thunder  cloud,  a  grim  host,  nor 
wind-blast  shall  carry  it  to  the 
secret  recesses  of  the  sea,  beaten 
by  the  sweeping  rubble.'  Cf.  also 
Ovid's  imitation  of  Horace  in  the 
epilogue  to  the  Metamorphoses, 
iamque  opus  exegi  quod  nee  lovis 
ira  nee  ignis  \  nee  poterit  ferruin 
nee  edax-  abolere  vetustas,  etc. 

2  ff  .  situ  :  pile.  —  pyramidum  : 
the  lofty  pyramids  have  naturally 
been  a  measure  of  man's  supremest 
accomplishment  in  both  ancient 
and  more  modern  times.  —  quod: 
such  that*  etc.  —  edax:  frequently 
applied  to  time.  e.g.  Anth.  l.at. 
1  167.  46  M.  quae  non  tetnpiis  edax, 
non  rapit  ira  lovis.  Claud.  Car  in. 


mm.-  34,  5  aetatis  spatium  non 
tenuavit  edax.  —  impotens  :  power- 
less to  harm,  not  '  weak,'  as  in  I , 
37,  10.  —  fuga :  cf.  2, 14, 1  fugaces 
anni;  3,  29,  48. 

6  f .  non  omnis  moriar,  etc. :  cf. 
Ovid's  imitations  Am.  I,  15,  42 
parsque  mei  multa  superstes  erit : 
Met.  15, 875  f.  parte tamen  meliore 
mei  super  alta  perennis  \  astra 
ferar.  —  Libitina  :  the  goddess  al 
whose  temple  all  the  requirements 
for  funerals  were  rented  out  and 
where  the  registry  of  deaths  was 
kept.  Therefore  by  metonymy, 
'the  rites  of  death.1 

7.  usque :  still,  on  and  on.  — 
crescam :  i.e.  '  my  glory.'  —  re- 
cens :  ever  new.  —  dum  Capito- 
lium, etc. :  in  the  last  half  of  the 
first  century  before  our  era  the 
vast  extent  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire and  the  fixity  of  Roman  in- 
stitutions made  a  strong  appeal  to 
the  imaginations  of  men  ;  the  per- 
manence of  Rome  became  the 
measure  of  all  permanence ;  it  is 
at  this  time  that  we  find  the  phrase 
urbs  aeterna  first  applied  to  the 
city.  Horace  and  others  chose 


329 


3.  30,  9] 


HORATI 


10 


scandet  cum  tacita  virgine  pontifex, 
dicar,  qua  violens  obstrepit  Aufidus 
et  qua  pauper  aquae  Daunus  agrestium 
regnavit  populorum  ex  humili  potens, 
princeps  Aeolium  carmen  ad  Italos 
deduxisse  modes.     Sume  superbiam 
quaesitam  meritis  et  mihi  Delphica 
lauro  cinge  volens,  Melpomene,  comam. 


the  Capitol  as  the  most  significant 
center  of  Roman  institutions.  Cf. 
Verg.  A.  9,  446  ft.  fortunati ambo  ! 
si  quid  tfiea  carmina  possunt,  \ 
nnlla  dies  umquam  memori  i>os 
eziiiiet  aevo,  \  dum  domus  Aeneae 
Capitoli  inmobile  saxum  \  accolet. 
Ovid  Trist.  3,  7,  50  ff.  me  tatnen 
extincto  fama  superstes  erit,  \ 
dutnqne  sitis  victrix  omnem  de 
montibns  orbem  \  prospiciet  domi- 
tuin  Martia  Roma,  legar.  Also 
Mart.  9,  I,  5  ff. 

9.  scandet,  etc. :  we  do  not 
know  whether  Horace  refers  to 
any  regular  procession  ;  it  is  most 
probable  that  he  mentions  the 
Vestal  Virgin  and  Pontifex  simply 
as  representatives  of  two  ancient 
institutions. 

10  ff.  dicar  :  men  shall  say.  — 
qua,  etc. :  i.e.  '  I  shall  be  honored 
in  the  district  where  I  was  born.' 

—  obstrepit  :    the    Aufidus    is    a 
mountain    stream    in    its     upper 
course.  —  pauper  aquae:  cf.  Epod. 
3,    1 6  siticulosae   Apuliae ;    Ovid 
Met.  14,  510  arida  Daunt  arva. 

—  Daunus:  cf.  n.  to  i,  22,  14.— 
populorum  :    object  of  regnavit : 


a  Greek  construction.  —  ex  humili 
potens :  with  Daunus,  a  rider 
sprung  from  low  estate. 

13  f .    princeps  :  Horace  ignores 
Catullus.  —  Aeolium:    cf.  I,  I,  34 
and  n. ;  2,  13,24.  —  Italos:  since 
the  conquest  of  Italy,   equivalent 
to    Latinos.  —  deduxisse  :    com- 
posed;   apparently    a     metaphor 
taken  from  spinning.     Cf.  Epist  2, 
I,  225  tenui  deducta  poemata  filo, 
and  our  common  '  spin,'  '  to  run  on 
at  length,'  *  to  relate.'  —  modos  : 
strains.     Horace's  claim   to  emi- 
nence is  that  he  has  been  the  pio- 
neer in  writing  lyric  poetry  after  the 
manner  of  the  best  of  the  Greeks. 

14  ff.  sume  superbiam :  i.e.  '  as 
is  thy  right,   for  thou,  goddess, 
hast   inspired   all  my  song.'     Cf. 
the  acknowledgment  4,  3,  24  quod 
spiro  et  placeo,    si   placeo  tuum 
(fieri)  est.  —  Delphica  :  cf.  4, 2, 9, 
laurea  Apollinari.  —  volens  :  gra- 
ciously ;  with  propitiits  a  common 
formula  in  prayers.      So  Livy   i, 
1 6,  3  precious  e.vposcunt  uti  volens 
propitius   suatn    semper  sospitet 
progeniem.  —  Melpomene :   cf.  n. 
to  i,  i,  33- 


330 


LIBER   QVARTVS 

i 

Ten  years  after  the  publication  of  what  he  had  regarded  as  the 
definitive  edition  of  his  lyric  poems,  Horace  gathered  into  a  fourth 
book  some  occasional  odes  written  at  the  request  of  Augustus,  and  cer- 
tain other  poems.  See  Intr.  9.  At  the  head  of  the  collection  he 
placed  some  light  verses  reminiscent  of  his  earlier  service  as  a  poet  of 
love,  and  intended  to  remind  the  reader  that  this  was  still  his  proper 
field.  In  these  verses  he  protests  that  at  fifty  his  days  of  love  are  over, 
and  that  Venus  should  spare  him.  Young  Paulus  Maximus,  the  noble, 
comely,  ahd  eloquent,  will  do  the  goddess  larger  service  and  pay  her 
greater  honor.  For  himself,  he  no  longer  finds  delight  in  maid  or  boy, 
in  hope  for  love  returned,  in  sport  with  wine  and  flowers.  And  yet, 
what  means  this  tear  ! 

The  unexpected  turn  at  v.  33  is  similar  to  that  in  3,  26,  n  f.  Paulus 
Maximus  is  introduced  by  Horace,  partly  to  compliment  his  young 
friend,  and  partly  to  secure  a  foil  for  himself  and  his  ten  lustra.  The 
ode  was  probably  written  but  a  short  time  before  the  publication  of 
the  book,  i.e.  about  14-13  B.C.  Metre,  71. 

Intermissa,  Venus,  diu 

rursus  bella  moves  ?     Farce,  precor,  precor. 
Non  sum  qualis  eram  bonae 

sub  regno  Cinarae.     Desine,  dulcium 

if.  intermissa:  naturally  placed  reconde',  5,  2,  53;  Mart.  7,  68,  2 

first,  referring  to  the  ten  years  in  parce  precor  socero. 
which  his  lyre   had  not  sung  of  4  f .    sub  regno  :  sway ;  cf.  3,  9, 

love. — bella:    cf.    v.     16    below,  9  me  mine  Thessa  Chloe  regit.— 

and  3,  26,  2  and  n.  —  parce,  etc.  :  Cinarae:  apparently  the  only  one 

frequently  imitated  by  later  poets  :  among  all  of  Horace's  loves  who 

cf.  e.g.  Ovid  Trist.  2,  179  parce  had  a  real   existence.      Between 

precor  fulmenque  tuuin,  fera  tela,  her  and  the  poet  there  seems  to 

331 


4.  I.  53 


HORATI 


5  mater  saeva  Cupidinum, 

circa  lustra  decem  flectere  mollibus 
iam  durum  imperiis  ;  abi 

quo  blandae  iuvenum  te  revocant  preces. 
Tempestivius  in  domum 

10  Pauli  purpureis  ales  oloribus 
comissabere  Maximi, 

si  torrere  iecur  quaeris  idoneum. 
Namque  et  nobilis  et  decens 

et  pro  sollicitis  non  tacitus  reis 
15  et  centum  puer  artium 

late  signa  feret  militiae  tuae, 
et  quandoque  potentior 

have  been  a  genuine  bond  of  affec- 
tion ;  the  reference  to  her  in  4, 
13,  22  ff.  shows  that  at  this  time 
she  was  dead.  —  dulcium  .  .  . 
saeva :  the  two  sides  to  love.  Cf. 
Catull.  68,  17  dea  .  .  .  qnae  dul- 
cem  cur  is  miscet  amaritiem.  — 
mater:  an  echo  of  I,  19,  I  mater 
saeva  Cupidinum. 

6  ff.  circa  lustra  decem :  sc.  me. 
The  lack  of  a  present  participle  in 
Latin  (Greek  ovra)  makes  the  ex- 
pression awkward.  Horace  was 
50  in  15  B.C.  —flectere:  conative. 

—  imperiis  :    dative   with   durum, 
as  the  interlocked  order  and  the 
contrast    between    mollibus    and 
durum     show.  —  revocant :      call 
(with   greater  right) ;    cf.    n.    on 
reponens  i,  9,  6. 

9.  tempestivius :  for  he  is 
young;  cf.  tempestiva  3.  19,  27. 

—  Pauli:    Paulus    Maximus,   cos. 

1 1  B.C.,  was  a  member  of  one  of 


the  noblest  Roman  families,  the 
friend  of  Ovid,  and  a  con'ficlant  of 
Augustus.  He  was  about  twenty- 
two  years  Horace's  junior.  —  pur- 
pureis :  the  rosy  hue  of  divinity; 
cf.  3,  3,  12  and  n.  —  ales  :  winged 
by;  cf.  3,  28,  15.  —  comissabere: 
carry  thy  revelry.  —  torrere  :  cf. 
1 , 33, 6  Lycorida  Cyri  torret  amor. 

—  iecur:  i,  13,  4. 

13  f.  et  .  .  .  et  .  .  .  et,  etc. : 
the  repetition  has  a  cumulative 
force ;  cf.  nee  .  .  .  nee,  etc.  v. 
29  ff.  —  pro  sollicitis.  etc. :  cf .  simi- 
lar compliment  to  Pollio  2.  i.  13  : 
Ovid  ex  Pont.  I,  2,  r  18  addressing 
this  same  Maximus,  (vox  tiiti} 
anxilio  trepidis  quae  solet  esse 
reis. 

16.  signa.  etc.  :  cf.  bella,  v.  2 
above.  On  the  order  of  words 
see  Intr.  21. 

17  ff.    quandoque  :     whenever. 

—  potentior  :     i.e.    through     the 


332 


CAKMINA 


[4,  i,  32 


largi  muneribus  riserit  aemuli, 
Albanos  prope  te  lacus 

20  ponet  marmoream  sub  trabe  citrea. 

Illic  plurima  naribus 

duces  tura,  lyraeque  et  Berecyntiae 
delectabere  tibiae 

mixtis  carminibus  non  sine  fistula ; 
25  illic  bis  pueri  die 

numen  cum  teneris  virginibus  tuum 
laudantes  pede  candido 

in  morem  Salium  ter  quatient  humum. 
Me  nee  femina  nee  puer 
30  iam  nee  spes  animi  credula  mutui 

nee  certare  iuvat  mero 

nee  vincire  novis  tempora  floribus. 


favor  of  Venus.  —  muneribus  :  ab- 
lative with  potentior,  although  it 
also  expresses  that  at  which  he 
laughs  in  scorn.  —  Albanos  prope 
lacus  :  the  lacus  Albanns^nA  lacus 
Nemorensis  in  the  Alban  Hills. 
Near  the  latter  was  the  famous 
shrine  of  Diana.  Probably  Horace 
had  no  definite  spot  in  mind  but 
simply  means,  '  Paulus  will  build 
a  new  shrine  to  thee  near  (or  like) 
that  of  Diana  Nemorensis.' 

20.  marmoream:  in  marble. — 
trabe  :  collectively,  the  rafters.  — 
citrea :  of  African  cedar ;  an  ex- 
pensive wood.  Cross  sections  of 
large  trunks  were  used  for  the 
tops  of  tables,  and  were  extremely 
costly. 

21  f.     plurima  :    abundant.  — 
Berecyntiae  :  cf.  i,  18, 13  ;  3, 19.  18. 


24.   non  sine :  cf.  n.  to  r,  23,  3. 

25  ff.  bis :  i.e.  morning  and 
evening.  —  pueri  .  .  .  cum  teneris 
virginibus:  a  choral  band  similar 
to  that  for  which  i,  21  was  written, 
and  which  sang  the  Carmen  Sae- 
culare.  See  introductory  notes  to 
i,  21  and  C.  S. ;  also  cf.  4,  6,  31  ff. 

28.  Salium:  cf.  r,  36,  12  and 
n.  —  ter  quatient:  cf.  3,  18,  16. 

29  ff.  me :  returning  to  the  per- 
sonal experience.  —  nee  .  .  .  nee, 
etc.:  cf.  n.  to  v.  13.  —  animi  .  .  . 
mutui:  of  a  heart  that  returns 
my  love.  Cf.  3,  9.  13  face  mutua. 

—  credula:   observe  the  effect  of 
its   position,   although   it    is    not 
grammatically  connected  with  the 
inclosing     words.       Intr.    20.  — 
mero :   i.e.  in  a  drinking  contest. 

—  vincire:    in   preparation   for  a 


333 


4,  i,  33]  HORATI 

Sed  cur  heu,  Ligurine,  cur 

manat  rara  meas  lacrima  per  genas  ? 
35  Cur  facunda  parum  decoro 

inter  verba  cadit  lingua  silentio  ? 
Nocturnis  ego  somniis 

iam  captum  teneo,  iam  volucrem  sequor 
te  per  gramina  Martii 
40  campi,  te  per  aquas,  dure,  volubilis. 

comissatio.  —  novis  :  of  the  spring,  27. —  decoro :  hypermetric.  Intr.  7 1 . 

when  the  young  man  (but  not  the  With  the  signs  of  love,  cf.  Sappho, 

man  of  fifty  years)  lightly  turns  to  Frg.  2,  7  ff.  ws  yap  euiSov  /fy>oxe'a>s 

thoughts  of  love.  <rc,  <£wvas  |  ovSev  IT    euc«-  \  dAAa 

33  ff.  sed:  the  unexpected  turn.  Ka/x  /u.cv  yAwao-a  «rye.      Imitated 

—  cur  ...  cur:  Intr.  28 c.— Ligu-  by  Catullus  51,  6ff.  nam  simul te, 
rine :  the  same  name  occurs  again  Lesbia,  adspexi,  nihil  est  super  mi 
4,10,5.    We  need  not  suppose  that  .    .    .   lingua   sed  torpet.      Also 
he  existed  outside  Horace's  fancy.  Epod.  n,  9. 

—  rara  :  a  single  tear,  which  he  un-  38  ff.    iam  .  .  .  iam  :   cf.  nnnc 
expectedly  finds  on  his  cheek.    Cf.  .  .  .  nunc  above. — aquas:  of  the 
1.13,6  umor  et  in  genas  fur  tint  labi-  Tiber.  —  volubilis :  cf.  Epist.  1,2, 
tur.  —  facunda  lingua :    i.e.  ordi-  43  at  ille  (a Minis')  labitur  et  labe- 
narily. — parum :  cf.  n.  iominus  1,2.  tur  in  omne  volubilis  aevnm. 


'Whoever  tries  a  flight  in  rivalry  with  Pindar,  will  surely  fall  like 
Icarus.  That  mighty  poet  pours  forth  his  verse  like  mountain  flood 
and  is  supreme  in  every  field  (1-24).  He  soars  aloft,  a  swan  of  Dirce. 
while  I  am  but  a  Matine  bee  that  gathers  sweets  with  toil  (25-32). 
But  thou,  Antonius,  art  a  poet,  and  canst  sing  in  fuller  strain  the  tri- 
umphs of  our  supreme  Caesar  and  hymn  his  glad  return.  Then  I  too 
will  add  my  voice  to  swell  the  greeting  (33-52).  Thou  shalt  make 
large  thanksgiving  sacrifice  of  ten  bulls  and  heifers,  while  I  offer  a 
young  calf,  as  fits  my  humble  station  (53-60).' 

This  ode  is  evidently  composed  in  anticipation  of  the  return  of 
Augustus  to  Rome  from  the  German  frontier,  to  which  he  went  in  16 
B.C.  after  the  defeat  of  M.  Lollius.  The  lullus  Antonius  addressed 
was  the  son  of  Mark  Antony  and  Fulvia.  He  was  educated  in  Augus- 

334 


CARM1NA  [4,  2,  6 

tus'  household  by  his  stepmother,  Octavia  ;  every  honor  was  shown  him 
until  the  discovery  of  his  liaison  with  the  infamous  Julia,  when  he  was 
put  to  death  (2  B.C.)-  It  is  said  that  he  was  the  author  of  an  epic, 
DioHiedea,  in  twelve  books,  and  of  some  prose  works  besides. 

The  occasion  and  date  of  the  ode  are  both  uncertain.  It  was  proba- 
bly written  in  the  winter  of  16-15  B-c>  or  early  in  the  following  spring, 
with  the  expectation  that  the  Emperor  would  soon  return  ;  many,  how- 
ever, prefer  to  place  its  composition  in  14-13  B.C.  But  why  should 
Horace,  if  writing  at  that  date,  mention  only  Augustus'  comparatively 
unimportant  success  over  the  Sygambri  and  their  allies  in  16  B.C.,  and 
have  nothing  to  say  of  the  brilliant  Alpine  campaigns  of  Tiberius  and 
Drusus  in  15  B.C.?  The  fact  that  these  are  celebrated  in  odes  4 and  14 
will  hardly  account  for  silence  here,  if  the  later  date  of  composition 
be  accepted.  The  occasion  which  prompted  the  verses  may  have  been 
a  request  from  Antonius  for  a  Pindaric  ode,  which  Horace  turns  aside 
in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of  i,  6.  Or  we  may  suppose  that  Horace 
chose  this  way  to  express  his  own  eager  anticipation  of  Augustus.1 
return  and  to  pay  Antonius  a  (possibly)  extravagant  compliment. 
Whatever  its  date,  the  position  of  the  ode  gives  it  the  effect  of  a  depre- 
catory preface  to  odes  4  and  14.  Metre,  69. 

Pindarum  quisquis  studet  aemulari, 
lulle,  ceratis  ope  Daedalea 
nititur  pennis,  vitreo  daturus 
nomina  ponto. 

5  Monte  decurrens  velut  amnis,  imbres 

quern  super  notas  aluere  ripas, 

if.   Pindarum:  (522-448  BC.)  tor  of  the  Julian  gens,  but  em- 

a  native  of  Thebes,  the  greatest  ployed  by  the  members  as  a  prae- 

of  the  nine  lyric  poets  of  Greece.  nomen. — ceratis:    wax-joined.— 

His  odes  for  victory   ('ETTLV'KUI)  ope  Daedalea:  by the  art  of Daeda- 

became  the  model  for  such  poems.  Ins. 

Pindar    had    no    slight    influence  3  f.    nititur  :    soars.  —  vitreo : 

on    Horace.  —  aemulari:    to    vie  glassy,  crystal.      Cf.  n.  to  3,  13, 

with.  —  lulle  :  dissyllabic  here,  but  i .  —  daturus  :  destined  to  give.    Cf. 

used   by    Vergil   as   a    trisyllable  2,  3,  27. 

and  spelled  with  a  single  /.It  5.  velut  amnis,  etc. :  a  corn- 
was  the  name  of  a  mythical  ances-  mon  comparison,  e.g.  Cic.  Acad. 

335 


4.  2,  ;] 


HORATI 


10 


«s 


fervet  immensusque  ruit  profundo 
Pindarus  ore, 

laurea  donandus  Apollinari, 
seu  pei  audacis  nova  dithyrambos 
verba  devolvit  numerisque  fertur 
lege  solutis, 

seu  deos  regesve  canit,  deorum 
sanguinem,  per  quos  cecidere  iusta 
morte  Centauri,  cecidit  tremendae 
flamma  Chimaerae, 


2,  119  flumen  orationis  aureum. 
Cf.  also  Our  (uncomplimentary) 
'  flood  of  words.' 

7  f.  fervet,  etc. :  seethes  and 
rushes  along  in  boundless  flood. 
The  poet  is  confused  with  the 
river  to  which  he  is  compared. 
Cf.  1, 15,  29  if.  and  n.  For  the  femi- 
nine caesura  here  and  elsewhere 
in  this  book,  see  Intr.  51.— pro- 
fundo . .  .  ore :  with  deep  and  mighty 
speech.  —  ore  :  with  reference  to 
Pindar  alone.  The  description 
refers  to  Pindar's  richness  of  lan- 
guage, his 'grand  style.1  So  Hor- 
ace says  S.  i,  4,  43  f.  that  you  can 
give  the  name  poet  only  to  a  man, 
cui  metis  dhnnior  atque  os  niagna 
sonaturum. 

9  ff.  Jaurea  .  .  .  Apollinari: 
cf.  3»  3°»  16.  — donandus  :  forming 
the  conclusion  to  the  following 
conditions,  i.e.  l  Pindar  deserves 
to  be  crowned  with  the  sacred 
laurel  for  each  and  every  kind  of 
poetry  he  essayed.'  —  audacis:  i.e. 


in  compounds  and  metaphors.  — 
nova  :  fresh  compounds.  —  dithy- 
rambos :  choral  songs  in  honor  of 
Dionysus.  —  devolvit,  fertur :  keep- 
ing up  the  figure  of  the  torrent.  — 
lege  solutis :  i.e.  not  composed  in 
strict  symmetry,  with  strophe  and 
antistrophe ;  or  Horace  may  mean 
nothing  more  than  •  free.1  The 
phrase  with  the  addition  of  a  word 
was  applied  by  St.  Jerome  to 
rhythmical  prose,  Praef.  in  lob,  in- 
terdnm  quoque  rhythtims  ipse  dul- 
cis  et  tinnnlus  fertitr  numeris  lege 
metri  solutis.  The  common  ex- 
pression for  prose  is  soluta  oratio. 
13  ff.  seu  deos.  etc.:  in  his 
Hymns  and  Paeans.  —  reges : 
heroes,  as  deorum  sanguinem  shows. 
—  per  quos :  i.e.  Theseus  and  Piri- 
thous,  who  overcame  the  Centaurs 
(cf.  i,  1 8,  8).  and  Bellerophon, 
slayer  of  the  Chimaera.  —  iusta: 
deserved,  as  the  Centaurs  began 
the  quarrel  that  ended  in  their 
death.  —  flamma  Chimaerae  :  with 


336 


"* 


CARMINA 


[4.  2,  28 


sive  quos  Elea  domum  reducit 
palma  caelestis  pugilemve  equumve 
dicit  et  centum  potiore  signis 
munere  donat, 

flebili  sponsae  iuvenemve  raptum 
plorat  et  viris  animumque  moresque 
aureos  educit  in  astra  nigroque 
invidet  Oreo. 

Multa  Dircaeum  levat  aura  cycnum, 
tendit,  Antoni,  quotiens  in  altos 
nubium  tractus  :  ego  apis  Matinae 
more  modoque 


the  form   of  expression,  cf.  I,  3, 
36;  3,21,  ii. 

iyff.  His  extant  Olympian,  Pyth- 
ian, Nemean,  and  Isthmian  odes. 

—  Elea:  the  Olympian  games;  the 
most  important  of  the  four  being 
taken  as  typical  of  all.  —  caelestis  : 
cf.  i,  1,5  and  Sil.  Ital.  15,  100  itie 
duct  us  laitro  producit  ad  astra  tri- 
utnp/iiis.  — pugilemve  equumve :  in 
partitive  apposition  to  quos.    With 
this   passage,  cf.   Epist.   2,  3,   83 
musa  dedit  fidibtts  divos  puerosque 
deorum  \  et  pugilem   -victor em   et 
equum  certamine  primum  \  .  .   . 
referre.  —  dicit:  cf.  n.  to  i,  6,  5. 

—  signis:  statues. 

21  ft.  His  lost  Eulogies,  ©prjvoi. 

—  flebili:  active,  weeping.     Cf.  i, 
24,  9.  —  ve  :  for  the  position,  see 
Intr.  31.  —  viris  animumque,  etc. : 
telling  over  in  detail  the  youth's 
virtues.     This   and  the  following 
verse   are   hypermetric. — aureos: 

HOR.tAR. —  22  337 


cf.  n.  on  i,  5,  9.  —  invidet:  be- 
grudges (and  saves  from). 

25  ff.  After  reviewing  in  the 
last  three  strophes  the  various 
forms  of  Pindar's  poetry,  Horace 
now  returns  to  his  preeminence. 
—  multa  :  a  mighty.  —  Dircaeum  : 
the  fountain  of  Dirce  was  near 
Thebes.  —  cycnum  :  a  common 
comparison ;  cf.  2,  20  and  intro- 
ductory n.  —  tractus :  stretches. 

27.  apis,  etc. :  also  a  stock 
figure ;  cf.  Plat.  Ion  534  A.  Aeyovcn 
yap  .  .  .  TT/OOS  i7/Aas  ot  Troti/rca. 
OTI  OTTO  KprjvStv  p.(.\ippvTwv  IK 

MoiXTOJV     KTrjTTfDV     TLVWV     Kttl     VttTTWV 

Spe7ro/A£j/oi  TO,  /xe'Ar;  rj/juv  ^epouaiv 
woTrep  ai  /u,e'AiTTai.  With  the 
comparison  which  Horace  makes 
between  himself  and  Pindar,  cf. 
Lucretius'  words  in  regard  to  his 
relation  to  Epicurus  3,  6  ff.  quid 
enim  contendat  hirundo  cycnis  ? 
.  .  .  tuisque  e.r,  inclute,  chartis  \ 


4,  2,  29] 


HORATI 


35 


40 


grata  carpentis  thyma  per  laborem 
plurimum  circa  nemus  uvidique 
Tiburis  ripas  operosa  parvus 
carmiiia  fingo. 

Concines  maiore  poeta  plectro 
Caesarem,  quandoque  trahet  ferocis 
per  sacrum  clivum  merita  decorus 
f ronde  Sygambros ; 

quo  nihil  maius  meliusve  terris 
fata  donavere  bonique  divi 
nee  dabunt,  quamvis  redeant  in  aurum 
tempera  priscum. 


floriferis  nt  apes  in  saltibus  omnia 
libant,  \  oinnia  nos  itidem  depas- 
cinnir  aurea  dicta. 

—  Matinae:  with  reference' to 
the  district  in  which  he  was  born. 
Cf.  1,28,3. 

30  f .    plurimum  :  with  laborem. 

—  circa  nemus,  etc.:    his   favorite 
Tivoli;    cf.  2,  6,    5  ff. —  Tiburis: 
modifying  both  nemus  and  ripas. 

—  operosa  parvus  :  Intr.  26. 

33  f .  concines  :  with  Caesarem 
in  the  following  verse,  bearing  the 
emphasis.  '  Caesar  shall  be  sung, 
but  in  a  different  strain  than  that 
of  which  I  am  master.1 — maiore 
.  .  .  plectro :  i.e.  '  of  a  grander 
style  ' :  cf.  2,  1 ,  40  Ignore  plec- 
tra. The  ablative  is  descriptive, 
modifying  poeta.  Augustus'  deeds 
were  better  themes  for  an  epic 
poet  like  Antonius  than  for  a  lyri- 
cist. —  quandoque :  '  whenever  the 
day  of  his  triumph  shall  come.'  — 


ferocis :  a  decorative  epithet  (yet 
cf.  4,  14,  51  caede gandentes)  which 
secures  a  contrast  with  trahet. 

35  f .  per  sacrum  clivum :  the 
Sacra  Via  from  the  arch  of  Titus 
down  to  the  Forum.  The  ex- 
pression is  found  elsewhere  only 
twice,  Mart,  i,  70,  5  ;  4,  78,  7.  — 
decorus  :  adorned  -with.  —  f  ronde  : 
the  laurel  wreath  of  the  triumph- 
ing general.  —  Sygambros  :  they 
defeated  Lollius'  army  (cf.  intro- 
ductory n.),  but  withdrew  before 
the  Emperor's  approach  and  has- 
tened to  make  peace  with  him. 

37  ff.  These  verses  show  the 
court  poet.  A  similar  expression 
is  found  in  Kfiist.  2,  i.  i6f.  iitran- 
dasqnc  tnom  per  tinmen  ponimns 
aras,  \  nil  oriliirnm  alias,  nil 
ortnm  tale  fatentes.  —  quamvis, 
etc. :  '  though  the  Golden  Age 
should  return.'  —  priscum  :  cf. 
Epod.  2,  2. 


338 


CAKM1NA 


[4»  2,  54 


Concines  laetosque  dies  et  urbis 
publicum  ludum  super  impetrato 
fortis  August!  reditu  forumque 
litibus  orbum. 

45  Turn  meae,  si  quid  loquar  audiendum, 

vocis  accedet  bona  pars,  et  '  O  sol 
pulcher,  o  laudande ! '  canam,  recepto 
Caesare  felix. 

Teque  dum  procedis,  *  lo  Triumphe ! ' 
50  non  semel  dicemus  '  lo  Triumphe ! ' 

civitas  omnis,  dabimusque  divis 
tura  benignis. 

Te  decem  tauri  totidemque  vaccae, 
me  tener  solvet  vitulus,  relicta 


41  f.  concines  :  Intr.  28  c.— 
laetos :  i.e.  festos,  when  Augustus 
returns.  —  ludum  :  joy  ;  cf.  Epist. 

2,  3,  226  it  a  vertere  seria  ludo.  — 
super :    with  the  construction,  cf. 

3,  8,  17  super  urbe  cur  as.  —  impe- 
trato :  granted  (to  our  prayers) . 
There  are  extant  coins  of  16  B.C. 
with  the   inscription    s.    p.  Q.    R. 
\(oia)    s(uscepta)    PRO    s(ahtte) 
ET  RED(//«)  AUG(;/J//'). 

44.  litibus  orbum :  the  courts 
would  be  closed  when  the  Emperor 
returned  in  triumph.  The  techni- 
cal term  is  iustitium.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  when  Augustus  did 
return  in  13  B.C.,  he  declined  a 
triumph  and  entered  the  city  by 
night  to  avoid  any  public  demon- 
stration. 

45  ff.   'I  too  will  swell  the  ac- 


claim with  the  best  of  my  weak 
powers.'  —  loquar:  less  common 
than  dico  for  the  poet's  work ;  re- 
peated 4,  15,  I  Phoebus  volentetn 
proelia  me  loqui  .  .  .  increpuit. 
audiendum :  worth  hearing.  —  sol 
pulcher:  the  very  day  of  Augus- 
tus1 return  will  be  glorified  by  his 
presence.  —  laudande  :  the  future 
passive  participle  is  very  frequently 
used  in  the  fourth  book.  In  this 
ode  it  occurs  vv.  9,  45,  47.  Also 
4,68;  9,4.  21  ;  11,  3.  14.  34;  14. 

17- 

49  ff .  teque :  personifying  the 
Triumph  itself ;  object  of  dicemus. 
—  lo  Triumphe  :  the  cry  of  greet- 
ing to  the  triumphal  procession  as 
it  moved  along.  Cf.  n.  to  Epod. 
9,  21  f .  —  non  semel :  not  once 
alone,  but  many  times.  —  civitas: 


' 


339 


4.  2,  553 


HORAT1 


55 


60 


matre  qui  largis  iuvenescit  herbis 
in  mea  vota, 

fronte  curvatos  imitatus  ignis 
tertium  lunae  referentis  ortum, 
qua  notam  duxit  niveus  videri, 
cetera  f  ulvus. 


in  opposition  to  the  subject  of 
dicemus.  Cf.  I,  35,  35  nos,  aetas. 

53  f.  te  .  .  .  me  :  cf.  2,  17, 30  ff. 
This  te,  referring  to  Antonius,  is 
awkward  after  te  in  v.  49. — solvet : 
from  the  obligation  of  our  vows. 

55  ff.  The  detailed  description 
of  the  young  bullock  furnishes  the 
ode  with  a  quiet  idyllic  ending 
similar  to  that  in  3,  5,  53-56.  At 
the  same  time  it  emphasizes  the 
contrast  between  the  wealthy  An- 
tonius, who  must  sacrifice  twenty 
head  of  cattle  off  hand,  and  the 
simple  Horace  who  loves  to  linger 
on  the  charms  of  his  single  victim. 


—  relicta  matre:  wea ned.  — Xlar- 
gis  :  luxuriant.  —  in :  against,  in 
anticipation  of. 

57  ff.  curvatos:  the  crescent. 
With  the  description,  cf.  Claud. 
Rapt.  Pros,  i,  129  nee  nova 
lunatae  c  urvavit  gennina  front  is. 
Moschus  2,  88  describes  the  horns 
of  Europa's  bull  as  curved  are 
KucAa  o-tXryi/T/s.  —  referentis  :  cf.  3, 
29,20.  —  qua:  referring  to  fronte 
and  defining  niveus  videri.  (Cf. 
ACUKOS  iSorftu.)  Intr.  109.  —  duxit : 
has  got,  taken  on.  Cf.  Verg.  £. 
9,  49  (astruin}  quo  duceret  apricis 
in  collibits  uva  colorem. 


The  poet's  grateful  acknowledgment  to  his  Muse. 

'He  on  whom  thou  dost  look  with  kindly  eye  in  his  natal  hour,  Mel- 
pomene, is  set  apart  from  the  pursuit  of  common  glories.  He  shall 
not  win  renown  as  athlete  or  as  general.  But  the  quiet  groves  and  streams 
shall  be  his  haunts  and  he  shall  gain  his  fame  through  poesy  (1-12). 
"So  through  thy  gift  am  I  counted  to-day  a  lyric  bard  and  Envy's  tooth 
is  dulled.  All  my  fame,  my  inspiration,  and  my  power  to  please  are 
thine,  sweet  Muse  (13-24).' 

The  publication  of  his  three  books  of  odes  in  23  B.C.  had  established 
Horace's  name  as  a  lyric  poet,  and  his  appointment  in  17  B.C.  to  write 
the  Carmen  Saecnlare  had  officially  fixed  his  position.  The  petty 
critics  who  had  carped  at  him  in  earlier  years  and  the  noble  poetasters 
who  had  shown  a  snobbish  envy  of  his  skill  were  now  silenced ;  the 

340 


CAKMINA  [4,  3,  10 

Romans  gladly  gave  him  the  recognition  he  deserved.  He  had  indeed 
obtained  the  object  of  his  ambitions  expressed  in  C.  i,  i .  In  the  present 
ode  he  shows  his  gratitude  to  the  Muse  for  his  success  ;  and  this  feeling 
is  expressed,  not  in  boasting,  but  with  a  humility  which  shows  that 
Horace  felt  his  skill  to  be  due  to  some  power  beyond  himself.  The  ode 
has  evident  reminiscences  of  i,  I  in  the  contrast  between  the  aims  of 
ordinary  men  and  the  quiet  life  of  the  poet.  Metre,  71. 

Quern  tu,  Melpomene,  semel 

nascentem  placido  lumine  videris, 
ilium  non  labor  Isthmius 

clarabit  pugilem,  non  equus  impiger 
5  curru  ducet  Achaico 

victorem,  neque  res  bellica  Deliis 
ornatum  foliis  ducem, 

quod  regum  tumidas  contuderit  minas, 
ostendet  Capitolio ; 
10  sed  quae  Tibur  aquae  fertile  praefluunt 

i  ff .  The  same  idea  is  expressed  foliis :  the  4aurel,  a  crown  of  which 

in  Greek  poetry,  e.g.  by   Hesiod  was  worn  by  the  triumphing  gen- 

Theog.  8 1  ff.  ovriva  TI/A^O-WCTI  Atos  eral.     Cf.  3,  30,  15  Delphica  lauro, 

Kovpai    /ixtyaAoto    |    yuvofjuvov   re  4,  2,  9  laurea  Apollinari. 
tSaxri   Siorpe^eW  /Jao-tAiJw,  |  TO>  8  f .   tumidas  :    contrasted  with 

fj.ev  em  yAoxrcrj;  y\VKeprjv  \uov<nv  contuderit,    crushed    down.     The 

ffpa-rjv  (dfew),Tou  8'  lire'  e/c  (TTO/JM-  adjective  was  adopted  by  Seneca, 

TOS  pet /Ad'At^a.  H.  O.  927  depone  tumidas  pectoris 

—  Melpomene:  cf.  3,  30,  16.  —  laesi  minas.  —  minas:    cf.    2,    12, 

semel :  but  once. — placido  lumine :  12  regum  minacium.  —  Capitolio  : 

cf.   Alciphr.    3,    44    ev/xeveo-repois  the  end  of  the  triumphal  proces- 

ofjifUKTiv  fKtivov  eTSoi/  oi  XapiTes.  sion. 

3  ff.    labor  :    the   Greek   TTWOS-  10  f .    Horace  uses  the  streams 

—  Isthmius:  cf.  4,  2,  17  and  n.—  and  groves  of  his  beloved  Tivoli 

pugilem,  equus :  the  same  types  4,  as   typical   of  the  haunts   of  the 

2,  1 8.  —  Achaico:  i.e.  Greek;  con-  Muses  and  their  devotees:  he  also 

trasted   with  the  Roman  triumph  secures  through  their  associations 

which  follows.  —  res  bellica :  deeds  with    himself    an    easy   transition 

in  war.    Cf.  res  ludicra, '  comedy,'  to   his    own    case.  —  quae   Tibur 

Epist     2,    i,    1 80.  —  Deliis  .  .  .  aquae,  etc. :  cf.  i,  7,  12  ff.  —  prae- 

341 


4.3.  "3 


HORATI 


et  spissae  nemorum  comae 

fingent  Aeolio  carmine  nobilem. 
Romae,  principis  urbium, 

dignatur  suboles  inter  amabilis 
15  vatum  ponere  me  chores, 

et  iam  dente  minus  mordeor  invido. 
O  testudinis  aureae 

dulcem  quae  strepitum,  Fieri,  temperas, 
o  mutis  quoque  piscibus 
20  donatura  cycni,  si  libeat,  sonum, 

totum  muneris  hoc  tui  est, 

quod  monstror  digito  praetereuntium 


fluunt :  flow  past,  a  variant  of  the 
more  common  praeterfliiunt.  — 
spissae  .  .  .  comae:  cf.  i,  21,  5, 
and  the  verse  from  Milton  there 
quoted. 

12.  Aeolio  carmine  *  cf.  3,  30, 
13  and  n.  The  adjective  also 
serves  to  aid  the  transition,  as 
Horace's  chief  models  were  Alca- 
eus  and  Sappho. 

13  ff.  Romae,  principis.  etc. : 
Horace's  pride  in  Rome,  queen  of 
cities  (cf.  Epist.  i,  7,  44  regia 
A'(Wta),  adds  to  his  satisfaction  in 
the  recognition  he  receives  from 
her  children  (suboles) .  —  vatum : 
cf.  n.  to  i,  1,35.  —  ponere:  i,  i, 
35  inserere. 

16.  dente  .  .  .  invido :  cf.  Epod. 
6,  1 5 ;  Ovid  ex  Pont.  3,  4,  73  f. 
laedere  rivos  livor  et  ininsto  car- 
pere  dente  \  solet. 

17  f.  testudinis  aureae :  Pindar's 
\pv<Tta  <f>6pfju.y£,  /'.  r,  I.  Cf.  C. 
2,  1 3,  26  aureo  .  .  .  plectra.  — 


dulcem  .  .  .  strepitum:  cf.  Mil- 
ton's 'melodious  noise.' — tem- 
peras :  modulate. 

19  f .  mutis :  a  stock  epithet ; 
the  Hesiodic  tAAorras  i^tfi)?  Sent. 
Her.  212. —  donatura:  than  ivlio 
coiddst  give.  —  c^cni :  but  cycni 
4,  2,  25. 

21.  muneris  :  predicate.  Cf. 
Ovid  Trist.  i,  6,  6  (to  his  wife)  si 
si  quid  adhnc  ego  sum,  muneris 
omne  tui  est. —  quod  monstror :  de- 
fining the  preceding.  This  form 
of  complimentary  recognition  is 
frequently  mentioned.  Cf.  4,  9; 
Lucian  Herod.  2  «  vov  ye 

fJLOVOV.    (BttKVVTO     O.V      T(p 

ofrros  €K£tvo?  'HpoSoro?  ecrrtv  .  .  . 
6  ras  VIKOS  rffiw  i/AK»/(ras.  St. 
Jerome,  ad  Enstoih.  22,  urged  tie 
ad  te  olnriatii  praetereuntium  tnrba 
consistat  et  tti^itn  nwnstreris. 
Stevenson  wrote  after  a  visit  to 
Sydney  (Vailima  Letters,  XXVIII, 
April,  1893),  -1  found  my  fame 


342 


CARMINA  [4, 4 

Romanae  fidicen  lyrae ; 
quod  spiro  et  placeo,  si  placeo,  tuum  est. 

much  grown    on   this    return    to  23  f.      fidicen  :     cf.    Horace's 

civilization.     Digito  monstrari  is  claim,  Epist.  I,  19,  32  fame  (Al- 

a  new  experience ;  people  all  looked  caeunt)  ego  Latinns  volgavi fidicen. 

at  me  in  the  streets  of  Sydney ;  —  quod  spiro  et  placeo :  tny  inspi- 

and  it  was  very  queer.'  ration  and  my  power  to  please. 


'  Like  a  young  eagle  swooping  on  his  prey  or  a  lion  just  weaned  tear- 
ing its  first  victim,  so  the  Vindelici  saw  the  young  Drusus  fight  under 
the  shadow  of  the  Raetian  Alps.  Now  through  defeat  they  have  come 
to  feel  what  the  noble  young  Neros,  piously  reared  beneath  Augustus1 
roof,  can  do  (1-28).  Brave  and  noble  are  those  who  spring  from  noble 
sires.  Training  is  powerless  when  character  fails  (29-36).  Thy  debt, 

0  Rome,  to  Nero's  line  is  witnessed  by  the  Metaurus,  the  defeat  of 
Hasdrubal,  and  that  glorious  day  when  the  fearful  leader  was  forced  by 
the  renewed  strength  of  Rome  to  say  "  We  are  but  deer.     This  people, 
tossed  to  this  land  from  Troy  destroyed  by  fire,  gains  strength  through 
loss,  grows  Hydra-like  more  strong.     No  more  proud  messages  shall 

1  send  to  Carthage.     All  hope  was  lost  when  Hasdrubal  was  killed 
(37-72).''     Such  noble  deeds  have  the  Claudii  done  ;  no  bound  is  there 
to  what  they  yet  shall  do,  with  the  aid  of  Jove's  favor  and  man's  wise 
counsel  (73-76).' 

This  and  the  fourteenth  ode  celebrate  the  victories  in  15  B.C.  of 
the  young  Neros,  Drusus  and  Tiberius,  stepsons  of  Augustus.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year  Drusus,  then  but  twenty-three  years  old,  led  his 
troops  up  the  river  Atagis  (Adige)  and  defeated  the  Vindelician  forces 
not  far  from  Tridentum  (Trent).  He  then  pushed  northward  across 
the  Brenner  pass  and  defeated  the  Breuni  and  Genauni  in  the  valley  of 
the  river  Inn.  Tiberius  approached  from  the  west  by  the  upper 
Rhine  and  Lake  Constance,  and  the  armies  under  the  two  brothers 
scoured  the  valleys  in  which  the  Rhine  and  Inn  have  their  sources  so 
successfully  that  in  a  single  campaign  the  district  of  the  Grisons  and 
Tirol  was  completely  subjugated  and  made  into  the  province  Raetia. 

The  occasion  of  this  and  the  fourteenth  ode,  as  Suetonius  tells  us 
(?'//#  ffor.).  was  the  'command'  of  Augustus  —  scripta  guide m  eius 
usque  adeo  proba-vit  mansurague  perpetita  opinatus  est,  ut  non  inodo 
secular  e*car  men  componenduin  iniuxerit  sed  et  Vindelicam  •victoriam 

343 


4,  4.  0  HORATI 

Tiber ii  Drusique,  prh>ignornm  suorum.  It  was  a  task  for  which  Horace 
had  often  declared  himself  unfit,  but  he  could  hardly  disregard  the 
Emperor's  command,  even  had  he  been  so  inclined.  In  spite  of  his 
protestations  in  the  second  ode  of  this  book,  he  adopted  here  the  Pin- 
daric form  which  allowed  him  to  pass  over  the  exploits  of  Drusus  very 
briefly  and  to  devote  the  greater  part  of  the  ode  to  the  deeds  of  the 
house  of  Nero  in  the  almost  mythical  past.  Metre,  68. 

Qualem  ministrum  fulminis  alitem, 
cui  rex  deorum  regnum  in  avis  vagas 
permisit  expertus  fidelem 
luppiter  in  Ganymede  flavo, 

5  olim  iuventas  et  patrius  vigor 

nido  laborum  propulit  inscium, 
vernique  iam  nimbis  remotis 
insolitos  docuere  nisus 

venti  paventem,  mox  in  ovilia 
10  demisit  hostem  vividus  impetus, 

1-16.    The   young  eagle   illus-  5  ff .    olim :    once.      The  refer- 

trates  the  impetuosity  with  which  ence  to  the  eagle  which  carried  off 

Drusus    attacked     his     foes,    the  Ganymedes  is  confined  to  the  first 

young  lion  the  terror  his  attack  strophe  ;  that  which  follows  is  said 

aroused.  of  the   bird   in   general.  —  nido : 

i  ff.    ministrum :  in  opposition  with  propulit.  —  laborum  :  of  strife 

with   alitem.  which    is   object   of  andtoil. — propulit:  gnomic  perfect, 

permisit.    We  may  translate,  how-  Intr.  103.     The  object  of  this,  as 

ever,  the  winged  messenger.     Cf.  of  the  following  verbs,   is   easily 

Verg.  A.  5.  255  Imris  armiger. —  brought  over  from  v.  i.  —  verni : 

rex,  regnum:   intentional  antithe-  /.<?. 'gentle.'     The  fact  that  young 

sis.     The  concept  of  the  eagle  as  eagles  do  not  fly  until  late  summer 

king  of  birds,  oiwi/ujv  /i«<nAeis,  is  need  not  disturb  us. —  iam:  with 

Pindaric. — in:  cf.  3,    i.  5.  —ex-  docuere. 

pertus  fidelem  :  kltving  prm>ed  him  9  ff.    paventem:  in  his  timidity, 

faithful  in  the  case  of.  ---  Gany-  — mox:    presently;    marking   the 

mede  :    cf.    3,    20,    15  f.  —  flavo  :  second  stage  in  the  eaglet's  devel- 

f air-haired,   £avdos,  a  decorative  opment  —  first    he    timidly  learns 

epithet.     Cf.  I,  5,  4.  to  fly,  presently  he  swoops  on  his 

344 


CARMINA 


[4,  4,  20 


20 


nunc  in  reluctantis  dracones 
egit  amor  dapis  atque  pugnae ; 

qualemve  laetis  caprea  pascuis 
intenta  fulvae  matris  ab  uberc 
iam  lacte  depulsum  leonem 
dentc  novo  peritura  vidit : 

videre  Raetis  bella  sub  Alpibus 
Drusum  gerentem  Vindelici  (quibus 
mos  unde  deductus  per  omne 
tempus  Amazonia  securi 


prey,  and  at  last  engages  in  battle 
with  snakes  (dracones)  that  fight 
back.  Horace  may  have  had  in 
mind  the  description  of  the  struggle 
between  the  eagle  and  snake,  //. 
12.  200  ff.  imitated  by  Verg.  A. 
11,751  ff. 

13  ff.  laetis:  luxuriant,  —  ma- 
tris ab  ubere :  editors  are  not 
agreed  whether  these  words  refer 
to  caprea  or  leonem.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  second  alternative  is 
right,  and  that  lacte  depulsum  is 
to  be  considered  as  expressing  a. 
single  idea,  weaned.  Vergil  has 
G.  3,  187  depnlsns  ab  ubere  and 
E.  7,  15  depulsos  a  lacte  .  .  . 
agrtos.  Horace's  expression  is 
then  tautological  but  not  un- 
natural. We  may  render,  lately 
weaned  from  his  tawny  mothers 
dngs. 

16.  peritura  vidit :  notice  the 
force  of  the  juxtaposition  —  the 
fawn  sggs  the  lion  and  recognizes 
ks  own  fate  at  the  same  moment. 


17  f.  videre:  the  anadiplosis 
makes  talem  unnecessary.  Intr. 
28  b.  —  Raetis :  equivalent  to  Rae- 
ticis.  — quibus :  the  relative ;  trans- 
late, their.  The  indirect  question 
is  introduced  by  unde.  The  refer- 
ence here  to  an  archaeological 
discussion  is  most  inopportune, 
and  some  have  wished  to  regard 
the  verses  as  the  invention  of  a 
later  writer.  It  is  more  probable 
that  Horace's  usual  good  taste 
deserted  him.  The  passage  may 
be  an  attempt  to  imitate  a  Pin- 
daric digression.  In  any  case  we 
must  remember  that  the  ode  was 
made  to  order,  and  that  such  a 
task  was  not  inspiring  to  Horace's 
muse. 

19  f.  deductus :  the  participle, 
as  frequently,  contains  the  main 
idea.  —  per  omne  tempus  :  i.e. 
from  the  mythological  period  to 
the  present  time.  —  Amazonia 
securi:  see  Baumeister  i,  pp.  60. 
63  for  illustrations  of  this  form 


345 


4,4,21] 


HORATI 


dextras  obarmet,  quaerere  distuli, 
nee  scire  fas  est  omnia),  sed  diu 
lateque  victrices  catervae 
consiliis  iuvenis  revictae 

sensere  quid  mens  rite,  quid  indoles 
nutrita  faustis  sub  penetralibus 
posset,  quid  Augusti  paternus 
in  pueros  animus  Nerones. 

Fortes  creantur  fortibus  et  bonis ; 
est  in  iuvencis,  est  in  equis  patrum 
virtus,  neque  imbellem  feroces 
progenerant  aquilae  columbam  : 


of  axe.  —  obarmet  :  coined  by 
Horace. 

22  f .  nee  scire  fas,  etc. :  said  al- 
most with  impatience,  —  '  don't 
ask  me  how  this  custom  has  been 
handed  down.  Man  should  not 
try  to  know  everything/ — diu 
lateque:  modifying  victrices.  The 
reference  is  to  the  successes  of 
the  Vindelici  before  they  were 
checked  by  Drusus. 

24.  consiliis:  -wise  strategy. — 
revictae  :  defeated  in  their  turn. 

25  f .  rite  . .  .  nutrita :  with  both 
mens  and  indoles,  intelligence  and 
cliaracter.  —  faustis  .  .  .  penetrali- 
bus :  the  phrase  is  chosen,  like  rite 
above,  to  suggest  the  sacred  char- 
.acter  of  the  training  the  young 
princes  received  in  the  Emperor's 
house.  So  Velleius  2,  94.  i  says 
of  the  training  of  Tiberius  under 
Augustus,  inniitritus  caelestinin 
praeceptorum  disciplinis. 


28.  Nerones  :  Tibenus  and 
Drusus  —  the  latter  was  born  after 
his  mother  was  divorced  from  Ti. 
Claudius  Nero  and  married  to  Oc- 
tavianus — were  both  treated  by 
their  stepfather  as  his  own  sons 
(cf.  paternus  animus). 

29  ff .  fortes,  etc. :  good  birth 
is  the  first  essential.  The  senti- 
ment of  the  verse  is  a  common- 
place. Cf.  e.g.  Eurip.  Frg.  75,  2 
€cr$Au>v  OLTT  avBpuiv  e(r8\a  ytyve adai 

T€KVa,  KUKWV  8*  OfJiOUl    Tlj    <^>ixm    TT) 

TOV  Trar/DoV  —  fortibus  et  bonis :  a 
frequent  commendatory  expres- 
sion. Cf.  Epist.  i.  9,  13  scribe 
tut  gregis  hioic  et  fortem  crede 
bonnmque.  —  est  ...  est  :  em- 
phatic, no  doubt  there  is.  At  the 
same  time  the  sentence  is  logically 
concessive  with  reference  to  the 
following  strophe.  —  imbellem  fe- 
roces: juxtaposed  as  I,  6^9  tenues 
grandia.  Intr.  26. 


346 


CARMINA 


[4.  4.  42 


35 


40 


doctrina  sed  vim  promovet  insitam, 
rectique  cultus  pectora  roborant ; 
utcumque  defecere  mores, 
indecorant  bene  nata  culpae. 

Quid  debeas,  o  Roma,  Neronibus, 
testis  Metaurum  flumen  et  Hasdrubal 
devictus  et  pulcher  fugatis 
ille  dies  Latio  tenebris, 

qui  primus  alma  risit  adorea, 
dirus  per  urbis  Afer  ut  Italas 


33  ff .  '  Yet  correct  training  is 
essential.'  Notice  the  emphasis 
on  doctrina,  recti  cultus,  indeco- 
rant. —  sed  :  and  yet.  —  cultus  : 
nurture.  With  the  sentiment  of 
the  two  verses  cf.  Epist.  2,  3, 
408  ff. :  Cic.  pro  Arch.  \  5  idem 
ego  contcndo,  cum  ad  naturam 
eximiam  atque  inlustrem  acces- 
serit  ratio  quaedam  conformati- 
oque  doctrinae,  turn  illud  ncscio 
quid  praeclarum  ac  singtilare 
solere  exsistere.  Quint.  Inst.  12. 
2,  I  -virtus  etiainsi  quosdam  im- 
petus ex  nattira  sumtt,  taincn 
perficienda  doctrina  est. 

35  f .  utcumque :  as  soon  as. 
Cf.  i,  17,  10. — defecere:  definite 
perfect.  —  bene  nata :  the  general- 
izing plural ;  translate,  that  which 
is  naturally  good. 

37  ff.  The  chief  theme  of  the 
ode  —  'the  glorious  ancestry  of 
Drusus.1  In  207  B.C.  Hannibal 
was  waiting  at  Canusium  in  Apulia 
for  the  3*rj»pl  of  his  brother  Has- 
drubal witfr  a  large  army.  Has- 


drubal had  already  crossed  the 
Alps  when  the  consul  M.  Claudius 
Nero,  who  was  watching  Hanni- 
bal, took  7000  picked  men  and 
without  the  enemy's  knowledge 
marched  rapidly  to  the  north  to 
reenforce  his  colleague,  M.  Livius, 
from  whom  also  Drusus  was  de- 
scended by  his  mother's  side. 
The  two  consuls  defeated  the 
enemy  at  the  river  Metaurus,  and 
Claudius  Nero  returned  quickly 
south,  bringing  Hasdrubal's  head 
as  a  grim  messenger  to  Hannibal 
of  his  brother's  defeat.  The  story 
is  told  by  Livy  27,  43  ff.  —  Has- 
drubal devictus :  the  victory  over, 
etc.  ;  cf.  mos  deductus  v.  19 
above.  —  pulcher:  cf.  n.  to  sol 
pulcher  4,  2,  47.  —  Latio :  abl. 
with  fugatis. 

41  ff.  adorea  :  victory,  appar- 
ently an  archaic  word  which  Hor- 
ace called  back  into  use.  —  dirus 
.  .  .  Afer:  cf.  3,  6,  36  Hanniba- 
lem  dirutn.  —  ut :  temporal,  since. 
Cf.  Epod.  7,  19.  — ceu:  only  here 


t 


347 


4.  4.  43] 


HORATI 


ceu  flamma  per  taedas  vel  Eurus 
per  Siculas  equitavit  undas. 

45  Post  hoc  secundis  usque  laboribus 

Romana  pubes  crevit,  et  impio 
vastata  Poenorum  tumultu 
fana  deos  habuere  rectos, 

dixitque  tandem  perfidus  Hannibal: 
50  'Cervi,  luporum  praeda  rapacium, 

sectamur  ultro  quos  opimus 

fallere  et  effugere  est  triumph  us. 

Gens  quae  cremato  fords  ab  Ilio 
iactata  Tuscis  aequoribus  sacra 


in   Horace.  —  Eurus  per    Siculas, 
etc.  :    cf.   Eurip.   Phoen.    209  ff. 

7T£- 


Trvoeus 

ev  ovpavw.  l  On  the 
blasts  of  Zephyrus  as  he  drives  in 
the  sky  over  the  barren  (sea-) 
plains  that  encompass  Sicily.' 

44.  equitavit  :  this  verb  does 
double  duty  for  Afer  and  for 
flamma,  Eurus. 

45  ff.  post  hoc  :  i.e.  after  Has- 
drubal's  defeat.  —  usque  :  ever, 
constantly;  cf.  3,  30,  7.  —  crevit: 
grew  strong;  cf.  Eurip.  Suppl. 
323  (err;  Trarpi?)  cv  .  .  .  TOIS  TTO- 
voto-iv  av&Tai.  —  tumultu:  rout. 
The  word  properly  denotes  war* 
within  or  on  the  Roman  borders, 
and  it  is  here  disparagingly  ap- 
plied to  Hannibal's  campaign. 

48.  rectos:  upright  (again). 

49.  perfidus:   a  stock    Roman 
epithet  for  the  Carthaginians.     Cf. 


Livy  21,  4,  9  (describing  Hanni- 
bal) inhumana  crudelitas,  perjidia 
plus  qiiain  Piinica,  nihil  veri,  nihil 
sancti,  nullus  deum  metus,  niilluin 
ius  iurandum,  nulla  religio. 

49  ff.  Livy,  27,  51,  12  gives  a 
similar  account  of  Hannibal's  de- 
jection, Hannibal  .  .  .  agnoscere 
se  fortunam  Carthaginis  fertur 
dixisse.  —  cervi :  mere  hinds,  em- 
phatic.—  praeda:  the  (natural) 
prey.  —  ultro :  beyond  what  is 
usual,  actually.  —  opimus  .  .  . 
triumphus :  calling  to  mind  the 
spolia  opima.  —  effugere  est  tri- 
umphus :  note  the  slight  oxymo- 
ron. 

53  ff.  gens  quae.  etc.  :  the 
Acneid  had  been  published  two 
years  when  this  was  written.  Cf. 
n.  to  C.  S.  4 1  ff.  —  fortis :  still 
brave,  in  contrast  to  cremato. 
which  pictures  the  qfloalete  de- 
struction of  the  cit\ 


348 


qpHfd 
tjrJ  —  i 


CARM1XA 


[4.  4.  65 


55 


60 


natosque  maturosque  patres 
pertulit  Ausonias  ad  urbis, 

duris  ut  ilex  tonsa  bipennibus 
nigrae  feraci  frondis  in  Algido, 
per  damna,  per  caedis,  ab  ipso 
ducit  opes  animumque  ferro. 

Non  hydra  secto  corpore  firmior 
vinci  dolentem  crevit  in  Herculem, 
monstrumve  submisere  Colchi 
maius  Echioniaeve  Thebae. 

Merses  prof  undo,  pulchrior  evenit; 


with  gens;  cf.  Verg.  A.  i,  3  (of 
Aeneas)  multum  ille  et  terris  iac- 
tatus  et  alto.  —  Tuscis  aequoribus, 
etc. :  cf.  Juno's  speech,  Verg.  A. 
1 ,  67  f.  gens  inimica  mihi  Tyrrhe- 
nian nairigat  aequor  \  Ilium  in 
Italiam  portans  victosque  Penatis. 

58.  nigrae:  cf.  i,  21,  7. — Al- 
gido: cf.  n.  to  i,  21,  6. 

61  f.  non:  with  firmior. — hy- 
dra :  the  simile  is  attributed  by 
Plutarch  to  Cineas,  Pyrrhus1  ad- 
viser. But  cf.  Florus  Epit.  i,  18, 
19  cunt  Pyrrhus  '  video rne^  inqnit 
'•plane  procreatum  Herculis  sc- 
inine,  cut  quasi  ab  angite  Lernaeo 
tot  caesa  hostiutn  capita  quasi 
de  sanguine  suo  renascunturS — 
vinci :  Intr.  108. 

63.  monstrumve:  the  negative 
non  continues,  modifying  maius. 
The  allusion  in  monstrum,  marvel, 
is  to  the  troops  of  armed  men 
that  spnmy\up  from  the  dragon 
y  Jason  in  Colchis 


and  by  Cadmus  at  Thebes.  —  sub- 
misere: cf.  Lucret.  i,  7  daedala 
tellus  subwittit  flares. 

64.  Echioniae:  Echion  was  one 
of  the  five  survivors  of  the  struggle 
among  the  warriors  sprung  from 
the  Theban  dragon's  teeth ;  by 
marriage  with  Agave,  Cadmus1 
daughter,  he  became  an  ancestor 
of  the  Theban  royal  line. 

65  ff .  merses,  luctere  :  you  way, 
etc.,  sc.  earn  (genteni).  The  sub- 
junctive is  jussive,  but  the  two 
verbs  are  virtually  protases  to 
evenit,  proruet,  geretque.  These 
verses  were  paraphrased  four  cen- 
turies and  a  quarter  later  by  Ruti- 
lius  Namatianus  I,  128  ff.  flevit 
successus  Annibalipse  SHOS:  \  quae 
mergi  nequeunt,  nisu  maiore  re- 
surgnnt  \  exiliuntque  imis  altius 
icta  vadis. 

—  evenit:  in  its  rare  literal 
meaning. — proruet.  geret:  these 
futures  differ  from  the  present 


349 


4,  4.  66]  HORATI 

luctere.  inulta  proruet  integrum 
cum  laude  victorem  geretque 
proclia  coniugibus  loquenda. 

Carthagini  iam  non  ego  nuntios 
70  mittam  superbos  ;  occidit,  occidit 

spes  omnis  et  fortuna  nostri 

nominis  Hasdrubale  interempto.' 

Nil  Claudiae  non  perficient  manus, 
quas  et  benigno  numine  luppiter 
75  defendit  et  curae  sagaces 

expediunt  per  acuta  belli. 

evenit  only  in  showing  what  ion  the  closing  verses  are  given  to 

will  happen  in  each  case,  while  reflections  on  the  great  merits  of 

evenit  expresses  what  always  does  the  Claudii  and  the  expectations 

happen.  —  integrum  :  (hitherto)  that  may  be  cherished  of  them. 

unharmed.  —  laude  :  glory.  —  con-  Some  modern  commentators  make 

iugibus  loquenda:  'for  old  wives1  these  verses  also  a  part  of  Hanni- 

tales.'  bal's  speech,  but  not  so  Porphyrio. 

70.  occidit,  occidit:  Intr.  28 a.  75  f.  curae  sagaces:  probably 
Cf.  Dryden's  well-known  lines  on  the  part  of  Augustus,  who  cares 
from  Alexanders  Feast,  '  He  sang  on  earth  for  them,  as  Jupiter  pro- 
Darius  great  and  good  |  By  too  tects  them  from  the  sky.  —  expe- 
severe  a  fate  |  Fallen,  fallen,  fallen,  diunt :  bring  through  ;  cf.  Verg. 
|  Fallen  from  his  high  estate.'  A.  2,  632  f.  dticente  deo  flammam 

73  ff.   After  the  Pindaric  fash-  inter  et  hostis  \  expedior. 


The  blessings  of  Augustus'  rule.  'Guardian  of  the  Roman  race, 
thou  art  too  long  away.  Grant  us  again  the  light  of  thy  counte- 
nance that  makes  the  very  sun  shine  brighter.  As  a  mother  suffers 
for  her  son  detained  across  the  sea  by  winter  winds,  so  longs  thy  land 
for  thee  (1-16).  Safe  are  our  cattle,  bounteous  our  crops,  no  pirates 
vex  the  sea.  Faith,  chastity,  and  justice  sure,  no  fear  of  foreign  foe  — 
these  are  the  blessings  which  thy  rule  has  brought  (17-28).  After  a 
peaceful  day  of  toil,  the  farmer  at  his  evening  meal  makesdjjjjj^ion  and 
offers  prayer  to  thee  among  his  household  gods,  even  as  Greece  rejncm^ 

350 


CARMINA  [4,  5,  5 

hers  her  great  benefactors.  At  morning  and  at  eventide  we  pray  that 
thou  wilt  give  thy  country  peace  (29-40).' 

For  the  military  events  that  called  Augustus  from  Rome  in  16  B.C., 
see  the  introductory  n.  to  4,  2.  It  was  also  said  (Dio  Cass.  55,  19), 
that  the  Emperor  wished  to  withdraw  from  the  city  for  a  time,  as  Solon 
once  had  done  from  Athens,  until  the  unpopularity  of  his  reform  meas- 
ures should  have  somewhat  abated.  His  return  at  an  early  date,  how- 
ever, was  confidently  expected;  when  it  was  put  off  from  time  to  time 
—  he  did  not  come  back  until  13  B.C.  —  the  feelings  of  the  great  body  of 
citizens  were  expressed  by  Horace  in  this  ode.  Peace  had  been  so  long 
reestablished  that  its  blessings  were  evident  on  every  hand ;  it  was 
natural  that  those  who  remembered  the  horrors  of  the  civil  wars  should 
have  a  lively  feeling  of  gratitude  to  the  Emperor  who  had  brought 
order  out  of  chaos  and  had  revived  the  weakened  and  impoverished 
state.  To  this  class  Horace  belonged ;  in  these  verses  he  shows  a 
genuine  warmth  of  feeling  which  is  not  found  in  his  earlier  odes  to  the 
Emperor,  and  which  his  official  position  as  laureate  did  not  call  forth. 
The  sense  of  security  here  expressed  is  in  marked  contrast  to  the  hope- 
less tone  of  3,  6. 

The  ode  is  carefully  polished ;  the  frequent  cases  of  assonance  and 
alliteration  should  be  noted.  Its  date  cannot  be  absolutely  determined, 
but  may  be  approximately  fixed  as  14  B.C.  It  forms  a  pendant  to  4,  as 
Ode  15  to  14.  Metre,  72. 

Divis  orte  bonis,  optume  Romulae 
custos  gentis,  abes  iam  nimium  diu ; 
maturum  reditum  pollicitus  patrum 
sancto  concilio,  redi. 

5  Lucem  redde  tuae,  dux  bone,  patriae ; 

i  f.  divis  .  .  .  bonis  :  ablative  sanctissimogravissimoqueconsilio. 
absolute,  -when  the  gods  -were  kind.  5.  lucetn:  i.e.  tuam;  cf.  Am- 

Augustus  is  said  to  be  the  gift  to  phitryon's  exclamation,  Eurip.  H. 

men  of  the  boni  divi  4,  2,  38. —  F.  531  f.  w  AiXraT*  dvSpoiv,  a> 

Romulae  .  .  .  gentis  :  cf.  Verg.  <£aos  /xoAwv  Trarpt  |  T/K«S.  Hor- 

A.  6,  876  Romula  .  .  .  tellus.  —  ace's  strophe  was  probably  in  the 

custos:  cf.  4,  15,  1 7 custode  reniin  mind  of  the  Christian  Prudentius 

Caesar e.  when  he  wrote  Cath.  5,  i,  ^inven- 

4.  sancttf:  august ;  so  Cic.  in  tor  rutili,  dux  bone,  luminis  .../»- 

Catil.  I,  4,  9  in  hoc  or  bis  terrae  cent  redde  tuis,  Christe,fidelibus. 

35' 


4,  5.  61 


HORATI 


instar  veris  enim  voltus  ubi  tuus 
adfulsit  populo,  gratior  it  dies 
et  soles  melius  nitent. 

Vt  mater  iuvenem,  quem  Notus  invido 
10  flatu  Carpathii  trans  maris  aequora 

cunctantem  spatio  longius  annuo 
dulci  distinct  a  domo, 

votis  ominibusque  et  precibus  vocat, 
curvo  nee  faciem  litore  demovet, 
15  sic  desideriis  icta  fidelibus 

quaerit  patria  Caesarem. 

Tutus  bos  etenim  rura  perambulat, 
nutrit  rura  Ceres  almaque  Faustitas, 


6  ff .  instar :  here  of  quality  ; 
usually  of  quantity,  size,  as  Verg. 
A.  2,  15  instar  montis  equiim. — 
veris :  cf.  Theoc.  12,  3  ff.  oaa-ov 
lap  x«/Liaivos  •  •  •  rjBiov  .  .  .  TOCT- 
ow  e/x'  tv<f>pr)va<;  av  <£«v£6s.  ;  As 
spring  is  sweeter  than  winter,  even 
so  hast  thou  cheered  me  by  thy 
appearing.' 

—  it  dies:  cf.  2,  14,  5  quotquot 
eunt  dies.  —  soles,  etc. :  see  n.  on 
pulcher  4,  2,  47. 

9  ff .  mater  iuvenem :  note  the 
juxtaposition  which  gives  at  once 
the  members  of  the  comparison. 
—  Notus,  Carpathii:  cf.  n.  to  I, 
I,  13. — invido:  the  mother's  epi- 
thet for  the  wind  that  detains  her 
son.  —  spatio  longius  annuo  :  he 
must  spend  the  winter  away,  as 
Gyges  at  Oricum  3,  7,  i  ff. 

13  f.  votis,  etc. :  the  mother 
employs  every  means  to  call  him 


home.  The  verse  was  employed 
by  Ausonius,  Epist.  25,  120  f. 
votis  ominibnsqne  bonis  precibtts- 
quevocatns  \  adpr opera.  — vocat : 
literally.  —  curvo :  a  stock  epithet ; 
cf.  Epod.  10,  21.  There  is  a  rem- 
iniscence of  these  two  verses  in 
St.  Jerome,  ad  Ruf.  i  non  sic 
curvo  adsidens  litori  anxia  filium 
mater  expect  at. 

15.  icta :  smitten  by,  ifj.ep<u  TT«- 
Tr\vryfj.tvo<i,  Aesch.  Ag.  544.  Cf. 
Lucret.  2,  360  desiderio  perfi.rn 
iuvenci. 

17  ff.  Notice  that  the  emphasis 
falls  on  tutus,  nutrit,  pacatum.  — 
etenim :  '  (we  cannot  spare  thee 
from  us),  for  under  thy  protection 
the  kine,'  etc.  —  perambulat :  as 
it  grazes. 

18.  rura :  the  repetition  is  not 
emphatic,  but  causes  |fc_tp  linger 
on  the  picture. — Faustitas:  this 


352 


CARMINA 


[4,  5.  29 


20 


pacatum  volitant  per  mare  navitae, 
culpari  metuit  fides, 

nullis  polluitur  casta  domus  stupris, 
mos  et  lex  maculosum  edomuit  nefas, 
laudantur  simili  prole  puerperae, 
culpam  poena  premit  comes. 

Quis  Parthum  paveat,  quis  gelidum  Scythen, 
quis  Germania  quos  horrida  parturit 
fetus,  incolumi  Caesare  ?    Quis  ferae 
bellum  curet  Hiberiae  ? 

Condit  quisque  diem  collibus  in  suis 


abstract  divinity  is  named  only 
here,  but  is  evidently  the  same  as 
Faiista  Felicitas,  '  Fertility.1 

19  f.  pacatum:  i.e.  of  pirates. 
Cf.  Epod.  4,  19.  Mon.  Anc.  5,  I 
marepacavi  a  praedonibus. — voli- 
tant -.flit. — culpari :  unfair  action. 

21-24.  This  strophe  refers  to 
Augustus'  attempt  by  means  of 
the  lex  fulia  de  adulteriis  passed 
in  1 8  B.C.  to  check  the  growth  of 
immorality  and  to  restore  the 
purity  of  domestic  life.  (Cf.  C.  S. 
17  ff.)  Unfortunately  the  picture 
here  given  of  his  success  is  too 
rose-colored.  —  casta  :  proleptic, 
now  pure,  is,  etc.  —  mos  et  lex  : 
sentiment  and  law ;  without  the 
support  of  the  first  the  second  is 
of  little  service.  Cf.  3,  24,  35 
and  n.  —  edomuit :  has  completely, 
etc. 

23  f .  simili  prole  :  for  children 
tfiat  resentbk  (their  fathers).  Cf. 
Hesiod  Up}  235  TIKTOWIV  8c  yvvat- 


KCS  (the  wives  of  the  righteous) 
eoiKOTu  TiKva.  roKtixn.  Also  Ca- 
tul.  61,  221  sit  suo  similis  patri 
|  Manlioet  facile  insciis  \  noscitetur 
ab  omnibus  \  et  pudicitiam  suae  \ 
jnatris  indicct  ore.  —  premit  comes : 
i.e.  no  longer  limps  far  behind ; 
cf.  3,  2,  32.  With  the  phrase, 
cf.  S.  2,  7,  115  (Cura)  comes  atra 
premit  seqititurqiie  fugacem . 

25  ff.  Peace  on  the  borders.  — 
Parthum :  in  20  B.C.  the  Parthians 
had  given  back  the  Roman  stand- 
ards. Cf.  3,  14,  15  and  n. — 
Scythen:  cf.  3,  8,  23  f.  and  n.  — 
parturit :  breeds.  —  fetus :  swarms. 
—  incolumi  Caesare :  so  long  as, 
etc.  Cf.  3,  5,  12. — bellum  Hibe- 
riae: i.e.  the  long-continued  re- 
sistance of  the  Cantabrians.  finally 
overcome  in  19  B.C.  Cf.  2,  6,  2. 

29  f .  condit :  brings  to  rest,  i.e. 
spends  peacefully.  Cf.  Verg.  E. 
9,  51  f.  saepe  ego  longos  \  cantando 
ptierum  mem  in  i  me  condere  soles. 


HOR.  CAR.  —  23 


353 


4,  5.  30] 


HOKATI 


35 


40 


et  vitem  viduas  ducit  ad  arbores ; 
hinc  ad  vina  redit  laetus  et  alteris 
te  mensis  adhibet  deum ; 

te  multa  prece,  te  prosequitur  mero 
defuso  pateris,  et  Laribus  tuum 
miscet  numen,  uti  Graecia  Castoris 
et  magni  memor  Herculis. 

'  Longas  o  utinam,  dux  bone,  ferias 
praestes  Hesperiae  ! '  dicimus  integro 
sicci  mane  die,  dicimus  uvidi, 
cum  sol  Oceano  subest. 


—  collibus:  cf.  I,  20,  12.  —  suis: 
his  own,  emphasizing  the  posses- 
sion of  lands  by  small  holders. 
One  of  Augustus'  most  cherished 
plans  was  the  restoration  of  agri- 
culture in  Italy.  —  viduas  :  un- 
wedded. —  ducit:  cf.  Epod.  2,  10 
and  the  passage  from  Milton  there 
quoted,  '  They  led  the  vine  to  wed 
her  elm,1  etc. 

31.  redit:  sc.  domtint.  —  al- 
teris mensis :  before  the  dessert, 
inensae  sectindae,  was  brought, 
libations  and  offerings  of  food 
were  made  to  the  household  gods  ; 
with  these  divinities  Augustus  was 
early  associated  by  the  sentiment 
of  the  people.  Later  a  decree  of 
the  Senate  required  this  worship. 
Cf.  Ovid.  Fast.  2,  633  ff.  et  libate 
dapes  lit,  graft  pignus  honoris,  \ 
ntttriat  incinctos  tm'ssa  patella 
Lares ;  \  iamqne  ubi  sitadcbit  pla- 


cidos  nox  umida  soinnos,  \  larga 
precaturi  suinite  vina  maim,  \  et 
'•bene  vos,  bette  te,  patriae  pater, 
optime  Caesar '  |  dicite  suffuse  tcr 
bona  verba  mero. 

32.  adhibet  :  invites,  in  his 
prayer. 

33  f.  te  .  .  .'te:  Intr.  28  c.  — 
Laribus:  dative.  Intr.  89.  — uti 
Graecia,  etc.:  'the  honor  which 
Greece  pays  her  mythical  benefac- 
tors, thou  receivest  in  thy  lifetime.' 

—  Castoris,  Herculis :  belonging  to 
both  numen  and  memor.  Intr.  100. 

37  ff.  o  utinam,  etc. :  i.e.  'long 
may'st  thou  live,  and  may  thy  life 
secure  thy  land  continued  peace.' 

—  ferias:  'vacations.'  i.e.  days  of 
peace.  —  Hesperiae:    cf.   2,    i,   32. 

—  integro :    untouched,  and  entire 
before  us.  —  sicci :    cf.   i,  18,  3.  — 
uvidi:  /3e/?pcy/x«Voi.     Cf.  1,7,22; 
2,  19,  1 8. 


354 


CAKMINA  [4,  6,  4 


A  prelude  to  the  Carmen  Saeculare. 

'Apollo,  thou  who  didst  punish  Niobe  and  Tityos,  and  didst  lay  low 
Achilles  for  all  his  prowess  ;  he  who  but  for  thee  and  Venus  would  have 
slain  ruthlessly  every  Trojan  child,  so  that  none  would  have  remained 
to  found  another  state  with  better  auspices  (1-24).  Thou  divine  min- 
strel, guard,  1  pray,  the  glory  of  the  Daunian  Muse  (25-28).  Phoebus 
it  is  who  gives  me  my  power  and  name.  Ye  noble  maids  and  boys, 
mark  well  the  measure.  Sing  Apollo  and  Diana.  Proud  shall  be  thy 
boast  when  matron  that  at  the  great  festival  thou  didst  render  the  song 
of  the  poet  Horace  (29-44) .' 

The  poem  thus  falls  into  two  divisions  —  the  prayer  to  Apollo  (1-28), 
and  the  address  to  the  chorus  of  boys  and  girls  that  is  to  sing  the  Secu- 
lar Hymn  (31-44).  The  two  parts  are  connected  by  vv.  29-30,  in 
which  Horace  acknowledges  that  lie  owes  his  inspiration,  skill,  and  even 
name  of  poet  to  the  god.  The  date  of  composition  is  evidently  not  far 
from  that  of  the  Carmen  Saeculare,  17  B.C.  Metre,  69. 

Dive,  quern  proles  Niobea  magnae 
vindicem  linguae  Tityosque  raptor 
sensit  et  Troiae  prope  victor  altae 
Phthius  Achilles, 

i.  dive:  Apollo,  as  the  follow-.  Certain  figures  are  reproduced  in 
ing  verses  clearly  show.  The  in-  Baumeister  3,  pp.  1673  ff. 
vocation  is  resumed  v.  25  and  the  zf.  magnae  .  .  .  linguae :  boast- 
verb,  defende,  is  not  found  until  ing  —  /teyaAr;  yXwcr&r)  —  the  gods 
v.  27.  —  proles  Niobea:  the  seven  will  not  brook.  Cf.  Soph.  Ant. 
sons  and  seven  daughters  whom  127  f.  Zevs  yap  /xeyaAT/s  yAwo-a?^ 
Apollo  and  Diana  shot  down  to  KO/^TOVS  vTrept-^Otiipu.  —  Tityosque 
punish  Niobe  for  her  boast  that,  raptor:  cf.  n.  to  2.  14,  8.  —  sensit: 
while  Leto  bore  but  two  children,  cf.  4,  4,  25.  —  prope  victor:  i.e. 
she  had  many.  In  Horace's  day  after  killing  Hector,  Troy's  chief 
a  group  representing  the  slaying  bulwark  of  defense.  When  dying, 
was  to  be  seen  in  the  portico  of  Hector  foretold  the  death  of  his 
Apollo's  temple,  built  by  C.  Sosius.  slayer.  //.  22,  359  f.  ^/um  TW  ore 
The  group  was  thought  to  be  the  KSV  <rc  Ilapis  *at  4>oi^8os  'ATrdAAoov 
work  of  Praxiteles  or  Scopas.  |  c<r6\ov  iovr  oAeo-awriv  evi  ^Kaifjcn 
Fragments  of  a  similar  group  are  irvXrpiv.  —  Troiae  .  .  .  altae  :  the 
now  in  the  Uffizi  in  Florence.  Homeric  *IAios  aiTreivi/. 

355 


4,6,5] 


HORATI 


10 


ceteris  maior,  tibi  miles  impar, 
filius  quamvis  Thetidis  marinae 
Dardanas  turns  quateret  tremenda 
cuspide  pugnax, 

(ille,  mordaci  velut  icta  ferro 
pinus  aut  impulsa  cupressus  Euro, 
procidit  late  posuitque  collum  in 
pulvere  Teucro ; 

ille  non  inclusus  equo  Minervae 
sacra  mentito  male  feriatos 
Troas  et  laetam  Priami  choreis 
falleret  aulam, 

sed  palam  captis  gravis,  heu  nefas  heu, 
nescios  fari  pueros  Achivis 


5  ff .  tibi :  to  thee  alone.  —  filius, 
etc. :  though  he  was  the  son  of 
Thetis  and  shook,  etc.  —  quateret : 
cf.  Verg.  A.  9,  608  quatit  oppida 
bello.  — tremenda  cuspide :  Achilles' 
mighty  spear  is  described  //.  1 6, 

141  ff.  and  19.  387  ff-  TTCLTpUJLOV  tCTTra.- 

craT  tyxos  I  fipiQv,  fJitya.,  crTi.fta.p6v  ' 
TO  fitv  oil  OVVO.T'  dAAos  "A^atoii/  | 
TTuAAeiv,  oAAa  [uv  oios  lirl.crTa.TO 


TT)V  TTttT/Jl  <£lA.a»  TTOpf.  tlpWV  |  117^- 
A.IOU  fK  KOpU<£»/S,  (fiOVOV  tfJ.fJ.6VM 

rfptatcro-iv.  —  pugnax  :  with  parti- 
cipial force,  as  Livy  22.  37,  8  pug- 
nacesque  missili  telo  gentes. 

9  ff.  mordaci :  the  same  personi- 
fication as  Eurip.  Cyc.  395  TreXt'/cewv 
yvdflots.  — procidit  late  :  the  meta- 
phor of  the  tree  is  still  remembered, 
but  cf.  //.  1 8,  26  f.  uvros  8"  eV  KO- 


/xcyas  /icyaAawrTt  TawcrOfis  \ 
KtlTo.  —  The  story  of  the  wooden 
horse  had  been  revived  in  the  minds 
of  Roman  readers  by  the  Aeneid, 
which  had  been  recently  published. 
i3ff.  Minervae  :  with  both  equo 
and  sacra.  —  mentito  :  that  pre- 
tended to  be. —  male  feriatos:  their 
holiday  was  ill-fated.  — falleret :  a 
past  apodosis  as  the  context  re- 
quires. The  formal  protasis  ap- 
pears v.  21  f.  —  aulam  :  the  court. 
17  ff.  sed  palam  :  modifying 
captis ;  in  contrast  with  falleret 
—  *  he  would  not  have  resorted  to 
secret  devices,  but  would  have 
taken  his  captives  in  open  war- 
fare,' etc.  —  gravis :  /?apvs,  cruel, 
merciless.  —  nescios  fari :  a  peri- 
phrasis forinfantts,  KJ/TTUI  TCKVU.  — 
Achivis  :  i.e.  set  by  the  Greeks.  — 


356 


CARMINA 


[4.  6,  32 


20 


2S 


ureret  flammis,  etiam  latentem 
matris  in  alvo, 

ni  tuis  victus  Venerisque  gratae 
vocibus  divum  pater  adnuisset 
rebus  Aeneae  potiore  ductos 
alite  muros ;) 

doctor  argutae  fidicen  Thaliae, 
Phoebe,  qui  Xantho  lavis  amne  crinis, 
Dauniae  defende  decus  Camenae, 
levis  Agyieu. 

Spiritum  Phoebus  mihi,  Phoebus  artem 
carminis  nomenque  dedit  poetae. 
Virginum  primae  puerique  claris 
patribus  orti, 


etiam  latentem,  etc. :  cf.  //.  6.  57  ff. 
TWV  (Tpwcov)  /xr/  TIS  vTT(.K<f>vyoi. 
alirvv  oXtOpov  \  xeipas  ff  ^/xerepas ' 
fj.T]8'  ov  Ttva  yaoWpi  p.r)T-rjp  \  Kovpov 
edvra  <f)fpoi,  fJ-rfi  o?  <£vyoi. 

21  ff.  (lf  it  had  not  been  for 
thy  prayers  and  those  of  Venus, 
there  would  have  been  none  left 
to  found  Rome.'  —  ni :  found  no- 
where else  in  the  Odes,  but  com- 
mon in  the  Satires.  —  adnuisset : 
transitive.  —  potiore  .  .  .  alite:  cf. 
i.  15.  5  mala  avi  and  n.  —  ductos  : 
traced. 

25  f.  Resuming  the  address  to 
Apollo.  —  doctor,  etc. :  'ATroAAwi' 
MovcruytTTT?.  —  argutae  :  Aiyet'us. 
Cf.  3,  14,  21. — fidicen  :  cf.  Hor- 
ace's description  of  his  own  func- 
tion, 4, 3,  23.  —  Xantho  :  in  Lycia. 
—  lavis,  etc. :  cf.  3,  4,  61  ff 


27  f .  Dauniae :  equivalent  to 
'Italian,' 'Roman';  but  selected  with 
reference  to  Horace's  birthplace. 
Cf.  n.  to  3,  30,  10;  also  2,  I,  34. 
— levis :  smooth-cheeked. — Agyieu: 
as  guardian  of  streets.  The  epi- 
thet is  found  only  here  in  Roman 
poetry,  but  is  common  in  Greek. 
Cf.  Eurip.  Phoen.  631  icot  <ri>, 
<&ol/3  ava£  'Ayweu. 

29  f.  The  poet's  warrant  for 
his  charge.  —  spiritum:  cf.  2,  16. 
38. — artem:  'technical  skill'; 
the  contrast  with  spiritum  is 
strengthened  by  the  chiasmus.  — 
poetae  :  only  here  applied  by  Hor- 
ace to  himself;  elsewhere  he  pre- 
fers vates.  Cf.  n.  to  I,  i,  35. 

31.  primae,  etc. :  the  boys  and 
girls  of  the  chorus  which  sang  the 
Carmen  Saecularc  were  of  gentle 


357 


4,  6,  33] 


HORATI 


35 


Deliae  tutela  deae,  f  ugacis 
lyncas  et  cervos  cohibentis  arcu, 
Lesbium  servate  pedem  meique 
pollicis  ictum, 

rite  Latonae  puerum  canentes, 
rite  crescentem  face  Noctilucam, 
prosperam  frugum  ceieremque  pronos 
volvere  mensis. 

Nupta  iam  dices  '  Ego  dis  amicum, 
saeculo  festas  referente  luces, 


birth  and  patrimi  et  matrimi,  i.e. 
'with  both  parents  living.' 

33  ff .  tutela :  in  passive  sense, 
wards.  Diana,  the  virgin  god- 
dess, was  the  especial  protectress 
of  innocent  youth.  Cf.  Catull.  34, 
I  Dianae  sitmus  in  fide  \  puellae 
et  pueri  integri.  By  the  mention 
of  this  function  Horace  is  enabled 
to  give  the  goddess  a  place  in  his 
hymn  beside  her  brother  Apollo. 
—  lyncas  et  cervos  :  possibly  imi- 
tated from  Callim.  Hymn,  in 
Dian.  16  f.  OTTTTOTC  /XT^KCTI  AuyKas 
|  firjT  eAa<£ous  fidXXoifii.  —  COhi- 
bentis :  who  checks.  —  Lesbium 
pedem:  i.e.  Sappho's  measure. 
Cf.  I,  I,  34  Lesboum  barbiton.  — 
pollicis  ictum :  in  his  imagination 
Horace  pictures  himself  as  x°P°~ 
SiSaoxaAos,  striking  the  lyre  to 
direct  the  song. 

37  f.  rite:  duly:  i.e.  perform- 
ing the  solemn  function  in  the 
prescribed  form. — Latonae  puerum 
canentes  :  the  boys  ;  while  the 
girls  praise  Noctiluca.  —  crescen- 


tem :  with  growing  light  (face) . 
—  Noctiluca  :  an  archaic  name  of 
Luna,  who  under  this  designa- 
tion was  worshiped  on  the  Pala- 
tine. 

39  f.  prosperam  :  with  objec- 
tive genitive.  Cf.  C.  S.  29  fer tilts 
frugum.  Intr.  92. —  celerem  .  .  . 
volvere:  Intr.  108.  —  pronos:  the 
gliding,  hurrying.  Cf.  I,  29,  n 
pronos  rivos.  For  this  function 
of  the  goddess,  cf.  Catull.  34, 17  ff. 
tu  cursu,  dea,  menstrua  \  met  tens 
iter  annuum,  \  rustica  agricolae 
bonis  |  tectafrugibits  exples. 

41  f.  nupta :  the  address  is  con- 
fined to  the  girls  who  would  re- 
member their  participation  in  the 
ludi saecnlares  as  one  of  the  great- 
est events  in  their  lives.  The  sin- 
gular number  is  used  after  the 
Greek  fashion.  —  iam :  presently, 
when  married.  —  amicum:  agree- 
ing with  carmen.  For  the  mean- 
ing, cf.  1 ,  26,  i .  —  saeculo :  cf.  in- 
troductory note  to  C.  S.  p.  388  f.  — 
lucea:  cf.  4,  11,  19;  15,25. 


358 


C  ARM  I  NT  A 


[4,  7.7 


reddidi  carmen  docilis  modorum 
vatis  Horati.' 


43  f .  reddidi :  rendered ;  regu- 
larly used  of  repeating  what  has 
been  committed  to  memory.  Cf. 
4,  11,34  modos  .  .  .  quos  reddas. 
—  modorum:  obj.  genitive  with 


docilis,  trained  in.  Intr.  92.  — 
vatis  Horati :  thus  at  the  end  Hor- 
ace casually  mentions  his  office  and 
his  name  to  secure  the  emphasis 
he  desired. 


'  Spring  is  here  again ;  hand  in  hand  the  Nymphs  and  Graces  dance. 
The  seasons  change  and  wane,  but  come  again.  But  we,  when  we  are 
gone,  come  not  back.  So  give  thyself  good  cheer  while  yet  thou  mayst; 
thou  canst  not  buy  escape  from  nether  gloom.1 

The  ode  is  a  close  parallel  to  1.4,  with  which  it  should  be  carefully 
compared.  The  Torquatus  addressed  was  an  intimate  of  Horace  and 
an  advocate  of  considerable  prominence.  See  Epist.  i,  5.  There  is 
no  hint  of  the  date  of  composition.  Metre,  78. 

Diffugere  nives,  redeunt  iam  gramina  campis 

arboribusque  comae ; 
mutat  terra  vices  et  decrescentia  ripas 

flumina  praetereunt ; 
5       Gratia  cum  Nymphis  geminisque  sororibus  audet 

ducere  nuda  chores. 

Immortalia  ne  speres,  monet  annus  et  almum 
2.   comae:  cf.  1,21,  5  and  n.: 


4,  3-  ii- 

3  f.  mutat  terra  vices  :  the  ex- 
pression was  frequently  imitated 
by  later  writers  —  e.g.  Anth.  Lat. 
676,  3  R.  alternant  eletnenta  vices 
et  tentpora  mutant. — vices:  the 
'  inner  object '  of  mutat.  Cf.  F.  4. 
I. — decrescentia:  since  the  winter 
floods  are  over.  —  praetereunt  : 
i.e.  no  longer  overflow. 

5  f.    Cf.  3,  19,  1 6  Gratia  nudis 


inncta  sororibus;  i,  4,  6  innctae- 
que  Nymphis  Gratiae  decent es. 

7.  immortalia  :  immortality. 
—  ne  speres :  dependent  on  monet : 
cf.  i,  1 8,  7  f.  With  the  senti- 
ment, cf.  Eurip.  Frg.  1075  #1/171-05 
yap  oV  Kal  Ovrjra.  trtiataQm  So*a  • 
|  {if)  Ofov  ftiov  £i}v  allots  avdp<i>- 
TTOS  wv ;  •'  For  as  thou  art  mortal, 
expect  to  bear  a  mortal's  lot, 
or  dost  thou  ask  to  live  a  god's 
life,  when  thou  art  but  a  man?' 


359 


4,  7.  8] 


HORATI 


quae  rapit  hora  diem  : 

frigora  mitescunt  Zephyris,  ver  preterit  aestas, 
10  interitura  simul 

pomifer  autumnus  fruges  effuderit,  et  mox 

bruma  recurrit  iners. 
Damna  tamen  celeres  reparant  caelestia  lunae : 

nos  ubi  decidimus 

15          quo  pius  Aeneas,  quo  Tullus  dives  et  Ancus, 
pulvis  et  umbra  sumus. 


:  the  changing  year, 

cViavros.  —  quae  rapit  : 
that  hurries  on,  etc.  ;  snatching 
away  from  man  the  time  of  his  en- 
joyment. Cf.  3,  29,  48  quodfugi- 
ens  setnel  hora  vexit. 

9-12.  The  progress  of  the  sea- 
sons. Cf.  Lucretius1  description 
5,  737  ff.  //  Ver  et  Venus  et  Veris 
praenuntius  ante  \  pennatus  gra- 
ditur  Zephyrus.  .  .  .  hide  loci 
sequitur  calor  aridus  .  .  .  hide 
autumnus  adit  .  .  .  tandem  bruma 
ni-ves  adfert  pigritmque  rigorem. 

—  Zephyris:   cf.  n.  to  i,  4,  I. — 
preterit :  '  treads  on  the  heels  of.' 

—  interitura  :     destined    to    die, 
Intr.  1 10.  —  pomifer :  cf.  3,  23,  8  ; 
l-'.pod.  2,  1 7.  —  effuderit :  as  it  were 
from  a  horn  of  plenty.     Cf.  Epist. 
r .  1 2,  28  aurea  fruges  Italiae  pleno 
definidit    Copia    cornu.  —  iners  : 
contrasting  winter  with  the  other 
seasons. 

13.  damna  .  .  .  caelestia :  the 
losses  of  the  heavens,  i.e.  the  sea- 
sons. The  contrast  is  furnished 
by  the  following  verse.  With  the 
sentiment  cf.  Catull.  5.  4  ff.  soks 


occidere  et  redire  possunt :  \  nobu 
cum  semel  occidit  brevis  lux,  \  nox 
est  per  pet  ua  una  dormienda. 

14  f.  decidimus :  cf.  Epist*  2, 
I,  36  scriptor  abhinc  annos  centum 
qui  decidit.  —  pius  :  established 
by  the  Aeneid  as  the  epithet  of 
its  hero.  —  Tullus  :  the  mythical 
king  famed  for  his  wealth.  —  An- 
cus :  whose  goodness  was  immor- 
talized by  Ennius1  line  lumina  sis 
(i.e.  sut's)  oculis  etiam  bonus  An- 
cus reliquit. 

1 6.  pulvis  et  umbra  :  in  the 
grave  and  the  lower  world.  Cf. 
Soph.  Elec.  1158  f.  O.VTI  <£iA.r<zT»7s 

[JiOp<j>r)<i    (TTToSoV    T£    KM.    (TKIO.V    dvot- 

<f>c\f).  Also  Asclepiades'  warning 
to  a  maiden,  Anth.  Pal.  5.  84  <j>uBy 
Trap&viV;?  •  Kal  TL  ir\eov ;  ov  yap  cs 
n&rjv  |  f\0oixr'  «vpr;fr«ts  TOV  <^>tAe- 
ovra,  KOprj.  |  fv  £<aduri  TO,  Ttprrva  TO. 
KvTrptSo?  •  ei'  8*  'A^epovn  |  oorea 

Kai      (TTToSlT/.       TTdpOtVf,      KCKTOfJitOa. 

'Thou  sparest  thy  maidenhood, 
and  what  advantage?  For  when 
thougoest  to  Hades,  maid,  thou  wilt 
not  there  find  thy  lover.  Among 
the  living  only  are  the  delights  of 


360 


CAKMINA 


L4.  7>  28 


Quis  scit  an  adiciant  hodiernae  crastina  summae 

tempora  di  superi  ? 
Cuncta  manus  avidas  fugient  heredis,  amico 

quae  dederis  animo. 
Cum  semel  occideris  et  de  te  splendida  Minos 

fecerit  arbitria, 
non,  Torquate,  genus,  non  te  facundia,  non  te 

restituet  pietas. 
Infernis  neque  enim  tenebris  Diana  pudicum 

liberat  Hippolytum, 
nee  Lethaea  valet  Theseus  abrumpere  caro 

vincula  Pirithoo. 


Cypris ;   in   Acheron,  maiden,  we 
shall  be  only  bones  and  ashes.1 

17  f.  Cf.  i,  9,  13  ff.  ;  Epist.  i, 
4,  12  if.  inter  spent  curamque, 
ti mores  inter  et  iras  \  otnnem  crede 
diem  tibi  diluxisse  supremum ;  \ 
grata  snperveniet  quae  non  spera- 
bitnr  hora.  Also  Anac.  15,  9  f . 

TO  O"rjfJi(.pOV   /U.E  Atl    JU.OI,  TO    8'  UVpLOV 

TI'S  oTSev. — summae:  cf.  I,  4,  i$. 
19  ff.  The  lesson  of  the  preced- 
ing. —  heredis :  the  dreaded  heir, 
the  thought  of  whom  haunts  every 
man  who  gathers  riches.  Cf.  n.  to 
2,  3,  19;  also  2,  14,  25  ;  3,  24,  62. 

—  dederis  animo  :    essentially  the 
same  as  geninm  curare  3,  17,  14. 
The  adjective  amico  is  added  in  im- 
itation of  the  Homeric  <£i  Aov  r/rop. 

21.    semel:  cf.  n.  to  i,  24,  16. 

—  splendida:  stately;  properly  the 
characteristic  of  Minos'  court,  trans- 
ferred to  his  decrees.     Intr.  99. 

23  f .   genus,   facundia.   pietas : 


the  first  two  at  least  applied  to 
Torquatus,  for  he  was  a  member 
of  the  noble  Manlian  gens  and 
was  an  advocate  of  some  eminence. 
Note  the  cadence  of  the  verse. 

25  ff.  Two  mythological  illus- 
trations. Observe  that  pudicum 
and  caro  are  set  over  against  each 
other,  and  express  the  qualities 
for  which  Hippolytus  and  Piri- 
thous  were  famous  —  the  first  for 
his  chastity  in  refusing  the  ad- 
vances of  Phaedra,  his  step-mother, 
the  second  for  his  friendship  with 
Theseus.  Horace  follows  the 
Greek  legend  according  to  which 
Artemis  could  not  save  her  devo- 
tee from  death :  but  the  myth 
among  the  Romans  made  Diana 
restore  Hippolytus  to  life  and  trans- 
fer him  under  the  name  of  Virbius 
to  her  grove  by  Lake  Nemi  (Verg. 
A.  7,  768  ff  .  :  Ovid.  Met.  15, 
548  ff.). — Pirithoo:  cf.n. to 3, 4, 80. 


4,  8,  0  HORAT1 

8 

The  two  following  odes  treat  a  single  theme — the  immortality  of  song. 

'  Bronzes,  marbles,  pictures  I  have  none  to  give,  good  friend  Censo- 
rinus,  nor  wouldst  thou  desire  them.  Song  is  thy  delight,  and  song  I 
can  bestow.  The  chiseled  record  of  men's  deeds  is  weaker  than  the 
Muse.  Through  her  gift  the  great  ones  of  the  past  escaped  oblivion, 
and  have  their  place  in  heaven.' 

C.  Marcius  Censorinus,  cos.  8  B.C.,  is  known  only  from  these  verses 
and  a  single  reference  in  Velleius.  It  has  been  conjectured  not  without 
reason  that  this  ode  was  Horace's  gift  to  his  friend  on  the  Calends  of 
March  or  on  the  Saturnalia,  when  presents  were  exchanged  as  at  our 
Christmas.  Metre,  53. 

Donarem  pateras  grataque  commodus, 
Censorine,  meis  aera  sodalibus, 
donarem  tripodas,  praemia  fortium 
Graiorum,  neque  tu  pessima  munerum 

5  ferres,  divite  me  scilicet  artium 

quas  aut  Parrhasius  protulit  aut  Scopas, 
hie  saxo,  liquidis  ille  coloribus 
sellers  nunc  hominem  ponere,  nunc  deum, 
Sed  non  haec  mihi  vis,  non  tibi  talium 

10  res  est  aut  animus  deliciarum  egens : 

i.   donarem:  the  protasis  is  ex-  *  5  f .  ferres :  equivalent  to anfer- 

pressed  in  a  general  way  by  divite  res :  cf.  3,  16,  22.  —  scilicet :   that 

me  v.  5,  which,  however,  is  closely  is,  of  course.  —  artium  :   works  of 

joined  with  the  words  that  follow  art.  —  Parrhasius:  a  famous  painter 

it. — commodus  :    consulting  their  born  at  Ephesus,  a  contemporary 

taste,  so  that  the  gifts  would  be  in  Athens  of  Socrates.  —  Scopas : 

grata.  —  aera:  bronzes,  especially  of  Paros,  a  distinguished  sculptor 

vases.  in  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  cen- 

3.    donarem :  yes,  I  should,  etc.  tury  B.C. 

Intr.  28  c.  —  praemia:    in  apposi-  8.  ponere:  at  representing.    For 

tion  with  tripodas,  which  were  used  the  mood,  see  Intr.  108. 

as  early  as  Homer's  day  for  prizes.  9  f.    non  haec.  etc. :  I  have  not 

Cf.    //.    23.   259    vrfiv    8'    tK<f>f.p  the  power  (to  give  such  presents). 

at#Aa,    \f(Jr)T<i<;    re.    rptiroSas    re.  Cf.   Epod.   5,    94. — res  .   .  .  aul 

animus:  estate  or  tastes.     That  is, 
362 


CARM1NA 


[4,8,17 


'5 


gaudes  carminibus ;  carmina  possumus 
don  are  et  pretium  dicere  munerL 
Non  incisa  notis  marmora  publicis, 
per  quae  spiritus  et  vita  redit  bonis 
post  mortem  ducibus,  non  celeres  fugae 
reiectaeque  retrorsum  Hannibalis  minae, 
non  incendia  Carthaginis  impiae 


Censorinus  is  rich  enough  to  buy 
these  rare  things  if  he  desired, 
but  is  too  simple  in  his  tastes  to 
wish  them. — deliciarum:  curios, 
with  disparaging  force. 

11.  Horace   will  bring   a    gift 
which  will  please  his  friend,  but 
such  as  money  cannot  buy. 

12.  pretium  dicere  muneri :  tell 
the  wort /i  of,  set  a  price  on.     The 
common    expression    is    pretium 
statuere,  ponere.     The   following 
verses  state  the  worth.  The  thought 
is  the  same  as  in  Epist.  2, I,  248  ff. 

1 3  ff .  '  Neither  inscribed  statues 
nor  great  deeds  in  war  have  se- 
cured Scipio  the  fame  which  he 
has  gained  from  Ennius'poem.' — 
notis  .  .  .  publicis  :  inscriptions 
cut  at  the  state's  orders',  instru- 
mental abl.  —  marmora:  the  fol- 
lowing clause  shows  that  this  in- 
cludes both  the  statues  and  their 
bases  on  which  the  inscriptions 
are  engraved.  Translate  simply, 
marbles.  —  spiritus  et  vita  :  a 
double  expression  of  a  single  idea, 
yet  somewhat  more  comprehen- 
sive than  either  word  would  be 
alone ;  cf.  4.  2,  28  more  modoqnc. 
Also  with  the  general  sentiment, 
cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  847  f.  excudent  alii 


spirantia  mollius  aera,  \  credo  equi- 
dem,  vivos  ducent  de  marmore 
voltus.  —  non  fugae,  reiectae  minae, 
incendia :  all  these  confer  fame, 
and  might  secure  the  memory  of 
the  leader  under  whom  they  were 
accomplished  ;  yet  all  are  inferior 
to  song.  —  fugae  :  from  Italy  or 
after  the  battle  of  Zama,  or  both. 
—  reiectae  .  .  .  minae  :  Hanni- 
bal's threats  against  Rome  were 
hurled  back  by  the  reduction  of 
Carthage.  —  incendia,  etc. :  this 
verse  has  troubled  critics,  both 
because  it  has  no  diaeresis  and 
because  the  burning  of  Carthage 
was  not  accomplished  until  146 
B.C.,  when  the  Scipio  who  brought 
the  Second  Punic  war  to  an  end 
had  been  dead  for  seventeen, 
and  Ennius,  who  celebrated  his 
fame,  for  five  years.  It  was  the 
younger  Scipio  Aemilianus  who 
razed  Carthage.  However,  Hor- 
ace may  have  consciously  taken 
the  name  Scipio  Africanus  —  in- 
herited by  the  younger  —  simply 
as  typical  of  one  who  had  won 
great  fame  in  war.  Yet  vv.  18  f. 
can  strictly  only  apply  to  the  elder 
Scipio. 

—  impiae  :  cf.  n.  to  4,  4,  46. 


363 


4,  8,  1 8] 


HORATI 


30 


eius,  qui  domita  nomen  ab  Africa 
lucratus  rediit,  clarius  indicant 
laudes  quam  Calabrae  Pierides ;  neque 
si  chartae  sileant  quod  bene  feceris, 
mercedem  tuleris.     Quid  foret  Iliae 
Mavortisque  puer,  si  taciturnitas 
obstaret  meritis  invida  Romuli? 
Ereptum  Stygiis  fluctibus  Aeacum 
virtus  et  favor  et  lingua  potentium 


19.  lucratus:  enriched  by,  the 
word  is  intentionally  used  for  its 
commercial  connotation,  but  with- 
out the  unpleasant  connotation 
which  lucrum  has  3,  16,  12.  Scipio 
boasted  that  his  name  was  all  the 
profit  he  made  in  Africa.  Val. 
Max.  3,  8,  i  cum  Africam  totam 
potestati  vestrae  subiecerim,  nihil 
ex  ea  quod  meum  dicer etur praeter 
cognomen  rettuli. 

20  f.  Calabrae  Pierides  :  i.e. 
the  poetry  of  Ennius  whose  birth- 
place was  Rudiae  in  Calabria. 
He  celebrated  Scipio's  deeds  in 
his  Annales  as  well  as  in  a  special 
poem.  —  chartae:  books,  papyrus 
rolls.  —  sileant:  transitive. 

22  ff .  quid  foret,  etc. :  without 
song  men's  deeds  die  with  them. 
Cf.  Find.  O.  10,  91  ff.  K<U  orav 
Ki\a  €p£ais  «oi8ris  urep  'Ay^criSa/x* 
eis  'Ai'Sa  crru0/u.<n'  |  dvi/p  LKrjrtu, 

KCI'Cfl  TTVeWTIUS  |  «rO/J£  /AO^^W  ftpu.^ 
Tl  Tip  |  1TVOV  .  TLV  8'  a8l'£7T»/S  T£  \VpOL 

|  yAuKvs  T  ui'Aos  fivuTruiraei  ^dpiv. 
|  Tpe</>ovTi  8'  eupv  KAe'os  j  Kopai 
Ilitpi'Scs  Aios.  '  Even  so,  Ageside- 
mus,  when  a  man  hath  done  noble 


deeds  and  goeth  unsung  to  the 
house  of  Hades,  his  breath  hath 
been  spent  in  vain  and  he  hath 
gained  but  brief  delight  by  his 
toil.  But  on  thee  the  sweet-toned 
lyre  and  pleasant  pipe  shed  their 
grace ;  and  the  Pierian  daugh- 
ters of  Zeus  foster  thy  widespread 
fame,1  also  Ovid  to  Germanicus, 
Ex  Pont.  4,  8,  31  ff.  nee  tibi  de 
Pario  statuam,  Gertnanice,  lem- 
pluin  mart/lore  .  .  .  Naso  snis 
opibus,  carmine,  grattts  erit  .  .  . 
carmine  fit  vivax  virtus  expersqite 
sepulchri  notitiarn  scrae  posteri- 
tatis  habet  .  .  .  quis  Thebas  sep- 
temque  duces  sine  carmine  nosset* 
et  quidqttid  post  haec,  quidquid  ct 
antefuit? 

—  Iliae:  cf.  i,  2,  17  and  n.— 
Mavortis :  Mavors  is  an  archaic 
name  of  Mars  preserved  in  ritual 
and  adopted  by  poets. — invida: 
cf.  4,  5,  9,  and  4,  9,  33  Hindus  ob- 
liviones. 

25  f.  Aeacum:  cf.  2,  13,  22. 
Pindar  celebrates  him  in  /.  I,  8. 
—  virtus  :  his  excellence.  —  favor  : 
popular  acclaim.  —  potentium  va- 


364 


CARMINA  [4, 9 

vatum  divitibus  consecrat  insulis. 
Dignum  laude  virum  Musa  vetat  mori; 
caelo  Musa  beat.     Sic  lovis  interest 
30  optatis  epulis  impiger  Hercules, 

clarum  Tyndaridae  sidus  ab  infimis 
quassas  eripiunt  acquoribus  ratis, 
ornatus  viridi  tempora  pampino 
Liber  vota  bonos  ducit  ad  exitus. 

turn :  i.e.  able  to  confer   immor-  poets  did  not  make  them  known  to 

tality.  — divitibus  .  .  .  insulis:  cf.  men.     Cf.  Ovid.  Ex  Pont.  4,  8,  55 

Epod.  1 6,  42  and  n.     The  case  is  di  quoqite  carminibus,  si  fas  est 

loc.  abl.     Intr.  95.  dicere,  fiunt,  \  tantaque  tnaiestas 

29  ff .    '  Song  confers  not  simply  ore  canentis  eget. 
immortality ;     it     actually     raises  30.   optatis  :  for  which  he  had 

mortals  to  the  rank  of  gods.'    Hor-  longed. 

ace  makes  no  distinction  between  31.    clarum  .  .  .  sidus:  in  ap- 

mere  subjective  immortality, which  position  with  Tyndaridae:  cf.  n. 

can  be  given  by  poetry,  and  an  to  i,  3,  2. 

actual  existence  after  death.     Cf.  33.   ornatus:  middle  participle. 

3, 3,9ff.  —  sic  :  i.e.  by  song.    Even  Intr.  84.      The  remainder  of  the 

the  gods  would    be  unknown,  if  verse  repeats  3,  25,  20. 


The  first  half  of  this  ode  continues  the  theme  of  the  preceding  but 
with  a  somewhat  different  turn.  The  remainder  is  in  praise  of  M. 
Lollius. 

'  Do  not  despise  my  lyric  Muse.  Though  Homer  with  his  epic  verse 
holds  the  supreme  place,  the  verses  of  the  lyric  bards  of  Greece  are  not 
thereby  obscured.  Homer's  Helen  was  not  the  first  to  love;  nor  his 
Troy  the  only  city  vexed ;  his  heroes  not  the  only  ones  to  fight  for 
wives  and  children  dear,  yet  the  others  are  unwept  because  unsung  (i- 
28).  My  verse  shall  save  thy  deeds  from  oblivion's  doom.  For  thou 
art  wise,  firm,  upright ;  not  consul  for  a  single  year,  but  victor,  ruler 
over  all  (29-44).  Truly  fortunate  is  that  man  who  wisely  uses  what 
the  gods  bestow,  fears  not  small  estate,  and  does  not  shrink  from  death 
for  friend  or  native  land  (45-52).' 

365 


4,  9.  0  HORATI 

The  M.  Lollius  addressed  was  consul  21  B.C.;  in  16  B.C.  he  was 
defeated  by  the  Sygambri  while  governor  of  Belgian  Gaul.  In  2  B.C. 
he  was  appointed  governor  of  Syria  and  adviser  and  tutor  of  the  young 
Gaius  Caesar,  who  was  then  on  a  mission  to  Armenia.  He  died  sud- 
denly, gossip  said  by  suicide,  in  the  following  year.  Horace's  ode  was 
probably  written  soon  after  Lollius'  defeat  in  16  B.C.,  as  an  apology  for 
his  friend.  Strangely  enough  the  very  virtues  attributed  to  him  here 

—  honesty  and  rectitude  — are  the  ones  denied  him  by  Velleius  (2,  97  ; 
cf.  Plin.  N.  H.  9,  58),  who  charges  him  with  avarice  and  venality  in 
the  East.     Which  account  is  nearer  the  truth  we  cannot  determine. 
Metre,  68. 

Ne  forte  credas  interitura  quae 
longe  sonantem  natus  ad  Aufidura 
non  ante  volgatas  per  artis 

verba  loquor  socianda  chordis : 

5  non,  si  priores  Maeonius  tenet 

sedes  Homerus,  Pindaricae  latent 
Ceaeque  et  Alcaei  minaces 
Stesichorique  graves  camenae, 

i  ff.   ne  .  .  .  credas:  not  pro-  antem  carmina  nervis. —  loquor: 

hibitive,  but  giving  the  purpose  of  of  the  poet,  in  place  of  the  more 

the  statements  in  the  two  follow-  common  dico.     Cf.  3,  25,  18;  4, 

ing  strophes.    Cf.  nn.  to  1 , 33, I  ;  2,  2,  45. 

4,  i.     Translate, '  You  should  not  5-12.     In  spite  of  Homer's  pre- 

think  .  .  .  for]  etc.  —  longe   so-  eminence,  the  Greek   lyric  poets 

nantem :  with  this  epithet  of  the  are  not  unknown. 

Aufidus,   cf.  violens  3,  30,   10. —  5  ff.   Maeonius:   cf.   I.  6,   2. — 

natus  ad   Aufi  lum :    said    with   a  Pindaricae   (camenae)  :   described 

certain  pride,  'I,  a  rustic   born.'  4,2,5-24.  —  latent:  are  not  hid. 

—  non  ante  volgatas  :  cf.  his  more  — Ceae  :  of  Simonides  ;  cf.   2,    I, 
sweeping  claim  3,30,  13.  —  verba  38.  —  minaces:  i.e.  in  his   poems 
.  .  .  socianda   chordis :    i.e.   lyric  against  the  tyrants   of  Mitylene. 
poetry    distinguished    from    epic,  Cf.  n.  to  i,  32,  5;  2,  13,  30  ff. — 
which  was  recited,  not  sung  to  the  Stesichori:  a  poet  of  Himera  in 
accompaniment  of  the  lyre.    With  Sicily    (ca.    640-555    B.C.).    who 
the  expression,  cf.  Ovid.  Afet.  n,  treated  heroic  myths  in  lyric  form. 
^ccrnunt  Orphea  percnssis  soci-  Quintilian  10,  i,  62,  characterizes 

366 


CAUMlNA 


[4,  9. 


IO 


nee,  si  quid  olim  lusit  Anacreon, 

delevit  aetas  ;  spiral  adhuc  amor 

vivuntque  commissi  calores 

Aeoliae  fidibus  puellae. 

Non  sola  comptos  arsit  adulteri 
crinis  et  aurum  vestibus  inlitum 
mirata  regalisque  cultus 

et  comites  Helene  Lacaena, 


him  thus :  Stesichorus  qnam  sit 
ingenio  -validns  materiae  qnoque 
ostendunt,  maxima  bella  et  cla- 
rissimos  canentem  duces  et  epici 
car  minis  oner  a  lyra  sustinentem . 
The  last  clause  explains  Horace's 
adjective  graves. 

9.  lusit:  of  light  themes,  in 
contrast  to  the  seriousness  of  Stesi- 
chorus and  the  passion  of  Sappho. 
With  this  use  of  the  word,  cf.  I,  32, 
2. — Anacreon:  a  native  of  Teos, 
who  flourished  in  the  second  half 
of  the  sixth  century  B.C.  He  re- 
sided at  the  court  of  Polycrates, 
tyrant  of  Samos,  and  later  at  that 
of  Hipparchus  in  Athens.  The 
extant  collection  of  poems  called 
Anacreontea  are,  however,  of 
Alexandrian  origin. 

10  ft.  spirat  .  .  .  vivunt  :  cf. 
n.  to  4,  8,  14.  —  commissi  :  with 
amor  and  calores  alike.  The  se- 
crets of  her  love  she  intrusted  to 
her  lyre.  Cf.  S.  2,  i,  30  tile  (Ln- 
cilhts)  -velut  fidis  arcana  sodali- 
bnsolim  \  credebat  libris.  — Aeoliae : 
cf.  2,  13,  24  and  n. 

13  ff.   Horace  now  takes  up  the 


more  general  aspect  of  his  theme. 
All  his  illustrations  are  from 
Homer.  Notice  the  variety  of  ex- 
pression and  the  cadence  of  the 
rhythm.  —  comptos  .  .  .  crines  : 
smooth  locks  ;  the  common  object 
of  arsit,  blazed  with  lorie^s  fire,  and 
mirata,  looked  on  with  wondering 
admiration.  The  latter  continues 
with  the  three  following  accusa- 
tives, while  arsit  is  forgotten. 
With  this  description  of  Paris,  cf. 
i,  15,  13  ff.  and  n.  —  inlitum  : 
'  smeared  on,'  the  word  is  chosen 
to  emphasize  the  barbaric  magnifi- 
cence of  Paris  and  his  train.  — 
cultus:  dress;  cf.  i,  8,  16.  —  La- 
caena :  the  epithet  is  added  in  the 
epic  fashion.  Horace  found  models 
in  the  Greek  writers  for  this  ac- 
count of  the  effect  produced  on 
Helen's  mind  by  the  appearance 
of  Paris.  Cf.  e.g.  Eurip.  Troad. 
991  f.  ov  cieri8oi)(ra  (3ap/3dpoi<; 


js  <t>plva.<>.  '  At  sight  of 
whom,  brilliant  in  his  barbarian 
dress  and  gold,  thou  lost  thy 
senses.' 


367 


4,  9, 


HORATI 


primusve  Teucer  tela  Cydonio 
direxit  arcu  ;  non  semel  Ilios 
vexata ;  non  pugnavit  ingens 
Idomeneus  Sthenelusve  solus 

dicenda  Musis  proelia;  non  ferox 
Hector  vel  acer  Deiphobus  gravis 
excepit  ictus  pro  pudicis 

coniugibus  puerisque  primus. 

Vixere  fortes  ante  Agamemnona 
multi ;  sed  omnes  inlacrimabiles 
urgentur  ignotique  longa 

nocte,  carent  quia  vate  sacro. 


17  f.  primusve  :  the  negative 
continues.  —  Teucer:  cf.  i,  7,  21. 
According  to  //.  13,  313  he  was 
the  best  bowman  among  the 
Greeks.  —  Cydonio:  i.e.  Cretan. 
Cydonia  was  a  town  in  Crete ;  cf. 
I,  15, 17.  — Ilios :  an  Ilium.  The 
siege  of  Troy  is  taken  as  typical 
of  great  sieges. 

20.  Idomeneus :  captain  of  the 
Cretans.  —  Sthenelus:  cf.  i,  15, 
24  and  n. 

21  ff.  dicenda  Musis  proelia : 
cf.  4,  4,  68.  —  non  :  with  primus. 
—  Hector,  Deiphobus :  two  exam- 
ples chosen  from  the  Trojan  side. 

25.  vixere  fortes,  etc.  :  often 
quoted.  The  line  sums  up  all 
that  has  gone  before. 

26  ff.  inlacrimabiles  :  passive ; 
cf.  2,  14,  6.  Translate,  and  none 
can  weep  for  them.  —  urgentur  . . . 
longa  nocte:  cf.  I.  24.  5  f.  er%o 


Quintilium  perpetuus  sopor  \  urget .' 
—  vate  sacro :  because  consecrated 
to  the  service  of  the  Muses ;  cf.  3, 
i ,  3  f.  &£ttsarumsacerdos\virguti&tis 
puerisque  canto.  With  the  preced- 
ing, cf.  Find.  N.  7, 1 2  f.  TUI 
•yap  dA.Kui  |  CTKOTOV  TroAuv 

Sto/xcvui.  ,  cpyois  8e  KaAois 

l(TO.p.(V  cVl  CTVV  TpOTTW,  |  Cl 

Mva/wxruvas  (Kan  \nrapa.fjiirvKO<;  \ 
cupi/Tai  UTTOIVU  fi6x@wi>,  /cAimus 
circa)?  dotSuis.  '  For  mighty  feats 
of  strength  suffer  deep  darkness 
if  they  lack  song ;  yet  for  glorious 
actions  we  know  a  mirror  in  one 
single  way,  if  by  the  favor  of  Mne- 
mosyne of  the  shining  fillet  a  man 
find  recompense  for  toil  through 
glorifying  strains  of  verse.1  Also 
Boeth.  Phil.  Cons.  2,  7  sed  quant 
miiltos  clarissimos  SHI'S  temporibits 
viros  scriptoniin  inops  tielevit 
opinio. 


368 


pVRMINA 


[4,9.40 


35 


40 


Paulum  sepultae  distat  inertiae 
celata  virtus.     Non  ego  te  meis 
chartis  inornatum  silebo 
totve  tuos  patiar  labores 

impune,  Lolli,  carpere  lividas 
obliviones.     Est  animus  tibi 
rerumque  prudens  et  secundis 
temporibus  dubiisque  rectus, 

vindex  avarae  fraudis  et  abstinens 
ducentis  ad  se  cuncta  pecuniae, 
consulque  non  unius  anni, 

sed  quotiens  bonus  atque  fidus 


29  f.    'The    hero,  if  posterity 
does   not  know  his  bravery,  has 
but  little  advantage  over  the  cow- 
ard.'    Thus  Horace  sums  up  the 
force  of  the  preceding  illustrations 
and  passes  on  to  assure  Lollius  that 
his  excellence  shall  not  go  unsung. 
With  the  sentiment,  cf.  Claudian. 
Cons.  Hon.  4,  225  f.  vile  latens  vir- 
tus,    quid  enim  submersa  tenebris 
\  proderit  obscuris  f 

30  ff.   non  ego  te  :  cf.  i,  18,  n. 

—  chartis:    cf.  n.  to  4,  8,  21. — 
inornatum :    proleptic.  —  labores : 
////  toils  and  struggles. 

33  ff.  impune  :  i.e.  without  an 
effort  to  prevent.  —  carpere :  to 
prey ;  suggesting  Envy's  biting 
tooth.  —  lividas:  malicious;  cf.  4, 

8,  23. —  est  animus:  cf.  Verg.  ./. 

9,  205  est  animus  lucis  contemptor. 

—  rerum  prudens :  wise  in  affairs 
(through  experience).     Cf.  Verg. 


G.  i,  416  ingenium  ('natural  en- 
dowment ')  aut  rerum  prudentia. 
—  secundis  temporibus  dubiisque  : 
some  see  here  a  reference  to  Lol- 
lius' defeat  in  16  B.C.  —  rectus: 
steadfast. 

37  f .  vindex,  etc. :  i.e.  ready  to 
punish  cupidity  in  others  and  him- 
self free  from  that  sin.  —  abstinens 
pecuniae:  for  the  genitive,  cf. 
sceleris  purus  i,  22,  i.  Also  3, 
27,  69  f.  Cf.  Intr.  94. 

39  f .  consul :  in  a  figurative 
sense,  suggested  by  the  Stoic  tenet 
that  only  the  wise,  sapiens,  is  the 
true  consul  or  king.  Cf.  n.  to  3,  2, 
17.  Superiority  to  the  tempta- 
tions of  ordinary  men  makes  a 
man  supreme  not  for  a  single  year, 
but  so  long  as  he  maintains  his 
integrity.  There  is  a  certain  con- 
fusion here  and  in  the  following 
lines,  as  Horace  seems  to  shift  his 


HOR.  CAR.  —  24 


369 


4,  9.  4»J  HORATI 

iudex  honestum  praetulit  utili, 
reiecit  alto  dona  nocentium 
voltu,  per  obstantis  catervas 
explicuit  sua  victor  arma. 

45  Non  possidentem  multa  vocaveris 

recte  beatum  ;  rectius  occupat 
nomen  beati,  qui  dcorum 
muneribus  sapienter  uti 

duramque  callet  pauperiem  pati 
50  peiusque  leto  flagitiiun  timet, 

non  ille  pro  caris  amicis 
aut  patria  timidus  perire. 

thought  from  animus  with  which  the   nocentium.  —  explicuit  :  has 

vindex,  consul,  and  iudex  are  in  carried,  etc. 

apposition,  to  Lollius,  the  posses-  45  ff.     The   ideal   man.  —  non 

sor  of  this    incorruptible    spirit.  possidentem  multa,  etc. :  it  is  not 

In  translation  we  follow  this  shift,  the  man  who,  etc.     Cf.  2,  2,  17  ft'. 

•whenever  as  a  judge  he,  tic.  — recte  .  .  .  rectius:    Intr.  28  c. 

41.    honestum:  TO KO\OV, virtue.  — occupat:  claims  as  his  own.— 

—  utili:  TO  <ru/A<£e'pov,  expediency.  qui  deorum.  etc. :  cf.  Claudian.  in 
42  ff.    reiecit  :    following  quo-  Ruf.  \,  215  f.  natitra  beat  is  otntii- 

tiens  by  asyndeton.  —  nocentium :  bus  esse  dedit,  siquis  cogtiwcrit  uti. 

the  wicked. — per  obstantis,  etc.:  49  f.    callet:  cf.  callidus  i.  10. 

Porphyrio's  explanation  of  this  as  7.  —  pauperiem    pati  :    repeated 

an  apodosis  to  quotiens  .  .  .  prae-  from  I,  I,  18.  —  peius :  cf.  Epist. 

tulit,  reiecit,  seems  the  simplest.  i,  17, 30  cane  peius  et  angne  vitabit 

—  catervas:    i.e.    of   those   who  chlamydem.  —  non  ille  :  cf.  3,  21,  9. 
would  block  his  righteous  course,  52.   timidus  perire  :     Intr.  108. 

IO 

The  following  four  odes  treat  of  love  and  good  cheer  in  contrast  to 
the  serious  tone  of  most  of  the  other  odes  of  (he  book. 

These  eight  verses  addressed  to  a  beautiful  boy.  Ligurinus  (4.  I,  33), 
warn  him  that  beauty  fades  and  soon  he  will  repent  his  present  haughti- 
ness. The  subject  may  have  been  suggested  to  Horace  by  certain 
Greek  epigrams.  Cf.  ./;////.  Pal.  12,  35.  186.  Metre.  54. 

370 


CARMINA  t4»  11 

O  crudelis  adhuc  et  Veneris  muneribus  potens, 
insperata  tuae  cum  veniet  pluma  superbiae 
et  quae  nunc  umeris  involitant  deciderint  comae, 
nunc  et  qui  color  est  puniceae  flore  prior  rosae 
5       mutatus,  Ligurine,  in  faciem  verterit  hispidam, 
dices  '  Heu,'  quotiens  te  speculo  videris  alterum, 
'  quae  mens  est  hodie,  cur  eadem  non  puero  fuit, 
vel  cur  his  animis  incolumes  non  redeunt  genae  ? ' 

i  ff.   Cf.  Theoc.  23,  33  f.  %£«.          4  f.  flore  .  .  .  rosae :  cf.  3,  29, 

jcatpo;  CKCIVOS,  oTraviKa  KOL  TV  <f>i\aL-  3.  —  verterit :    intransitive.  —  his- 

trcis,   |  aviKa  TO.V    Kpaoiav   OTTTCV-  pidam :  i.e.  with  thy  new  beard, 
yaevos  dA/tvpa  /cAavcrets. —  Veneris  6  ff.    speculo :  instrumental  ab- 

muneribus :  cf.  //.  3,  54  f.  OVK  dv  lative.  —  alterum :    '  changed  into 

rot   xpcuoTAfl    Kiflapis    TO.   re    Stop'  another    self.'       Cf.    Anth.    Pal. 

'  A(f>pooiTrf;,  |  r)  re  KG/XT;  TO  re  elSos,  n,  77   17  v  8'  e8e\rj$  TO  TrpocrwTrov 

or'  ev  Kovirjtri  /uyetT/s-  —  insperata  :  iScu/    es    ccrorrrpoi/   cavrov    \    '  OVK 

predicate    with   veniet,    unexpect-  ei/xt  ST/OUTO^WV,'  avros  epets  o/xo- 

edly. — pluma:  down  (of  thy  first  eras.      'But   if  thou  wilt  look  at 

beard),   not  found   elsewhere    in  thy  face  in  the  mirror,  thou  wilt 

this  sense.  —  deciderint  comae  :  i.e.  say  on  thy  oath,  "I  am  not  Stra- 

as  a  sign  of  man's  estate.  tophon.'" 

II 

An  invitation  to  Phyllis  to  join  in  celebrating  the  birthday  of  Mae- 
cenas. 

'  Come,  Phyllis,  here  is  plenty,  and  my  house  is  all  abustle  with  our 
preparations  (1-12).  We  must  keep  the  birthday  of  Maecenas,  dearer 
to  me  almost  than  my  own  (13-20).  Telephus  is  not  for  thee,  but  for 
a  maid  of  richer  station.  Remember  it  was  ambition  that  brought  low 
Phaethon  and  Bellerophon.  Come  then,  last  of  my  flames,  and  learn  a 
song  to  lessen  thy  love  cares  (2I-36).1 

In  theme  and  treatment  this  ode  is  not  unlike  3,  28.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  it  contains  the  only  reference  to  Maecenas  in  this  book, 
which  is  so  largely  devoted  to  the  praise  of  Augustus  and  his  stepsons ; 
but  the  warmth  of  vv.  17-20  shows  that  no  shadow  had  fallen  on  the 
friendship  between  Horace  and  his  patron.  The  year  of  composition  is 
unknown.  Metre,  69. 

371 


HORATI 


to 


Est  mihi  nonum  superantis  annum 
plenus  Albani  cadus ;  est  in  horto, 
Phylli,  nectendis  apium  coronis; 
est  hederae  vis 

multa,  qua  crinis  religata  f ulges ; 
ridet  argento  domus  ;  ara  castis 
vincta  verbenis  avet  immolato 
spargier  agno ; 

cuncta  festinat  manus,  hue  et  illuc 
cursitant  mixtae  pueris  puellae ; 
sordidum  flammae  trepidant  rotantes 
vertice  fumum. 


i  ff .  est :  the  triple  anaphora 
shows  the  poet's  earnestness  — 
'yes,  everything  we  need  is  here 
in  abundance.'  Cf.  Theoc.-  II 
45  ff.  Ivrl  8d<f>vaL  Trjvel,  IVTL  pa&ivai 
\  tori  jU-eAas  /acro-ds,  «TT' 
os  a  y\.VKVKapTro<;,  \  IOTI  \J/v- 
vB<ap.  '  There  are  laurels 
thereby,  there  are  slender  cy- 
presses, there  is  dark  ivy,  and  the 
vine  with  its  sweet  clusters,  there 
is  cool  water.'  —  Albani:  in  quality 
next  after  the  Caecuban  and  Fa- 
lernian,  according  to  Pliny  N.  H. 
14,  64.  —  nectendis  .  .  .  coronis: 
dative  of  purpose.  —  apium :  cf.  I, 
36,  16;  2,7,24. 

4.   vis  :  supply,  copia. 

5  ff.  religata :  middle ;  cf.  2, 
II,  24. —  fulges  :  gnomic  pres- 
ent; somewhat  stronger  in  mean- 
ing than  the  common  niteo,  I,  5, 
13.  —  ridet:  cf.  Hesiod.  Theog. 


40  yc\a  8e  TC  SoS/uaTa  Trarpos.  The 
silver  has  been  polished  up  for 
the  occasion.  Cf.  Juvenal's  de- 
scription of  preparations  for  guests 
14,  59  ff.  hospite  venturo  cessabit 
nemo  luorum  ;  \  '  Verre  pcnrimen- 
tuui,  nitidas  ostende  coliunnas,  \ 
arida  cum  tola  descendat  aranea 
tela;  \  hie  leve  argent  urn,  vasa 
aspera  tergeat  alter '  |  vox  domini 
furit.  —  ara  ...  vincta,  etc. :  cf. 
I,  19,  13  f.  and  nn. 

—  avet :  used  only  here  in  the 
lyric  poems  and  the  Epistles.  — 
spargier :  the  archaic  passive  pres. 
inf.  is  not  found  elsewhere  in  the 
lyrics,  but  is  employed  five  times 
in  the  Satires  and  Epistles. 

9  ff .  manus  :  the  household,  fa- 
milia.  —  puellae  :  rare  in  this 
meaning  of  famnlae.  —  sordidum : 
murky  j  smoky. — trepidant :  quiver: 
cf.  2,  3,  n  ;  3,27,  17.  The  wore1 


372 


CAKMINA 


[4.  ".24 


20 


Vt  tamen  noris  quibus  advoceris 
gaudiis,  Idus  tibi  sunt  agendae, 
qui  dies  mensem  Veneris  marinae 
findit  Aprilem, 

iure  sollemnis  mihi  sanctiorque 
paene  natali  proprio,  quod  ex  hac 
luce  Maecenas  meus  adfluentis 
ordinat  annos. 

Telephum,  quern  tu  petis,  occupavit 
non  tuae  sortis  iuvenem  puella 
dives  et  lasciva,  tenetque  grata 
compede  vinctum. 


has  a  certain  personifying  force 
like  avet  above,  and  pictures  the 
fire  as  sharing  in  the  excitement 
of  preparation .  —  vertice  :  i.e.  'in 
eddying  column.' 

13  f.  ut  noris :  the  purpose  of 
the  explanation  Idus  tibi,  etc.  Cf. 
4,  9,  i  ff.  and  n. 

15  f.  Veneris  marinae:  cf.  i, 
4,  5  ;  3,  26,  5.  In  explanation  of 
the  fact  that  April  was  sacred  to 
Venus,  it  was  said  that  in  this 
month  the  goddess  ('A^>po8tT7; 
ava$vo[jL(VT))  was  born  from  the 
sea,  and  in  fact  the  name  Aprilis 
was  falsely  derived  from  d<jk/>os, 
'sea-foam.'  —  findit:  hinting  at 
the  derivation  of  idus  from  the 
Etruscan  idnare,  to  divide  (Ma- 
crob.  i,  15,  17). 

17.  sollemnis  :  festal.  —  sanc- 
tior  :  cf.  Tib.  4,  5,  I  f.  qui  mihi  te, 
Cerinthe,  dies  dedit,  hie  mihi  sanc- 


tus  |  atque  inter  festos  semper 
habendus  erit.  Also  luv.  12,  i  ff. 
natali,  Corvine,  die  mihi  ditlcior 
haec  lux,  \  qua  festus  promissa 
deis  animalia  caespes  \  expect  at. 

19  f.  luce:  cf.  4,  6,  42.  —  ad- 
fluentis .  .  .  annos :  the  years  in 
their  onward  flow.  The  phrase 
does  not  necessarily  imply  that 
Maecenas  was  already  old.  —  ordi- 
nat :  reckons,  adds  to  the  tale  of 
those  already  passed. 

21  ff.  '  Do  not  let  your  love  for 
Telephus  delay  you,  he  is  not  for 
thee.1  —  Telephum  :  the  name  is 
found  i,  13,  if.;  3,  19,  26. — 
petis :  frequent  in  this  sense ;  cf. 
!'  33-  '3-  —  occupavit:  cf.  i,  14, 
2  and  n.  —  sortis  :  station.  —  las- 
civa :  coquettish.  —  tenet  grata 
compede:  cf.  I,  33,  14.  —  Also 
Tibul.  i,  i,  55  me  retinent  vinc- 
tum  formosae  vincla  pnellae. 


--> 


373 


4,  u,  25] 


HORATI 


35 


Terret  ambustus  Phaethon  avaras 
spes,  et  exemplum  grave  praebet  ales 
Pegasus  terrenum  equitem  gravatus 
Bellerophontem, 

semper  ut  te  digna  sequare  et  ultra 
quam  licet  sperare  nefas  putando 
disparem  vites.     Age  iam,  meorum 
finis  amorum, 

(non  enim  posthac  alia  calebo 
femina,)  condisce  modes,  amanda 
voce  quos  reddas  ;  minuentur  atrae 
carmine  curae. 


25  ff .  terret :  cf.  the  position  of 
monct  I,  1 8,  8. — ambustus  Phae- 
thon :  cf.  2,  4,  10  ademptus  Hector. 
—  ales:  winged  ;  cf.  I,  2,  42.  — 
terrenum :  earth-born,  and  hence 
unfit  for  the  heavens  to  which  he 
attempted  to  fly  on  Pegasus.  —  gra- 
vatus :  transitive.  —  Bellerophon- 
tem :  used  by  Pindar  /.  6,  44  ff. 
and  later  writers  as  an  example  of 
the  punishment  which  falls  on 
overvaulting  ambition. 

29  ff.  ut  sequare,  etc. :  follow- 
ing on  exemplum.  —  te  :  with 
digna.  —  putando  :  the  ablative  of 
the  gerund  here  approaches  the 
meaning  of  the  present  participle. 


—  disparem  :  euphemistic  in  place 
of  superiorcin. — age   iam.   etc.: 
'come,  do  not  waste  thought  on 
what  is  hopeless.' 

32.  finis  amorum:  Horace  never 
loved  very  deeply  and  could  not 
declare  with  Propertius  i,  12,  igf. 
mi  neqne  ainare  aliatn  neque  ab 
hac  -  discedere  fas  est ;  |  Cynthia 
prima  fnit,  Cynthia  finis  erit. 

33  ff.  calebo  :  cf.  1,4,  19.  — 
condisce:  i.e.  under  my  teaching. 

—  reddas:    cf.   n.  to  4,   6,   43.  — 
minuentur,  etc. :   cf.  the  prescrip- 
tion Nemesian.  4,  19  cantct  at/tat 
quod  quisqne :  levant  et  cannina 
euros. 


>  12 

On  the  return  of  Spring.  '  The  breezes  of  the  Spring  are  here  again  ; 
the  mourning  swallow  builds  her  nest ;  the  shepherds  pipe  their  songs 
once  more  (1-12).  It  is  the  thirsty  season,  Vergil.  If  thou  wouldst 

374 


CARMINA  [4,12,6 

drink  a  cup  of  choice  wine  at  my  house,  bring  a  box  of  precious  nard 
with  thee.  Let  go  thy  cares  and  give  thyself  up  to  our  revel  (13-28).' 

This  is  the  third  of  Horace's  poems  on  this  theme ;  but  whereas  in 
the  others  (1,4  and  4,  7)  he  employs  the  changes  of  the  year  to 
remind  us  of  the  fleeting  character  of  life,  here  he  gives  the  matter  a 
more  cheerful  turn  with  only  a  glance  (v.  26)  at  the  gloomy  world 
below.  The  invitation  is  not  unlike  that  of  Catullus  (C.  13)  to  his 
friend  Fabullus  to  dine  with  him  and  provide  all  the  entertainment  save 
the  unguent  only. 

The  Vergil  addressed  cannot  be  the  poet,  who  died  in  19  B.C. ;  but 
we  know  nothing  more  of  him  than  the  ode  tells  us.  Some  critics 
think  that  the  similarity  of  v.  21  to  v.  13  f.  of  the  preceding  ode  shows 
that  they  were  written  at  about  the  same  time.  Metre,  72. 

lam  veris  comites,  quae  mare  temperant, 
impellunt  animae  lintea  Thraciae ; 
iam  nee  prata  rigent  nee  fluvii  strepunt 
hiberna  pive  turgidi. 

5  Nidum  ponit,  Ityn  flebiliter  gemens, 

infelix  avis  et  Cecropiae  domus 

i  f.  Cf.  Meleager  Anth.  Pal.  9,  and  Tereus.  The  mother  slew 

363,  9  f.  77877  8f  irXwovHTiv  €TT'  eupea  her  son  and  served  him  up  at  table 

KVfjuiTa  vavrai  |  Trvoifj  a.Trr)fjL(ivT(i)  to  his  father  to  avenge  the  latter's 

Zet^upou  AtVa  KoATTwo-avrcs.  —  veris  outrage  of  Philomela,  Procne's  sis- 

comites  :  in  apposition  with  ani-  ter.  When  Tereus  discovered  the 

mae  .  .  .  Thraciae. — temperant:  horrible  deceit  that  had  been  prac- 

qm'et ;  cf.  3,  19,  6.  —  animae:  only  ticed  on  him,  he  and  the  two 

here  in  Horace  for  venti.  Cf.  sisters  were  changed  into  birds ; 

Vergil  A.  8, 403  quantum  ignes  ani-  Procne  became  a  swallow,  and 

maeqiievalent.  —  Thraciae:  appar-  Philomela  a  nightingale,  accord- 

ently  the  Zephyrus.  The  epithet  ing  to  the  form  of  the  myth  which 

is  purely  conventional,  adopted  Horace  seems  to  follow  here.  The 

from  Homer.  Some  editors  take  swallow  is  the  proverbial  messen- 

it  to  be  the  north  winds.  Cf.  ger  of  spring  with  both  Greeks 

Colum.  ii.  2  i>enti  septentHoiialcs,  and  Romans,  so  there  seems  little 

qni  I'ocantttr  Ornitheae,  per  dies  doubt  that  this  bird  is  meant  by 

A'A'AT  (i.e.  from  about  Feb.  20)  infelix  avis.  —  flebiliter :  piteonsly. 

essesolent.  tntn  et  hinttnioadi'titit.  6  ff.  Cecropiae:  Procne  was  the 

5.    Ityn:    the   son    of   Procne  daughter    of    Pandion,    king     of 

375 


,  7] 


HORATI 


aeternum  opprobrium,  quod  male  barbaras 
regum  est  ulta  libidines. 

Dicunt  in  tenero  gramine  pinguium 
10  custodes  ovium  carmina  fistula 

delectantque  deum  cui  pecus  et  nigri 
colles  Arcadiae  placent. 

Adduxere  sitim  tempora,  Vergili ; 
sed  pressum  Calibus  ducere  Liberum 
15  si  gestis,  iuvenum  nobilium  cliens, 

nardo  vina  merebere. 

Nardi  parvus  onyx  eliciet  cadum, 
qui  nunc  Sulpiciis  accubat  horreis, 
spes  donare  novas  largus  amaraque 
20  curarum  eluere  efficax. 


Athens.  —  male  :  with  ulta,  took 
an  unnatural  revenge  on,  etc.  — 
regum:  generalizing  plural,  as  vir- 
ginum  3,  27,  38. 

9  ff.  dicunt :  cf.  i,  6,  5. — te- 
nero :  as  it  is  early  spring.  —  fis- 
tula :  instrumental  abl. ;  cf.  3,  4, 
I  f.  die  age  tibia  .  .  .  Inngitm  inelos. 

—  deum:  Pan,  the  Arcadian  god. 

—  nigri  colles  :  cf .  i ,  21,  7  nigris 
Erymanthi  sil-t>is. 

148.  pressum  Calibus ;  cf.  I, 
20,  9  and  n. — ducere:  quaff;  I, 
17,  22.  — iuvenum  nobilium  cliens  : 
who  the  iuvenes  whiles  were  we 
have  no  means  of  knowing;  but 
the  purpose  of  introducing  this 
phrase  is  to  imply.  •  At  the  tables 
of  your-noble  patrons  you  are  en- 
tertained scot-free,  but  at  mine 
you  must  pay.'  —  nardo  :  cf.  n.  to 
2,  n,  16. — vina:  plural  as  4,  5, 


31  and  frequently.  —  merebere  : 
the  future  of  mild  command. 

17.  onyx  :  usually  masculine, 
as  here ;  a  small  flask  to  hold 
ointment,  so  named  since  such 
receptacles  were  originally  made 
of  alabaster.  Cf.  St,  Mark  14,  3 
'As  he  sat  at  meat,  there  came 
a  woman  having  an  alabaster 
cruse  of  ointment  of  spikenard 
very  costly ;  and  she  brake  the  cruse 
and  poured  it  on  his  head.1  The 
adjective  parvus  emphasizes  the 
cost  of  the  ointment.  —  eliciet :  per- 
sonifying the  cadus  ;  cf.  3,  21,  I  ff. 

18  ff.  Sulpiciis  .  .  .  horreis : 
storehouses  on  the  river  at  the 
foot  of  the  Aventine.  — donare  . .  . 
largus:  getur  on  s  in  giving.  Intr. 
1 08.  —  amara  curarum:  cf.  2,  i, 
23  cuncta  terrarum.  —  eluere  ef- 
ficax :  Intr.  108. 


376 


CARMINA  [4,  13,  6 

Ad  quae  si  properas  gaudia,  cum  tua 
velox  merce  veni ;  non  ego  te  meis 
immunem  meditor  tinguere  poculis, 
plena  dives  ut  in  domo. 

25  Verum  pone  moras  et  studium  lucri, 

nigrorumque  memor,  dum  licet,  ignium 
misce  stultitiam  consiliis  brevem  : 
dulce  est  desipere  in  loco. 

ai  ff.  properas :  art  eager,  not  only  here  in  the  lyrical  poems.  — 

of  physical  hurry.  —  merce:  i.e.  the  nigrorum:  cf.  i,  24,  18  and  n. — 

narcl.  —  immunem:  the  Greek  do-v/u.-  misce  stultitiam.  etc.:  cf  Menan- 

fto\ov,  scot-free,  wit/tout  bringing  der's  precept  ov  iravTa^ov  TO  <^>/oo- 

your  share. — tinguere  :  colloquial ;  VL/JLOV  apfj-orru  irapov,  KO.L  ervyn- 

cf.  Alcaeus  Frg.  39  reyye  TTVCU/XOVO.  fjuavfjvai  8'  evta  SeT.  —  in  loco  :  on 

otvw.  —  plena . . .  domo :  cf.  2, 1 2,  24.  occasion  ;  iv  Kiapw.  Cf.  Ter.  Adel- 

25  ff.  verum  :  dropping  his  jo-  phi  2 1 6  pecAnia m  in  locd  neclegere 

cose  manner.  The  word  is  found  maximum  inter dnmst  liicrum. 

13 

In  mockery  to  a  faded  courtesan.  The  subject  of  the  ode  is  similar 
to  that  of  i,  25  and  3,  15.  .This  Lyce  can  hardly  be  the  same  as  the 
Lyce  of  3,  10;  and  we  can  only  guess  how  much  of  the  ode  represents 
any  real  experience.  Metre,  73. 

Audivere,  Lyce,  di  mea  vota,  di 
audivere,  Lyce  :  fis  anus ;  et  tamen 
vis  formosa  videri, 

ludisque  et  bibis  impudens 

5  et  cantu  tremulo  pota  Cupidinem 

lentum  sollicitas.     Ille  virentis  et 

i  f.  audivere  .  .  .  audivere:  — pota  :  cf.  3,  15,  16.  — lentum: 
exultant  repetition.  —  vota  :  i.e.  slow  in  coming,  unresponsive, 
devotiones  ;  cf.  n.  to  2,  8,  6.  —  ille  virentis,  etc.  :  cf.  Aris- 

4  f .  ludis:  cf.  3,  15,  5. — tre-  taenet.  2,  I  aTrrjvOrjKOTi  <rw/>iaTi 
mulo:  with  old  age  and  wine.  ov  TTC^VKC  irpocn^a.vf.iv  6  "Epa>s  • 

377 


.  7] 


HORATI 


10 


20 


doctae  psallere  Chiae 

pulchris  excubat  in  genis ; 

importunus  enim  transvolat  aridas 
quercus  et  refugit  te  quia  luridi 
dentes,  te  quia  rugae 
turpant  et  capitis  nives ; 

nee  Coae  referunt  iam  tibi  purpurae 
nee  cari  lapides  tempora  quae  semel 
notis  condita  fastis 
inclusit  volucris  dies. 

Quo  fugit  venus,  heu,  quove  color,  decens 
quo  motus  ?     Quid  habes  illius,  illius/ 
quae  spirabat  amores, 
quae  me  surpuerat  mihi, 


oi>  8 


6(<; 


'  Love  is  not  wont  to  rest  upon 
a  form  from  which  the  flower 
of  beauty  has  already  fled  ;  but 
where  fair  bloom  and  fragrance 
sweet  exist,  there  he  lights  and 
ever  stays.1  —  Chiae:  this  name 
is  found  on  inscriptions  of  freed- 
women.  —  excubat  :  keeps  vigil 
on. 

9  ff  .  importunus  :  rude,  ruth- 
less. —  aridas  :  in  contrast  with 
virentis  v.  6.  Cf.  also  n.  on  sttcus 
3,  27,  54.  —  quercus:  typical  of 
long  life.  —  te:  object  alike  of  re- 
fugit and  turpant,  as  the  repeated 
te  makes  clear.  —  capitis  nives  :  if 
this  metaphor  was  not  invented 
bv  Horace,  it  certainly  is  not  much 
older.  Quintilian  8,  6,  17  con- 


demns the  figure  as  far  fetched ; 
sunt  et  durae  (translationes},  id 
est  a  longinqua  similitndine  dttctae 
ut  capitis  nines.  To  us  it  is  com- 
mon as.  snow  itself,  which  Romans 
saw  much  less  often. 

13  ff.  Coae:  the  famous  semi- 
transparent  silk  of  Cos  was  a  fav- 
orite stuff  with  women  of  Lyce's 
class.  —  notis  condita  fastis:  i.e. 
'  your  years  are  safely  stored  away 
and  all  can  read  the  record ;  you 
cannot  hope  to  hide  them.'  —  volu- 
cris dies :  cf.  3,  28,  6  and  4,  7,  8 
rapil  hero,  diem. 

1 8  ff.  illius,  illius:  of  for,  of 
her;  partitive  with  quid.  —  spira- 
bat amores:  cf.  Epist.  2,  I,  166 
natn  spiral  tragic mn  satis.  Intr. 
86.  —  surpuerat :  by  syncope  for 
the  common  snrriptterat- 


378 


CARMINA  [4,  14 

felix  post  Cinaram  notaque  et  artium 
gratarum  facies  ?     Sed  Cinarae  brevis 
annos  fata  dederunt, 
servatura  diu  parem 

25  cornicis  vetulae  temporibus  Lycen, 

possent  ut  iuvenes  visere  fervidi 
multo  non  sine  risu 

dilapsam  in  cineres  facem. 

21  f.  felix  post:  happy  and  26  ff.  fervidi:  youths  in  whom 

fortunate  next  to,  etc. — Cinaram:  the  fire  of  passion  burns  fiercely, 

cf.  4,  i,  4  and  n. — nota  :  with  contrasted  with  Lyce,  whose  fire 

facies,  a  vision  known  (to  all).  —  has  become  ashes.  —  non  sine :  cf. 

artium  gratarum  :  genitive  of  qual-  n.  to  1,23,3.  —  dilapsam:  crum- 

ity.  Cf-4,  i^i^centum  Piter  artium.  bled;  cf.  Meleager  Anth.  Pal.  12, 

24  f.  servatura:  almost  adver-  41,  I  f.  rrvpavy^s  irpiv  TTOTC,  vvv  8' 

sative,  yet  bound  to  keep.  —  parem:  77877  SoAos  'ATroAAoSoros.  'Once 

proleptic,/0  match. — cornicis  vetu-  bright  as  flame,  but  now  at  last 

lae:  cf.  3,  17,  13  annosa  comix  a  burned-out  torch  is  Apollodo- 

and  n. — temporibus:  the  years.  tus.' 


14 

The  following  ode  is  written  ostensibly  to  celebrate  the  exploits  of 
Tiberius  in  his  campaign  of  15  B.C.  against  the  Tirolese  tribes.  (See 
intr.  n.  to  4,  4).  In  reality  the  greater  part  of  the  ode  is  occupied 
with  the  glorification  of  Augustus'  service  to  the  state. 

'How  can  the  senate  and  the  people  honor  thee  enough  or  worthily 
transmit  thy  memory  to  posterity,  Augustus?  Under  thy  auspices 
Drusus  overcame  the  savage  Alpine  peoples,  and  Tiberius  drove  the 
Raeti  before  him,  even  as  Auster  drives  the  stormy  waters,  or  Aufidus 
pours  its  torrent  on  the  fertile  plain  (1-34).  It  was  on  the  day  of 
Alexandria's  fall  that  fortune  bestowed  this  new  honor  (35-40).  Thou 
art  recognized  as  lord  by  all  the  world,  the  peoples  of  the  farthest  West 
and  East,  the  South  and  North  alike  (41-52).' 

It  should  be  noted  that  while  Tiberius  was  only  alluded  to  in  the 
fourth  ode,  here  Drusus  is  distinctly  mentioned,  although  Tiberius  is 
given  the  greater  prominence.  This  partiality  toward  the  younger  of 

379 


4,  Hi  0  HORATI 

the  brothers  may  have  been  intended  to  please  Augustus,  with  whom 
Drusus  was  more  of  a  favorite  than  his  brother.  The  position  of  the 
ode  in  the  book  is  thought  by  many  to  be  due  to  the  same  cause ;  but 
it  is  more  probable  that  Horace  placed  it  and  its  companion  ode,  the 
fifteenth,  at  the  end,  that  he  might  close  the  book  with  the  Emperor's 
praise.  The  date  of  composition  must  be  about  the  same  as  that  of  the 
fourth  ode,  i.e.  14  B.C.  Metre,  68. 

Quae  cura  patrum  quaeve  Quiritium 
plenis  honorum  muneribus  tuas, 
Auguste,  virtutes  in  aevum 
per  titulos  memoresque  fastos 

5  aeternet,  o  qua  sol  habitabilis 

inlustrat  oras  maxime  principum  ? 

Quern  legis  expertes  Latinae 

Vindelici  didicere  nuper 

quid  Marte  posses.     Milite  nam  tuo 
10  Drusus  Genaunos,  implacidum  genus, 

Breunosque  velocis  et  arcis 
Alpibus  impositas  tremendis 

if.   patrum  .  .  .  Quiritium:   a  delici:    cf.   introductory   n.  to  4, 

poetic  turn  for  the  official  senatus  4.  —  nuper:    referring   to   Drusus1 

populusqtte  Romanus. — plenis:  victory    near    Tridentum.      The 

adequate.  adverb  helps  fix  the  date  of  com- 

4.  titulos :  inscriptions  on  stat-  position. 

ues,    honorary     decrees,     etc.  —  9  ff .    Marte :  cf.  3,  5,  24.  34.  — 

memoresque  fastos :  repeated  from  milite:    cf.    I,  15,  6   and   v.   33 

3,17,4.  below.  —  Genaunos,  Breunos:  two 

5.  o  qua  sol,  etc. :   the  whole  Raetian  tribes  living  in  the  valley 
inhabitable  world.  of  the  river  Inn.     The  latter  tribe 

7  f .    quern  didicere    .    .    .   quid  gave  its  name  to  the  Brenner  Pass, 

posses:    this   Greek   construction  —implacidum:    first   found    here, 

is  found  in  the   lyrics   only  here  — velocis:  quick,  agile;  a  charac- 

and  v.  I7spectandus  .  .  .  quantis,  teristic    of   mountaineers.  —  arcis 

etc.  —  legis  expertes :    i.e.  not  yet  .  .  .  impositas:  repealed  by  Hor- 

brought   under   our   rule.  —  Vin-  ace  Epist.  2,  i,  252. 

380 


CARMINA 


[4,  '4.  25 


20 


deiecit  acer  plus  vice  simplici ; 
maior  Neronum  mox  grave  proelium 
commisit  immanisque  Raetos 
auspiciis  pepulit  secundis, 

spectandus  in  certamine  Martio, 
devota  morti  pectora  liberae 
quantis  fatigaret  ruinis, 

indomitas  prope  qualis  undas 

exercet  Auster  Pleiadum  choro 
scindente  nubis,  impiger  hostium 
vexare  turmas  et  frementem 

mittere  equum  medios  per  ignis. 

Sic  tauriformis  volvitur  Aufidus, 


25 

13.  deiecit:  especially  appli- 
cable to  the  mountain  citadels,  but 
belonging  by  a  slight  zeugma  to  Ge- 
naunos.  Breunos  also. — vice :  requi- 
tal; i.e.  they  suffered  greater  losses 
than  they  had  themselves  caused. 
14  S.  maior  Neronum :  cf.  n.  to 
4,  4,  28.  The  name  Tiberius  can- 
not be  employed  in  Alcaic  verse.  — 
mox:  Tiberius1  attack  from  the 
north  followed  Drusus'  successes. 
—  immanis  :  monstrous  (in  their 
cruelty).  The  savagery  of  the 
Alpine  tribesmen  is  described  by 
Strabo  4,  6,  8. 

17.  spectandus:  cf.  n.  to  v.  7 
above.  The  gerundive  is  equiva- 
lent to  dignus  gut  spectaretur ;  cf. 
4,  2,  9  donandus.  Observe  that  the 
verse  lacks  the  caesura.  Intr.  50. 

1 8  ff .  morti .  .  .  liberae :  a  free- 
man's death.  —  ruinis  ;  shocks, 
blows.  —  indomitas  prope  qualis, 


etc. :  the  comparison  is  twofold  — 
Tiberius  is  likened  to  the  Auster, 
his  foes  to  the  invincible  waves. 
Strictly  speaking,  of  course,  the 
Raeti  were  not  indomili.  —  prope  : 
prosaically  qualifying  the  simile;  cf. 
S.  2,  3,  268  tempest atis  prope  ritu. 

21  ff.  exercet  :  vexes.  —  Plei- 
adum choro:  the  constellation  set 
in  November,  a  stormy  month.  — 
nubis :  i.e.  the  (drifting)  storm- 
clouds. —  vexare:  for  the  mood, 
see  Intr.  108.  —  medios  per  ignes  : 
may  be  taken  literally  of  the  burn- 
ing villages,  or  metaphorically  of 
extreme  danger.  Cf.  Sil.  Ital.  14, 
175  f.  si  tibi  per  medios  ignis 
mediosque  per  ensis  \  non  dederit 
mea  dextra  main. 

25  ff.  sic  .  .  .  ut:  an  unusual 
inversion  by  which  the  subject  of 
the  comparison  occupies  the  relative 
clause.  —  tauriformis:  the  Greek 


26] 


HORATI 


35 


qui  regna  Dauni  praefluit  Apuli, 
cum  saevit  horrendamque  cultis 
diluviem  meditatur  agris, 

ut  barbarorum  Claudius  agmina 
ferrata  vasto  diruit  impetu, 

primosque  et  extremes  metendo 
stravit  humum,  sine  clade  victor, 

te  copias,  te  consilium  et  tuos 
praebente  divos.     Nam  tibi,  quo  die 
portus  Alexandrea  supplex 
et  vacuam  patefecit  aulam, 

Fortuna  lustro  prospera  tertio 
'  belli  secundos  reddidit  exitus, 


Such  compounds 
are  very  rare  in  Horace.  —  Aufidus  : 
a  favorite  illustration.  Cf.  3,  30, 
10 ;  4,9*2. 

26.   Dauni:  cf.  n.  to  1,22,  14. 

—  praefluit:  cf.  4,  3,  10  and  n.— 
iiluviem  :  flood;  cf.  3,  29,  40. 

29  ff.   Claudius :    i.e.   Tiberius. 

—  ferrata :  mail  clad.    The  use  of 
mail  by  the  Germanic  and  Gallic 
tribes  is  not  stated  before  Tacitus 
Ann.  3,  43,  3  (he  is  speaking  of 
Gauls)  qnibus  more  gentico  con- 
tinuum fcrri   tegimen. —  diruit: 
properly  of  razing  buildings  ;  here 
the   mailed  ranks   of  the   enemy 
are  likened  to   a  fortress. — pri- 
mos  et  extremes :    i.e.  the   entire 
army. —  metendo:    see    n.    to   4. 
11,  30  for  this  use  of  gerund  ;  for 
the  figurative  use,  cf.  Verg.  A.  10, 
513  proxuiiia  quaeque  inctit  gladio. 


32.  stravit  humum:    i.e.  with 
their  corpses.  — sine  clade  victor : 
Velleius  i,  95  says  that  the  victory 
was    won    maiore   cum    periculo 
qna»i  dainno  Romani  exercitiis. 

33.  te  .  .  .  te  .  .  .  tuos :    Intr. 
28  c. 

34  ff.  nam,  etc. :  explaining 
tuos  .  .  .  divos  ;  i.e.  l  since  the  day, 
when  Alexandria  fell,  the  gods 
have  smiled  on  all  thy  undertakings 
and  have  granted  this  last  success.' 
—  quo  die:  we  need  not  suppose 
that  the  victory  in  the  Alps  fell 
exactly  on  Aug.  I,  the  probable 
date  of  Alexandria  s  surrender. — 
vacuam  :  made  so  by  the  death  of 
Cleopatra. 

37  ff.  lustro  .  .  .  tertio :  abl.  of 
time  completed.  —  reddidit :  gave 
as  thy  dite.  —  laudem :  in  the  rec- 
ognition of  Koine's  power  by  the 


382 


CARMINA 


[4.  '4.  5° 


40 


45 


laudemque  et  optatum  peractis 
imperiis  decus  adrogavit. 

Te  Cantaber  non  ante  domabilis 
Medusque  et  Indus,  te  profugus  Scythes 
miratur,  o  tutela  praesens 
Italiae  dominaeque  Romae ; 

te  fontium  qui  celat  origines 
Nilusque  et  Hister,  te  rapidus  Tigris, 
te  beluosus  qui  remotis 

obstrepit  Oceanus  Britannis, 

te  non  paventis  funera  Galliae 
duraeque  tellus  audit  Hiberiae, 


remote  peoples  named   below.  — 
adrogavit :  has  bestowed. 

41  ff.  Augustus' world-wide  do- 
minion.—  te,  te,  etc.:  the  multi- 
fold repetition  keeps  the  subject 
constantly  before  us.  Cf.  n.  to 

1,  10,   17.  —  Cantaber:    cf.  n.  to 

2,  6,  2.  —  Medus :  cf.  n.  to  I,  2,  22. 
—  Indus:    cf.   I,  12,  56.  —  tutela: 
here  active,  protector;  cf.  its  use 
4*  6,  33.  —  praesens :  cf.  3,  5,  2.  - 
dominae :    imperial ;   cf.  4,  3,    13 
Romae  principis  urbhtni. 

45.  qui  celat  origines:  the 
sources  of  the  Nile  were  not  discov- 
ered until  the  nineteenth  century, 
so  that  they  were  long  a  synonym 
for  unknown  and  remotest  regions. 
Cf.  Lucan  10,  189  ff.  where  Caesar 
says  nihil  est  quod  noscere  malim  \ 
quam  fluvii  caiisas  per  saecnla 
tanta  latentis  \  ignotumque  capnt : 
ses  sit  mihi  certa  videndi  Nili- 


acosfontes,  helium  civile  relinquatn. 
In  20  B.C.,  when  Augustus  was  in 
Samos,  an  embassy  of  Ethiopians 
visited  him.  For  the  use  of  the 
river  to  designate  the  people  living 
by  it,  cf.  n.  to  2,  20,  20. 

46  ff .  Hister :  the  Dacians.  — 
Tigris :  the  Armenians. — beluosus  : 
teemingiuith  monsters.  The  word 
is  not  found  after  Horace  until 
Avienus  in  the  4th  century.  It 
reproduces  the  Homeric  /xeyaKT/rea 
TTOVTOV.  —  obstrepit  :  that  roars 
against.  Cf.  2,  18, 20.  —  Britannis  : 
some  of  the  chiefs  of  Britain  had 
sought  protection  from  Augustus 
(Strabo4,  5,  3>- 

49.  non  paventis  funera:  the 
Gallic  indifference  to  death  was 
attributed  by  the  Romans  to  Dru- 
idical  teachings  as  to  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul.  Cf.  Caes.  B.  G. 
6,  14.  5  in  primis  hoc  volunt  per- 


383 


4,  14,  5«]  HORATI 

te  caecle  gaudentes  Sygambri 
cotnpositis  venerantur  armis. 

suadere,  non  inter  ire  animas,  .  p.  . ,  ,  51.  Sygambri:  the  list  closes 
atque  hoc  maxime  ad  virtutem  exci-  with  a  people  lately  subdued.  See 
tare  putant,  metu  mortis  neglecto.  intr.  n.  to  4,  2. 

15 

The  closing  ode  of  the  book  is  appropriately  given  to  the  praise  of 
Augustus  alone.  It  stands  in  the  same  close  relation  to  14  that  5  does 
to  4.  (See  the  introductions  to  these  odes.) 

'When  I  would  sing  the  deeds  of  war,  Apollo  checked  my  course. 
My  song  shall  rather  be  of  thy  age,  Caesar,  which  has  brought  back 
peace  and  its  blessings,  and  recalled  the  ancient  virtues  which  built  our 
empire  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun  (1-16).  So  long  as  Caesar 
guards  our  state,  no  fear  of  civil  strife  or  foreign  foe  shall  vex  our  peace 
(17-24).  And  every  day  over  our  wine,  with  wives  and  children  by, 
we'll  pray  the  gods  in  forms  prescribed,  and  hymn  the  great  ones  of  our 
past,  kindly  Venus1  line  (25-32).' 

It  should  be  noted  that  this  ode  like  5  extols  Augustus  as  the 
restorer  of  peace  and  morality,  while  4  and  14  glorify  his  success  in 
war.  In  date  of  composition  it  is  probably  the  latest  of  all ;  the  fact 
that  no  mention  is  made  of  Augustus'  return  to  Rome  on  July  4,  13  H.C., 
or  of  the  honors  planned  for  his  return,  makes  it  very  probable  that  it 
was  written  before  that  date,  approximately  toward  the  end  of  14  B.C. 
Metre,  68. 

Phoebus  volentem  proelia  me  loqui 
victas  et  urbis  increpuit  lyra, 

i  f.   Phoebus,  etc. :  possibly  in  etc. :  i.e.  sing  of  epic  themes,  for 

imitation  of  Verg.  E.  6,  3  f.  cunt  which  Horace  had  again  and  again 

canerem  reges  et  proelia,  Cynthius  declared   his   unfitness.      On   the 

attrem  \  vellit  et  adtnoniiit.     Ovid  use  of  loqui,  cf.  n.  to  4,  2,  45. — 

makes   a  similar,  apology  for  his  increpuit :  checked  and  war  tied  me, 

A  mores,    I,    I,    I  ff.   arma  gravi  etc. —  lyra:  Porphyrio  connected 

nnmero  violentaque  bella  parabam\  this  with  loqui.  which  then  means 

edere,  materia  convenient e  modis ;  \  '  handle  epic  themes  in  lyric  verse ' ; 

par  erat  inferior  versus',    risisse  but  it  is  more   natural  to  read  it 

Cnpido  |  dicititr  atqite  nmim  sur-  with  increpuit.  both  from  its  posi- 

ripuisse  pedem.  — proelia  . . .  loqui,  tion  and  Irccause  the  lyre  is  Apollo's 

384 


CAKM1NA 


[4,  15,  10 


ne  parva  Tyrrhenum  per  aequor 
vela  darem.     Tua,  Caesar,  aetas 

fruges  et  agris  rettulit  uberes 
et  signa  nostro  restituit  lovi 
derepta  Parthorum  superbis 
postibus  et  vacuum  duellis 

lanum  Quirini  clausit  et  ordinem 
rectum  evaganti  frena  licentiae 


natural  instrument  for  arousing 
and  directing  his  subjects.  Cf. 
2, 10,  1 8  quondam  cithara  tacentem 
suscitat  musam  .  .  .  Apollo.  Also 
Ovid.  A.  A.  2,  493  f.  haec  ego  cum 
canerem  subito  manifestus  Apollo  \ 
wovit  inauratae  pollice  fila  lyrae. 

3  f.  The  metaphor  is  common 
for  bold  undertakings ;  cf.  e.g. 
Prop.  4,  9,  3  f.  quid  me  scribendi 
tarn  vastum  mittis  in  aequor  /  | 
non  sunt  apta  meae  grandia  vela 
rati.  —  parva :  as  befitting  his 
lyric  verse.  Cf.  I,  6,  9  tenues 
grandia,  etc.  —  tua  aetas :  the 
abruptness  of  the  transition  brings 
these  words  into  special  prominence 
as  the  theme  which  Apollo  assigns. 

5.  fruges,  etc. :  cf.  n.  to  4,  5, 18. 
—  et . . .  et,  etc.  ;  the  polysyndeton 
in  the  following  three  strophes  gives 
a  cumulative  force  to  this  recital 
of  the  blessings  of  Augustus*  rule. 

6  ff .  signa  :  restored  in  20  B.C., 
when  the  Parthian  king  was  dis- 
tressed by  domestic  troubles  and 
overawed  by  Augustus'  prepara- 
tions for  an  expedition  against 
him.  —  nostro  .  .  .  lovi:  i.e.  Capi- 

HOR.  CAR.  —  25  385 


toline  Jove.  It  is  conjectured  from 
this  passage  that  the  standards 
were  deposited  in  the  temple  on 
the  Capitol  until  transferred  to  the 
temple  of  Mars  Ultor,  dedicated 
in  2  B.C.  Horace's  words,  however, 
do  not  necessitate  this  conclusion. 

—  derepta  :  poetic  exaggeration.  — 
postibus  :  of  their  temples.  —  duel- 
lis :  cf.  3,  5,  38  and  n. 

g  f .  lanum  Quirini :  a  variation 
of  the  common  lanum  Quirinum, 
the  name  given  the  temple  as  well 
as  the  god.  The  shrine  stood 
near  the  north  end  of  the  Forum. 

—  clausit :  in  29  and  25  B.C.    The 
gates  had  then  not   been   closed 
since  the  end  of  the  First  Punic 
War.      They   were   shut   a  third 
time  during   Augustus'    rule,   but 
the    exact    year    is    not    known. 
When    Horace    wrote    the    gates 
were  open.  —  evaganti :  transitive. 
Intr.   86.  —  frena.  etc.:    Horace's 
hope  expressed  3.  24,  28  f.  is  ful- 
filled.     With    the   expression,  cf. 
Val .  Max.  2,  9,  5  freni  sunt  iniecti 
vobis,  Quirites :  lex  enim  lata  est, 
quae  vos  esse  fntgi  iubet. 


'5. 


HUKATI 


iniecit  emovitque  culpas 
et  veteres  revocavit  artes, 

per  quas  Latinum  nomen  et  Italae 
crevere  vires  famaque  et  imperi 
15  porrecta  maiestas  ad  ortus 

soils  ab  Hesperio  cubili. 

Custode  rerum  Caesare  non  furor 
civilis  aut  vis  exiget  otium, 

non  ira,  quae  procudit  ensis 
20  et  miseras  inimicat  urbis. 

Non  qui  profundum  Danuvium  bibunt 
edicta  rumpent  lulia,  non  Getae, 
non  Seres  infidive  Persae, 

non  Tanain  prope  flumen  orti. 


12.  artes  :  the  virtues ;  cf.  3, 3, 9. 
With  these  statements,  cf.  Augus- 
tus' claims  Mon.  Anc.  2,  1 2  legibus 
novis  latis  multa  revocavi  exempla 
maiorum  exolescentia. 

13  ff.  Latinum  nomen,  Italae 
vires,  imperi  maiestas :  the  three 
steps  of  Roman  dominion.  —  no- 
men:  cf.  3,3,45.  —  fama:  modified 
by  imperi.  —  porrecta:  participle, 
which  has  been,  etc.  —  ad  ortus, 
etc. :  cf.  e.g.  Tib.  2,  5,  57  Roma, 
tttum  twmen  terrisfataleregendis,  \ 
qua  sna  tie  caelo  pro  spirit  arva 
Ceres,  \  quaque  patent  ortus  et  qua 
flititantibus  undis  \  sons  anhelantes 
ablttit  a  tun  is  equos. 

17  ff.  A  similar  passage  to  3, 
14,  14  ff.  —  non  .  .  .  non,  etc.: 
the  effect  of  the  anaphora  in  the 
two  following  strophes  is  like  that 


secured  by  the  polysyndeton  in 
the  three  preceding.  —  furor :  mad- 
ness ;  cf.  Epist.  2,  2,  47  civilis 
aestus.  —  ira:  cf.  I,  16,  9  ff.  — 
inimicat :  a  compound  coined  by 
Horace. 

21  ff.  qui  profundum  Danuvium 
bibunt :  the  peoples  living  by  the 
Danube  had  not  been  reduced  to 
complete  submission  at  the  time 
Horace  wrote ;  that  was  accom- 
plished later.  All  Horace  means 
is  that  they  were  at  peace  with 
Rome.  —  edicta  .  .  .  lulia  :  not 
in  a  technical,  but  a  general  sense, 
—  the  terms  set  by  Augustus.  — 
Getae:  cf.  3.  24,  n.  —  Seres:  cf. 
n.  to  I.  12,  56  —  infidi:  cf.  Epist. 
2,  I,  M2  I'arthis  mendacior.— 
Persae:  i,  2,  22.  —  Tanain  prope 
flumen  orti:  cf.  3,  29,  28.  This 


386 


CARMINA 


[4,  15.  32 


25  Nosque  et  profestis  lucibus  et  sacris 

inter  iocosi  munera  Liberi, 
cum  prole  matronisque  nostris 
rite  deos  prius  adprecati, 

virtute  functos  more  patrum  duces 
30  Lydis  remixto  carmine  tibiis 

Troiamque  et  Anchisen  et  almae 
progeniem  Veneris  canemus. 


list  of  peoples  should  be  compared 
with  that  in  4,  14,  41-52.  It  will 
be  noted  that  none  of  the  peoples 
here  named  were  actually  subject 
to  Rome ;  but  as  remote  nations 
which  had  more  or  less  dealings 
with  Rome,  they  appealed  to  the 
Roman  imagination. 

25  ff.  nos  :  marking  the  shift  to 
the  Romans1  own  happy  lot.  —  et 
profestis  .  .  .  et  sacris :  i.e.  every 
day  alike.  —  lucibus :  cf.  4,  6,  42  ; 
ii,  19.  —  iocosi  munera  Liberi: 
the  Hesiodic  8S>pa  Auovvcrou  iroXv- 
yrjOeo-i.  Cf.  I,  18,7.  —  cum  prole, 
etc. :  each  in  his  own  home.  — 
rite  :  in  prescribed  fashion. 

29.  virtute  functos  :  varying 
the  common  vita  functos;  cf.  2, 
1 8,  38  laboribtts  functos.  Trans- 
late, who  have  done  their  noble 


work.  —  more  patrum :  modifying 
canemus.  The  custom  of  extoll- 
ing the  virtues  of  their  ancestors 
in  song  at  banquets  was  an  an- 
cient one  among  the  Romans,  ac- 
cording to  Cato.  Cf.  Cic.  Tusc. 
4,  3  in  Originibus  dixit  Cato 
morem  apud  maiores  hunc  epu- 
larum  fuzsse,  ut  deinceps  qui 
accubarent  canerent  ad  tibiam 
clarorum  virorum  laudes  atque 
virtutes. 

30  ff .  Lydis :  apparently  a  purely 
ornamental  epithet.  —  remixto:  an 
unusual  word.  —  tibiis :  dative.  — 
Anchisen  et  .  .  .  progeniem  Ve- 
neris :  i.e.  the  long  line  descended 
from  Anchises  and  Venus ;  but 
the  special  reference  is  obviously 
to  Augustus,  as  in  C.  S.  50  clarus 
Anchisae  Venerisque  sanguis. 


387 


CARMEN    SAECVLARE 


Horace's  preeminent  art  was  officially  recognized  in  17  B.C.  by  his 
appointment  to  write  the  hymn  for  the  celebration  of  the  ludi  saecu- 
lares.  This  festival  originated  in  a  worship  of  the  gods  of  the  lower 
world  by  the  gens  Valeria  at  a  spot  in  the  Campus  Martius  called 
Terentum  (or  Tarentum),  near  the  bend  in  the  river  not  far  below  the 
present  Ponte  San  Angelo.  In  249  B.C.,  after  the  defeat  at  Drepanum, 
some  fearful  portents  prompted  a  consultation  of  the  Sibylline  Books : 
these  ordered  a  celebration  of  the  Indi  Teretitini,  and  further  directed 
that  the  festival  should  be  repeated  every  hundred  years.  Thus  the  gen- 
tile cult  became  a  national  one.  The  second  celebration  was  not  in  149 
but  146  B.C.  ;  the  confusion  of  49  B.C.  must  have  prevented  any  thought 
of  the  ludi  in  that  year.  Apparently  Augustus  thought  of  a  similar 
festival  in  honor  of  Apollo  and  Diana  for  23  B.C.  ;  this  undoubtedly 
would  have  taken  the  form  of  an  appeal  to  these  divinities  to  avert  the 
misfortune  which  then  threatened  the  state  and  the  emperor  —  the  bad 
harvest  with  its  attendant  hardship  and  Augustus'  sickness  (cf.  Intr. 
n.  to  I,  21  and  n.  to  i,  21,  6).  For  some  unknown  reason  the  celebra- 
tion was  deferred.  The  year  17,  however,  marked  the  close  of  the 
decade  for  which  Augustus  in  January,  27  B.C.,  had  undertaken  the 
direction  of  the  state.  In  this  ten  years  the  Roman  world  had  revived 
under  the  blessings  of  peace  and  had  seemed  to  enter  on  a  new  era. 
Augustus  proposed  to  celebrate  the  close  of  this  period  by  a  revival 
of  the  ludi  saeculares  in  new  and  magnificent  form. 

To  obtain  religious  sanction  for  his  plan  he  applied  to  the  quinde- 
fiwvt'ri,  the  college  in  charge  of  the  Sibylline  Books,  who  took  no 
years  as  the  length  of  the  saecHlunt, —  antiquarians  differed  as  to  whether 
loo  or  no  years  was  the  correct  number,  —  and  on  this  basis  pointed 
to  four  previous  dates  fur  celebrations  beginning  with  456  B.C.;  the 

388 


CARMEN   SAECVLARE 

one  proposed  by  Augustus  was  then  the  fifth,  and  fell  in  the  last  year 
of  the  saeatlum  instead  of  at  its  close.  Claudius  celebrated  the  festival 
in  47  A.D.,  taking  the  traditional  date  of  the  founding  of  the  city  as  his 
starting  point  and  reckoning  a  saeculum  as  100  years  ;  Domitian's  cele- 
bration was  in  88  A.D. ;  that  of  Antoninus  Pius,  in  147,  marked  the 
close  of  the  city's  ninth  century.  Later  celebrations  were  by  Septimius 
Severus  in  204;  by  Philip  in  248  in  honor  of  the  completion  of  the  first 
millennium  of  the  state.  Whether  there  were  celebrations  by  Gallienus 
in  257  or  by  Maximian  in  304  is  uncertain.  They  were  revived  by  Pope 
Boniface  as  papal  jubilees  in  1300. 

Augustus,  however,  made  important  changes  in  the  nature  of  the 
festival.  Hitherto  it  had  been  a  propitiatory  offering  to  the  gods  of 
the  lower  world;  now  it  became  rather  a  festival  of  thanksgiving  for 
present  blessings  and  of  prayer  for  the  continuance  of  them  forever. 
Pluto  and  Proserpina  were  not  mentioned,  but  Apollo  and  Diana 
had  the  most  prominent  place.  Jupiter  and  Juno  were  also  honored. 
Zosimus  (2,  5)  has  preserved  for  us  an  account  of  the  celebration  and 
the  oracle  which  contains  directions  for  it.  This  oracle  in  its  present 
detailed  form  was  unquestionably  written  for  the  festival  or  after  it,  but 
is  probably  based  on  an  earlier  production.  After  the  celebration  was 
past,  two  pillars,  one  marble,  the  other  bronze,  inscribed  with  a  com- 
plete record,  were  erected  at  the  spot  Terentum  ;  in  1890  some  frag- 
ments of  the  marble  pillar  were  recovered  and  are  now  preserved  in  the 
Museo  delle  Therme  which  occupies  a  portion  of  the  remains  of  the 
baths  of  Diocletian.1  These  fragments  and  literary  notices,  especially 
Zosimus,  enable  us  to  trace  the  course  of  the  festival  clearly.  The  cele- 
bration proper  began  on  the  evening  before  June  i  ;  but  on  May  26-28 
the  magistrates  distributed  to  all  citizens  who  applied  stiffimenta,  pitch- 
pine,  sulphur,  and  bitumen,  for  purposes  of  purification  ;  May  29-31  the 
citizens  brought  contributions  of  grain  to  the  officials  to  be  used  by 
them  in  paying  the  musicians  and  actors. 

The  festival  itself  lasted  three  nights  and  days:  the  nocturnal  sacri- 
fices were  at  Terentum ;  the  ceremonies  by  day  were  at  the  temples  of 
the  several  divinities.  Augustus,  assisted  by  Agrippa,  conducted  the 
entire  celebration.  On  the  first  night  nine  black  ewe  lambs  and  nine 
she-goats  were  burnt  whole  in  sacrifice  to  the  Parcae  (C.  S.  25  ff.); 
on  the  following  night  consecrated  cakes  were  offered  to  the  Ilithyiae 

1  The  inscription  is  best  edited  by  Mommsen  in  the  Ephemeris  Epigraphica, 
1 891,  pp.  225-274.  For  accounts  of  the  festival  see  also  Lanciani  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly,  February,  1892;  Slaughter,  Transactions  of  the  Am.  Phil.  Association, 
1895,  pp.  69-78 ;  and  Harper's  Classical  Dictionary,  p.  974  f. 

389 


IIORATI 

(C.  S.  13  ff.)  ;  and  on  the  third  night  a  sow  big  with  young  was  sacri- 
ficed to  Telliis  (C.  S.  29  ff.)-1 

After  the  sacrifice  of  the  first  night,  scenic  representations  were 
begun  on  a  stage  without  seats  for  the  audience,  and  continued  uninter- 
ruptedly throughout  the  festival  :  beginning  with  the  first  day,  however, 
they  were  given  in  a  theater  erected  for  the  occasion  (Itidi  Latini  in 
theatro  ligneo  quod  erat  constitution  in  cainpo  seciindnm  Tiber  ini). 

On  the  first  day  Augustus  and  Agrippa  each  sacrificed  a  white  bull 
to  Jupiter  on  the  Capitol,  and  the  following  day  each  a  white  cow  to 
Juno  in  the  same  place  ;  on  the  third  day,  when  the  festival  reached  its 
climax,  Augustus  and  Agrippa  offered  consecrated  cakes  to  Apollo  and 
Diana  at  the  temple  of  Apollo  on  the  Palatine  (cf.  introductory  n.  to  i, 
31)  ;  and  then  twenty-seven  boys  and  a  like  number  of  girls,  especially 
chosen  for  this  service,  sang  the  hymn  which  Horace  had  written  for  the 
occasion,  and  repeated  it  on  the  Capitol  (sacrificioqne  perfecto  pueri 
XXVII  quibus  dentmtiatnm  et  puellae  tot  idem  carmen  cecinernnt;  eodem- 
tjiie  modo  in  Capitolio.  Carmen  composnit  Q.  H  or  at  ins  Flaccus).  In 
addition  to  these  ceremonies  no  matrons  conducted  selleslernia  to 
Juno  and  Diana  on  each  day  ;  and  ludi  cir  censes  and  ludi  honor  ar  it 
were  continued  seven  days  (June  4-11)  after  the  close  of  the  festival.'2 

The  ode  itself  lacks  the  grace  and  ease  of  most  of  Horace's  lyric 
verse  ;  its  formal  phrases  when  read  seem  stiff  and  rigid.  Doubtless 

1  The  verses  of  the  oracle  ordering  these  ceremonies  are  as  follows  :  — 

H(Hfr)(?fta.i,  'Pcupxaic,   .    .   . 

peffiv  iv   nfSiia   rrapa  0u/3ptiof  dirAcrov  iiSup, 
brrn-77  aTfivoTHTOv,  pi>£   rji'iica  yaiai'  eire'AO;/, 
^cAiou  icpvifiavro^  fbv  <paot  '  fvOa  <rv  pi^fiv 
It  pa  iravroyovoif  Moipatt  appa?  TC  <coi  oiyis 
Kvat/fa.-;,  €irl  TOIJ  8'  EiAei0ut'a{  apiaa.a6ai 
iraiJoroicovs  Ovttaaiv,  oirj)  Oefnif  •  aiiii  Si  TatQ 
\oipoi?   u?   iptuoiTO  /ucAatra. 


3  The  oracle  prescribes  these  rites  also  in  detail  :  — 

trarAcvirot  TaOpot   6«   Atbf  irapa  ftiafibv  ayiaOta 
fifian  fi7)5'  ini   VVKTI  •  .   .   . 
.  .   .  iajiaArj?  ie  /Soo?  fe'^tat  ay\abv  "Hprj? 
Sffdafta  vijb?  irapa  <T«0.      «tai  *oi/3ot  '  \no\k<a 
oort  Ka«   rft\io<;  KucAijaJceTat,  laa  5(&(\0ia 
flii/nara   A>)Toi£>)f.      cat  an&6ft(i'Ot   ft  AaTiroi 
ffoiai  (5  K»rpoi<ri  Kopflai  TC  »-ijoi'  (\<ntt- 
affaraTui-.       \u>pif  Si  xdpai   \opbi'  avral  i\ottv 
KCU.  \<api<;    iraiStav  apanv  (TTa^vt,  aAAa  yovrfuv 


,  , 

ai  Si  yanov  (,VuyAai<ri  St&iJ.T)Hfvai    rj/iari  xci'f 
yia>(*llpr|s   Trapd  /3co/aor  aocjiMOf  iSpiowaai 


39° 


CARMEN   SAECVLARE  [1-8 

this  was  intentional  and  marked  no  falling  off  in  Horace's  skill  as  a 
versifier.  He  saw  that  for  this  ceremonial  occasion  simplicity  and  dig- 
nity were  of  chief  importance.  Any  just  appreciation  of  the  poem  on 
our  part  must  start  with  the  consideration  that  it  was  written  to  be  sung 
to  musical  accompaniment  by  a  trained  chorus  in  the  open  air  before  a 
large  body  of  people.  Thus  performed  it  must  have  been  beautiful  and 
impressive.  The  ode  is  carefully  polished ;  the  number  of  feminine 
caesuras  is  striking.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  to-day  with  accuracy 
the  way  in  which  the  strophes  were  assigned ;  it  is  probable  that  the 
first,  second,  and  last  were  sung  by  the  full  chorus,  and  it  is  clear  that 
vv.  33-34  belong  to  the  boys,  35-36  to  the  girls.  Beyond  this  all  is 
mere  conjecture.  For  the  influence  of  the  Aeneid  in  this  ode,  cf.  n. 
to  vv.  37  ff.  Metre,  69. 

Phoebe  silvarumque  potens  Diana, 
lucidum  caeli  decus,  o  colendi 
semper  et  culti,  date  quae  precamur 
tempore  sacro, 

5  quo  Sibyllini  monuere  versus 

virgines  lectas  puerosque  castos 
dis  quibus  septem  placuere  colles 
dicere  carmen. 

i  ff.  Phoebe  .  .  .  Diana  :  the  .cologne;  and  Horace's  own  phrase, 
opening  verse  shows  that  these  Epist.  I,  I,  I  prima  dicte  mi/it, 
are  the  chief  divinities  of  the  festi-  sumnia  dicende  Camena  {Mae- 
val. — silvarum  potens :  cf.  I,  3,  i  cenas).  —  semper:  with  both  co- 
diva  pjtens  Cypri,  i.e.  Venus,  and  n .  lendi  and  culti. 
On  Diana,  goddess  of  the  woods,  5  ff.  quo  :  with  dicere.  —  Sibyl- 
cf.  1,21,5;  3,22,1. — caeli  decus:  lini  .  .  .  versus:  the  older  collec- 
i.e.  as  sun  and  moon ;  in  apposi-  tions  of  Sibylline  oracles  were 
tion  with  both  Phoebe  and  Diana.  destroyed  at  the  burning  of  the 
The  phrase  is  repeated  by  Seneca  Capitol,  83  B.C.  A  new  collection 
Oed.  409 ;  cf.  also  Verg.  A.  9,  was  made  which  was  added  to 
405  astrorum  decus  ct  netnortun  from  time  to  time.  The  oracle 
Latonia  custos.  —  colendi . . .  culti :  preserved  by  Zosimus,  as  said 
almost  a  ritual  expression,/^,  ivho  above,  was  compiled  after  the  de- 
are  ever  to  be,  and  have  ei<er  tails  of  the  festival  had  been  de- 
been,  worshipped.  Cf.  Ovid  Met.  termined,  or  after  the  celebration 
8,  350  Phoebe  .  .  .  si  te  colidque  itself. — lectas,  castos:  both  ad- 

391 


9-i8] 


HORATI 


10 


Alme  Sol,  curru  nitido  diem  qui 
promis  et  celas,  aliusquc  et  idem 
nasceris,  possis  nihil  urbe  Roma 
visere  maius. 

Rite  maturos  aperire  partus 
lenis,  Ilithyia,  tuere  matres, 
sive  tu  Lucina  probas  vocari 
seu  Genitalis. 

Diva,  producas  subolem  patrumque 
prosperes  decreta  super  iugandis 


jectives  belong  to  each  noun.  Cf. 
4,  6,  31  f.  —  dis  quibus,  etc.  :  the 
guardian  gods  in  general,  not 
limited  to  Apollo  and  Diana.  — 
placuere  :  have  found  favor  \  cf.  3, 
4,24. 

9  ff.    Apollo   as   the   sun   god. 
Cf.  v.  i6f.  of  the  oracle  KOI  4>ot/?os 

CKTTC  KO.I  TJt'AlOS    KtK\r)- 

i.  —  alme  :  cf.  4,  7,  7  almuin  . 
diem.  —  alius  et  idem  :  another 
and  yet  the  same.  —  possis  :  opta- 
tive subj.  —  nihil  urbe,  etc.  :  cf. 
Verg.  A.  7,  602  f.  maxima  rerum 
Roma,  and  Pausanias  8,  33,  3  with 
reference  to  Babylon,  Bu/?vAo>i/os 

.     .     .    T)V  TLVa  ftSt    7r6A.C<OV  TUH/  TOT€ 


12  ff.  The  goddess  of  child- 
birth, Ilithyia  (tacitly  identified 
with  Diana).  —  maturos:  ///  due 
season.  —  aperire  :  with  lenis, 
which  is  a  part  of  the  prayer  —  be 
thou  gentle,  etc.  —  Ilithyia  :  among 
the  Greeks  we  find  now  one.  now 
many,  goddesses  so  called.  In 


the  inscription  we  read  deis  flit  hy is 
and  in  the  oracle  Ei'Aeiflutus.  but 
the  inscription  gives  the  prayer 
Ilithyia,  uti  tibei,  etc.  There  can 
be  little  question  that  the  goddess 
was  identified  with  Diana,  although 
the  adjective  Lucina  properly  be- 
longs to  Juno  ;  Genitalis  is  appar- 
ently Horace's  invention,  possibly 
to  represent  the  Greek  FtveTuAAis. 

15  f.  sive  .  .  .  seu  :  in  early 
Roman  religion  the  divinities  were 
not  clearly  conceived  :  hence  arose 
the  habit  of  addressing  them  in 
prayers  by  various  appellations 
that  they  might  not  be  offended, 
e.g.  sive  dens  sive  dca  ;  sive  quo  alio 
nomine  te  appellari  volneris;  etc. 

17  ff.  producas  :  rear.  —  de- 
creta :  with  reference  to  the  lex 
Itilia  de  maritainiis  ordinibns 
passed  the  preceding  year.  This 
was  a  law  to  discourage  celibacy 
and  to  encourage  marriage  and 
raising  of  children  (ck«4.  5.  22  and 
n.).  —  super:  ///  regard  to;  cf. 


392 


CARMEN   SAECYLARE 


['9-30 


feminis  prolisque  novae  feraci 
20  lege  marita, 

certus  undenos  deciens  per  annos 
orbis  ut  cantus  referatque  ludos, 
ter  die  claro  totiensque  grata 
nocte  frequentis. 

25  Vosque  veraces  cecinisse,  Parcae, 

quod  semel  dictum  est  stabilisque  rerura 
terminus  servet,  bona  iam  peractis 
iungite  fata. 

Fertilis  frugum  pecorisque  Tellus 
30  spicea  donet  Cererem  corona ; 


I,  9,  5.  —  feraci:  part  of  the 
prayer  —  which  we  pray  may  be 
productive  of. 

21  S.  The  purpose  of  the  prayer 
in  the  preceding  strophe,  — '  grant 
us  an  abundant  posterity  that  the 
festival  may  surely  (certus)  be  re- 
peated at  the  close  of  each  saecu- 
lum  by  great  throngs  (frequentis) 
of  citizens.'  —  certus:  this  with 
the  last  word  of  the  strophe,  fre- 
quentis, bears  the  emphasis:  — 
undenos,  etc. :  a  paraphrase  for  1 10 
years.  —  per:  extending  through. 
—  orbis:  cycle.  —  ut:  for  its  posi- 
tion, see  Intr.  31.  —  frequentis: 
modifying  ludos. 

25  ff.  veraces  cecinisse  :  true 
in  your  past  prophecies.  For  the 
infinitive,  see  Intr.  108.  Cf.  2, 
1 6,  39  Parca  non  mendax.  —  Par- 
cae :  Motpcti  in  the  inscription  and 
oracle,  to  whom  offerings  were 


made  on"  the  first  night.  —  quod 
semel  dictum  est  :  equivalent  to 
fatum  ;  quod  does  double  duty  as 
subject  of  dictum  est  and  object 
of  servet.  We  may  translate,  as 
has  been  ordained  once  for  all, 
and  as  we  pray  the  fixed  bound  of 
events  may  keep  it.  —  stabilis  rerum 
terminus  is  a  paraphrase  for  •  des- 
tiny.' Cf.  Verg.  A.  4,  614  et  sic 
fata  lovis  poscunt,  hie  terminus 
haeret.  —  servet  :  optative  subj. 
—  iam  peractis  :  to  those  already 
passed]  i.e.  in  the  saeculum  just 
closed. 

29  ff.  fertilis,  etc. :  a  part  of 
the  prayer.  With  the  expression, 
cf.  Sail.  lug.  17,  5  ager frugum 
fertilis.  —  Tellus  :  Terra  Mater 
in  the  inscription.  Sacrifice  was 
made  to  her  on  the  third  night. — 
spicea  donet.  etc.  :  i.e.  may  the 
crops  of  grain  be  abundant.  Cf. 


393 


1IOKATI 


35 


40 


nutriant  fetus  et  aquae  salubres 
et  lovis  aurae. 

Condito  mitis  placidusque  telo 
supplices  audi  pueros,  Apollo ; 
siderum  regina  bicornis  audi, 
Luna,  puellas. 

Roma  si  vestrum  est  opus  Iliaeque 
litus  Etruscum  tenuere  turmae, 
iussa  pars  mutare  laris  et  urbem 
sospite  cursu, 

cui  per  ardentem  sine  fraude  Troiam 
castus  Aeneas  patriae  superstes 


the  prayer  of  Tibullus  i,  i,  15 
flava  Ceres,  tibi  sit  nostro  de  rure 
corona  \  spicea.  —  fetus :  restricted 
to  the  fruges,  as  the  context  clearly 
shows. 

33  ff.  In  the  previous  strophes 
the  divinities  worshipped  by  night 
have  been  invoked ;  the  hymn  is 
now  directed  to  the  gods  of  light. 
This  strophe  forms  the  transition. 
—  condito  mitis,  etc.:  logically 
parallel  to  audi,  —  replace  thy 
weapon,  be  kind,  etc.  —  telo :  i.e. 
his  arrow.  Apollo  was  repre- 
sented in  his  temple  on  the  Pala- 
tine (cf.  I,  29)  as  a  gracious  and 
kindly  god,  not  armed  but  playing 
on  the  lyre.  See  Baumeister,  no. 
104. 

35  f.  siderum  regina:  cf.  i,  12, 
47  f.  —  bicornis  :  i.e.  of  the  cres- 
cent moon. 

37  ff.   The  Aeneid,  which  had 


recently  been  published,  supplied 
the  theme  of  this  and  the  follow- 
ing strophe.  Horace  appeals  to 
the  gods  to  protect  their  own  crea- 
tion.—  si:  the  condition  expresses 
no  doubt,  but  has  rather  a  causal 
force,  —  if  Rome  is  your  work 
(and  it  surely  is)  ;  i.e.  '  since 
Rome,  etc.'  —  vestrum  :  not  re- 
ferring to  Apollo  and  Diana  of 
the  preceding  strophe,  but  mean- 
ing the  great  gods  who  cared  for 
the  destinies  of  the  state.  The 
vagueness  of  the  adjective  must 
be  counted  a  defect.  —  tenuere  : 
gained.  —  pars  :  the  remnant ;  in 
apposition  with  turmae.  —  laris  : 
'their  hearths  and  homes.' 

41  f.  fraude  :  harm.  Cf.  2,  19, 
20.  —  castus  :  and  therefore  saved 
while  the  wicked  perished.  Cf. 
with  the  epithet.  Vergil's  pins.  — 
patriae:  dative:  cf.  Ep.  5.  10. 


394 


CAKMKN    S  A  EC  A  I. ARK 


[43-56 


45 


libcrum  munivit  iter,  daturus 
plura  relictis, 

di,  probos  mores  docili  iuventae, 
di,  senectuti  placidae  quietem, 
Romulae  genti  date  remque  prolemque 
et  decus  omne  ; 


50 


55 


quaeque  vos  bobus  veneratur  albis 
clarus  Anchisae  Venerisque  sanguis, 
impetret,  bellante  prior,  iacentem 
lenis  in  hostem. 

lam  mari  terraque  manus  potentis 
Medus  Albanasque  timet  securis, 
iam  Scythae  responsa  petunt,  superbi 
nuper,  et  Indi. 


43  f .  daturus  :  destined  to  give. 
—  plura  relictis  :  i.e.  a  city  (Rome) 
greater  than  the  one  they  had  left. 

45  ff.  probos  mores,  etc.  :  one 
of  Augustus1  chief  desires  was  to 
restore  a  healthy  moral  life.  Cf. 
3,  24,  25  ff. ;  4,  5,  22  and  nn.  — 
docili,  placidae  :  proleptic,  belong- 
ing to  the  prayer.  —  remque,  etc. : 
cf.  Ovid  Fast.  3,  86  arma  ferae 
genti  remque  deciisqne  dabant.  — 
prolemque  :  hypermetric.  Intr. 
69. 

49  ff.  quae  :  with  veneratur, 
prays  for  with  sacrifice  of,  etc.  — 
bobus  .  .  .  albis :  offered  to  Jupi- 
ter on  the  first  day,  on  the  second 
to  Juno.  The  prayer,  preserved 
in  the  inscription,  was  for  the 
safety  and  exaltation  of  the  Ro- 
man state  and  its  arms.  —  clarus 


Anchisae,  etc.  The  phrase  is  a 
solemn  paraphrase  for  Augustus, 
but  at  the  same  time  it  emphasized 
the  connection  of  the  present  with 
the  beginnings  of  the  state  (cf. 
Romulae  genti) .  —  bellante  prior : 
continuing  the  prayer  in  impetret. 
With  the  sentiment,  cf.  Vergil  A. 
6,  853  parcere  szibiectis  et  debellare 
superbos. 

53  ff .  iam :  marking  the  follow- 
ing as  victories  already  secure.  — 
Medus,  Scythae,  Indi:  cf.  4,  15, 
21  if.  and  n.  Also  Ovid  Trist. 
2,  227  f.  nunc  petit  Armenius  pa- 
cetn,  mine  porrigit  arcus  \  Par- 
thus  eqnes  timida  captaque  signa 
maim. — Albanas :  having  the  same 
connotation  as  Romulae  v.  47,  An- 
chisae Venerisque  v.  50. — respon- 
sa petunt :  as  from  a  god.  Cf. 


39S 


57-70] 


iiok.vn 


lam  Fides  et  Pax  et  Honor  Pudorque 
priscus  et  neglecta  redire  Virtus 
audet,  adparetque  beata  pleno 
60  Copia  cornu. 

Augur  et  fulgente  decorus  arcu 
Phoebus  acceptusque  novem  Camenis, 
qui  salutari  levat  arte  fessos 
corporis  artus, 

65  si  Palatinas  videt  aequus  aras, 

remque  Romanam  Latiumque  felix 
alterum  in  lustrum  meliusque  semper 
prorogat  aevum ; 

quaeque  Aventinum  tenet  Algidumque 
70  quindecim  Diana  preces  virorum 


Apoll.  Sid.  Epist.  8,  9,  20  dum 
responsa  petit  subactus  orbis. 

57  ff.  Peace  and  her  compan- 
ions.—  Fides:  cf.  i,  35,  21. — 
Pax :  Peace  had  an  altar  on  the 
Campus  Martius,  built  at  Augus- 
tus1 direction.  —  Honor:  to  whom 
with  Virtus  Marcellus  dedicated  a 
temple  in  205  B.C.  —  Pudor :  cf.  I, 
24,  6  f.  — Copia  :  cf.  i,  17,  14. 

61-72.  The  closing  prayer  is  to 
Apollo,  the  augur,  god  of  the  silver 
bow,  leader  of  the  Muses,  and  god 
of  healing.  —  fulgente  .  .  .  arcu : 
of  silver;  theHomericapyvporo^o?. 
—  Camenis:  cf.  I,  12,39. 

63  f.  qui  salutari,  etc.  :  'ATroA- 
AOJV  ILutoy.  Cf.  1,21,  13  f. 

65  ff.  si :  expressing  the  same 
confidence  as  in  v.  37. — Palati- 
nas . . .  aras  :  where  the  hvmn  was 


sung. — aequus:  with  favor ;  ci 
iniquus  i,  2,  47. — remque  Ro- 
manam Latiumque :  calling  to  mind 
Ennius1  verse  478  M.  qui  rent  Ko- 
inanam  Latiumque  augescere  vol- 
tis.  —  felix  :  proleptic  with  Latium. 
—  in  prosperity .  —  que  .  .  .  que  : 
observe  the  archaic  usage :  the 
first  -que  does  not  connect  videt 
and  prorogat,  but  is  correlative 
with  the  second.  —  alterum :  a 
new.  Augustus1  imperium  was 
renewed  for  five  years  in  17  B.C.  : 
but  the  idea  is  rather,  '  from  lus- 
trum to  lustrum1 :  as  semper  clearly 
shows. 

69  ff.  Diana's  chief  temple  at 
Rome  was  built  on  the  Aventine 
at  an  early  period  —  later  tradi- 
tion ascribed  its  founding  to  Ser- 
vius  Tullus  —  to  be  a  common 


396 


75 


CARMEN   SAECVLARE 

curat  et  votis  puerorum  arnicas 
adplicat  auris. 

Haec  lovem  sentire  deosque  cunctos 
spem  bonam  certamque  domum  reporto, 
doctus  et  Phoebi  chorus  et  Dianae 
dicere  laudes. 


[71-76 


sanctuary  for  the  Latin  tribes.  — 
Algidum  :  the  shrine  of  Diana 
Nemorensis  was  on  the  slopes  of 
this  ridge.  Cf.  n.  to  I,  21,  6. — 
quindecim  .  .  .  virorum :  the  sacred 
college  in  charge  of  the  Sibylline 
Books  :  the  members  led  by  Au- 
gustus and  Agrippa,  had  charge 
of  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  festi- 
val. —  puerorum :  the  children,  in- 
cluding both  boys  and  girls,  as  in 
ancient  usage.  Cf.  Naev.  30  M. 
Cereris  puer,  Proserpina. 

73  ff.    The    hymn   closes   with 


an  expression  of  confident  belief 
that  all  the  prayers  and  hopes  ex- 
pressed will  be  fulfilled.  —  haec  : 
referring  to  the  last  three  strophes. 

—  sentire  :    depending   on    spem. 

—  reporto :    the   singular   is    used 
after    the    manner     of    a    Greek 
chorus.     Cf.   4,   6,  41.  —  doctus: 
cf.  docilis  4,  6,  43.  —  Phoebi  .  .  . 
Dianae :    modifying    both    chorus 
and  laudes.     Note  that  the  hymn 
closes  with  the  mention  of  the  two 
divinities  named  in   the   opening 
verse. 


397 


EPODON    LIBER 

For  a  general  account  of  the  Epodes  and  the  conditions  under  which 
they  were  written,  see  Intr.  4. 


Addressed  to  Maecenas  in  the  spring  of  31  B.C.,  when  he  was 
about  to  leave  Rome.  Antony  and  Cleopatra  had  spent  the  winter  of 
32-31  B.C.  at  Patrae,  while  their  fleet  of  five  hundred  vessels  had 
remained  on  guard  at  Actium.  When  the  spring  opened.  Octavian  sum- 
moned the  most  influential  senators  and  knights  to  meet  him  at  Hrun- 
disium,  before  he  crossed  to  Epirus  to  engage  in  the  final  struggle. 
Maecenas  naturally  was  to  go  with  the  rest.  Dio  Cassius,  51,  3,  tells  us 
that  Maecenas  was  left  in  charge  of  Italy  during  Octavian's  absence,  so 
that  it  is  generally  assumed  that  he  was  not  present  at  the  battle  of 
Actium.  On  the  other  hand,  an  anonymous  elegy,  regarded  by  HUche- 
ler  as  contemporary,  speaks  of  him  as  actually  present  cninfreta  Nilia- 
cae  texerunt  laeta  carinae  \  fortis  erat  ctrcutn,  fortis  et  ante  iliicein. 
PLM.  i,  122  flf.  However,  the  evidence  is  inconclusive;  yet  it  seems 
clear  from  Horace's  words  that  at  the  time  he  wrote  this  epode  he  ex- 
pected Maecenas  to  share  in  the  dangers  of  the  coming  struggle.  He 
remonstrates  with  his  patron  for  his  readiness  to  run  all  risks  (1-4)  ; 
assures  him  of  his  own  devotion  and  willingness  to  share  every  danger, 
and  of  his  anxiety,  if  he  be  forced  to  stay  behind  (5-22) ;  and  closes 
with  the  protestation  that  it  is  not  selfish  hope  of  gain  that  moves  him  : 
Maecenas  has  given  him  all  he  can  desire  (23-34).  The  last  verses 
bear  the  emphasis  of  the  epode.  Horace's  devotion  is  unselfish. 

This  epode  serves  as  a  dedication  of  the  collection  to  Maecenas. 
There  is  a  warmth  of  expression  in  it  that  Horace  does  not  employ 
elsewhere.  Metre,  74. 


398 


EPOUON    LIBER 


LI,  6 


Ibis  Liburnis  inter  alta  navium, 

amice,  propugnacula, 
paratus  omne  Caesaris  periculum 

subire,  Maecenas,  tuo. 
Quid  nos,  quibus  te  vita  si  superstite 

iucunda,  si  contra,  gravis?       ..-»;>', 


i.   ibis :    you  are  then    really  5  f.   nos :  i.e.  /  and  such  as  I. 


going.  Emphatic  as  feremus  v. 
II.  So  Tibullus  I,  3,  i  says  in  his 
address  to  Messala,  who  left  him 
behind  in  Corcyra  when  travel- 
ing to  the  East  in  30  B.C.,  ibitis 
Aegaeas  sine  me,  Messala,  per 
undas. —Liburnis :  in  contrast  with 
the  alta  navium  propugnacula  — 
lofty  battlemented  ships  —  of  An- 
tony and  Cleopatra.  These  huge 
galleons,  some  of  which  had  as 
many  as  nine  banks  of  oars,  proved 
no  match  for  the  small  swift  two- 
banked  Liburnae  of  Octavian's 
fleet ;  the  latter,  modeled  after  the 
vessels  used  by  the  Liburnian 
pirates,  in  the  imperial  period 
formed  the  chief  part  of  the  Roman 
navy.  Antony  had  felt  his  ships 
invincible.  According  to  Dio 
Cassius  50,  1 8,  he  called  to  his 
troops,  opart  yap  TTOV  KOI  avrol  KOL 
TO  /u.c'ye0os  Kai  TO  Traces  TU>V  ^/xere- 
p<av  o-Ko.<f>wv.  Cf.  also  Vergil's 
description  of  the  battle,  A.  8, 
691-693  pelago  credas  innare  re- 
volsas  |  Cydadas,  aut  montis  con- 
cur rere  montibus  altos :  \  taut  a 
mole  viri  turrit  is  puppibus  in- 
stant. 

4.   tuo  :  sc.  periculo. 


The  plural  of  modesty,  which  Hor- 
ace uses  in  his  lyrics  only  here  and 

c.  1,6,5.  !7;  2, 17,  32;  3,28,9. 

While  we  employ  a  verb  in  trans- 
lating, it  is  improbable  that  the 
Romans  were  conscious  of  any 
ellipsis  in  such  phrases  as  this.  — 
si  superstite,  etc. :  the  apparent 
use  of  si  with  the  abl.  abs.  is 
anomalous.  te  superstite  alone 
would  form  a  protasis  to  vita  .  .  . 
iucunda,  and  we  should  expect  as 
the  alternative,  te  mortuo  (vita) 
gravis.  To  avoid  the  ominous  te 
mortuo,  Horace  euphemistically 
says  si  contra,  with  which  some 
such  verb  as  viviti/r,  or,  as  Por- 
phyrio  suggests,  sit,  is  necessary  ; 
this  construction  has  its  influence 
on  the  preceding  clause,  so  that 
we  must  regard  the  entire  relative 
sentence  as  a  condensed  form  for 
qitibus  vita  si  te  super st He  (sif), 
iucunda,  si  contra  (sit),  gravis. 
The  ellipsis  is  somewhat  similar  to 
that  in  v.  8  below,  ni  tecum  simul 
(persequemur),  etc.  —  superstite  : 
superstes  here  means  'living  on,1 
elsewhere  in  the  epodes  and  odes 
'  out-living,1  •  surviving  another's 
death.' 


399 


'.7] 


IIOKATI 


utrumne  iussi  persequemur  otium, 

non  dulce,  ni  tecum  simul, 
an  hunc  laborem,  mente  laturi  decet 
10  qua  ferre  non  mollis  viros  ? 

Feremus,  et  te  vel  per  Alpium  iuga 

inhospitalem  et  Caucasum, 
vel  Occidentis  usque  ad  ultimum  sinum 

forti  sequemur  pectore. 
15  Roges  tuum  labore  quid  iuvem  meo, 

imbellis  ac  firmus  parum  ? 
Comes  minore  sum  futurus  in  metu, 

qui  maior  absentis  habet, 

7.    utrumne:   a  combination  of      6  and  adopted  by  Seneca,  Thyest, 


two  interrogatives  introduced  by 
Horace,  who  uses  it  only  here  and 
in  .£.  2,  3,  251  ;  6,  73.  It  is  em- 
ployed by  Curtius,  Pliny,  and  other 
later  prose  writers.  —  iussi :  sc.  a 
te,  at  thy  Inditing.  Horace's  re- 
quest to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
Maecenas  had  already  been  re- 
fused. —  persequemur  otium :  give 
our  selves  up  to  a  life  of  ease. 

8.   ni  tecum:  cf.  n.  on  v.  5. 

gf.  laborem:  in  contrast  tootium 
v.  7.  By  a  slight  zeugma  con- 
nected with  persequemur,  whereas 
the  more  natural  verb  with  it  is 
fero,  which  is  used  in  the  relative 
clause  immediately  following.  — 
laturi:  ready  to  bear.  Intr.  no. 

ii  f.  feremus :  the  position 
and  form  show  Horace's  emphatic 
resolve.  —  Alpium,  Caucasum :  the 
Alps  and  the  Caucasus  were  stock 
examples  of  hardships.  inhospi- 
talem Caucasum :  repeated  C.  1, 22, 


1052  qttis  inliospitalis  Caucasi  ru- 
pein  as  per  am  lleniochus  habit ans  f 
For  the  position  of  et,  see  Intr. 

31- 

13.  sinum:  recess,  expressing 
the  remoteness  of  the  western  sea. 
Cf.  Verg.  G.  2,  1 22  India  .  .  .  e.r- 
tremi  sinus  or  bis. 

15.  roges :      equivalent     to     si 
roges. —  tuum  .  .  .  meo:    parallel 
in  form  to  Caesar  is  pcriculum  sub- 
ire,  Maecenas,  tuo  3  f. 

16.  imbellis  ac  firmus  parum : 
cf.    the    Homeric    «7rToAe)u.o?    KCU 
uvaA*is.      Horace  laughs  at  him- 
self for  running  away  at  Philippi 
C.  2,  7, 8  ff.  (Intr.  p.  1 1) ;  the  sec- 
ond half  of  his   description   here 
probably  refers  to  his  poor  health. 
—  parum:  cf.  C.  I,  12,  59  and  n. 
to  i,  2,  27. 

17  f.  An  appeal  to  Maecenas' 
friendship^  <  I  do  ndTclaim  that  I 
can  help  you,  but  I  beg  you,  save 


JOO 


KI'ODON    LIBER 


[«.  -7 


ut  adsidcns  implumibus  pullis  avis 

serpentium  adlapsus  timet 
magis  relictis,  non,  ut  adsit,  auxili 

latura  plus  praesentibus. 
Libenter  hoc  et  omnc  militabitur 

bellum  in  tuae  spem  gratiae, 
non  ut  iuvencis  inligata  pluribus 

aratra  nitantur  meis 
pecusve  Calabris  ante  sidus  fervidum 


me  from  the  fears  that  absence 
and  anxiety  bring.1  —  maior  habet : 
has  a  stronger  hold. 

19-22.  The  comparison  of  the 
mother  bird  who  fears  for  her 
chicks  is  old  and  familiar  in  litera- 
ture. Cf.  Aesch.  Sept.  291  ff. 

SpaKOVTttS  8'  O>S  TIS  TfKVWV   \    VTTCp&t- 

e\ai(t)v  Suacwaropas  |  TTO.V- 
TrtAeias-  'As  a  fostering 
dove  fears  the  snakes,  ill  mates  for 
her  nestlings.'  Cf.  also  Mosch. 
4,  21  ff.  and  especially  Claudian 
Rapt.  Proserp.  3,  141  ff.  sicaestnat 
ales,  |  qttae  teneros  humili  fetus 
commiserit  or  no  \  allatttra  cibos  et 
pliinina  cogitat  absens,  \  ne  grad- 
ient ventus  discnsserit  arbore  ni- 
dum,  |  ne  fnrtum  patent  homini 
neu  praeda  colnbris. 

—  pullis  :  dative,  more  closely 
connects  with  timet  than  with  ad- 
sidens ;  (Intr.  loo)  the  latter  may 
be  translated  attributively  with 
avis,  the  brooding  mother  bird. 
thus  expressing  the  condition 
rather  than  the  act. 

21  f.  ut  adsit :  evtuif  she  -iccre 
with  them.  —  non  latura  :  conces- 


sive, though  she  could  not  give. — 
praesentibus :  repeating  adsit  in 
sense,  but  added  in  contrast  to 
relictis.  This  use  of  repetition 
to  express  the  reciprocal  relation 
is  common  in  Latin,  and  is  mo.^t 
clearly  seen  in  such  examples  as 
Plaut.  Pseud.  1142  tute  praesens 
praesentem  vides,  or  Verg.  A.  4, 
83  ilium  absens  absentem  andit- 
que  videtqne. 

24.  in  spem :  to  further  my 
hope.  Cf.  C.  I,  7,  8  in  Innonis 
honor  em.  —  tuae  .  .  .  gratiae : 
favor  in  thy  sight. 

25  f.  non  ut,  etc. :  emphatically 
placed  to  deny  the  possible  charge 
of  selfishness.  —  nitantur :  the 
oxen's  efforts  in  dragging  the 
plow,  —  suggesting  a  heavy,  fertile 
soil,  —  is  transferred  to  the  plow 
itself.  Intr.  99. 

27  f.  Cf.  C.  i,  31,  5  non  aes- 
tuosae  grata  Calabriae  armenta. 
In  the  heat  of  summer  the  flocks 
were  driven  from  the  rich  pas- 
tures of  low  Calabria  to  the 
higher  lands  of  Lucania  and  Sam- 
nium.  Cf.  Varro  R.  R.  2,  i,  6 


HOR.  CAR.  —  26 


401 


.,28] 


HORATI 


Lucana  mutet  pascuis, 
neque  ut  superni  villa  candens  Tusculi 
30  Circaea  tangat  moenia. 

Satis  superque  me  benignitas  tua 

ditavit ;  baud  paravero 
quod  aut  avarus  ut  Chremes  terra  premam, 

discinctus  aut  perdam  nepos. 


greges  ovium  longe  abiguntur  ex 
Apulia  in  Sainniitm  aestivatmn. 
—  mutet :  for  the  varying  construc- 
tions with  mutare,  see  Intr.  98. 

29  f.  The  lofty  ridge  of  Tuscu- 
lum,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the 
Alban  Hills,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  Rome,  was  a  favorite  resort 
in  antiquity,  as  it  has  been  in  mod- 
ern times.  The  northern  slope 
was  then  as  now  occupied  by  vil- 
las ;  Cicero,  Julius  Caesar,  Lucul- 
lus,  and  others  possessed  country 
homes  there.  The  buildings  had 
stucco,  or  possibly  in  some  cases 
marble,  walls,  whose  gleam  (villa 
candens)  could  be  seen  from  Rome, 
as  the  present  villas  can  to-day. 

—  Circaea  moenia :  so  named 
because  tradition  said  that  Tele- 
gonus,  the  son  of  Circe  by  Ulysses, 
founded  Tusculum.  So  the  town 


is  called  C.  3,  29.  8  Telegoni  iuga 
Parricidae.  —  tangat :  border  on. 
Cf.  Cic.  pro  Mil.  5 1  villam  quae 
•viam  tangeret. 

31.  satis  superque  :  note  the  em- 
phasis. With  the  sentiment,  cf.  C. 
2, 1 8,  12  nee  potent  em  antic  um  lar- 
giora  flagito,  and  C.  3,  16,  38  nee, 
si  plura  velim,  tit  dare  deneges. 

32  f .  baud  paravero :  also 
emphatic ;  /  will  never  try  to 
amass  wealth,  etc.  —  avarus  ut 
Chremes  :  like  a  greedy  Chremes, 
—  a  typical  miser,  probably  from 
some  drama  now  lost.  No  miser 
Chremes  appears  in  our  extant 
plays,  although  the  name  is  com- 
mon enough.  On  the  position  of 
ut.  cf.  v.  12  above.  Intr.  31. 

34.  discinctus  .  .  .  nepos :  loose 
spendthrift,  in  the  same  construc- 
tion as  avarus  Chremes. 


In  praise  of  country  life. 

'  "Free  from  the  busy  rush  of  town,  how  fortunate  is  he  who  can  till  his 
ancestral  fields,  care  for  his  vines,  his  orchards,  flocks,  and  bees  (1-16). 
His  are  the  delights  of  autumn,  summer,  and  winter  (17-36).  These 
make  one  forget  the  pains  of  love  (37-38)  ;  and  if  there  be  beside  a 
sturdy,  honest  housewife  to  do  her  part,  care  for  -the  children,  milk  the 
ewes,  prepare  the  evening  meal,  what  life  more  joyful  !  Not  all  the 

402 


EPODON    LIBER  [2,  6 

dainties  of  a  city  table  can  compare  with  the  country's  simple  meal, 
which  1  enjoy,  watching  the  sheep  and  cattle  come  at  evening's  fall, 
while  round  the  bright  hearth  sit  the  slaves  (39-66) ."  So  spoke  the 
broker  Alfius,  who  straightway  planned  to  foreclose  his  mortgages  — 
and  to  put  his  money  out  again  '  (67-70). 

The  sudden  turn  in  the  last  four  verses  is  very  characteristic  of  Hor- 
ace, but  it  gives  us  no  reason  for  doubting  the  sincerity  of  his  praise 
of  rural  life.  He  was  a  man  of  real  simplicity  and  of  great  sensitiveness  ; 
but  like  every  conventional  man  of  the  world,  shrank  from  too  great 
enthusiasms  :  he  will  never  preach,  and  when  he  feels  himself  approach- 
ing the  danger  line,  he  pulls  himself  up  suddenly,  as  here,  with  a  whim- 
sical, half  cynical  turn.  Another  famous  example,  in  which  the  serious 
note  is  not  so  long  continued,  is  the  Integer  vitae,  C.  I,  22.  There  is 
no  hint  of  the  date  of  composition.  Metre,  74. 

Beatus  ille  qui  procul  negotiis, 

ut  prisca  gens  mortalium, 
paterna  rura  bobus  exercet  suis, 

solutus  omni  faenore, 

5  neque  excitatur  classico  miles  truci, 

neque  horret  iratum  mare, 

iff.   This  is  similar  to  a  frag-  folk  of  the  Golden  Age.  —  paterna 

ment  of  Aristophanes  in  praise  of  ...  suis :  the  fortunate  farmer  is  he 

peace  387  K.  w  /aoipe,  p.Capt  wavra  who  has  inherited  his  lands,  which 

Tavr'fvTtj^  (sc.  dpr/vy)  Ivt  |  oiKfiv  he  works  (exercet)  with  his  own 

[lev    apyov     avrov    ev    TO>    yi/St'w  oxen ;    such  is  a  domitttts,  not  a 

|    aTroAAayf'vTa    TU>V    KO.T     ayopav  mere  colonus.     No  mortgage  vexes 

Trpay/jLo.T<iiv  |  Kf.KTrfp.tvov  £euyapiov  him ;  secure  in  his  own  estate  he 

oixeTov  ftooiv,  |  1-n-f.iT   O.KOVUV  TTpo-  can    enjoy    the    freedom    of    his 

PUTIUV    ftX.r)X^P-fvo)v.       'Foolish,  country  life, 
foolish  man,  peace  has  everything  4.   faenore :    the  double  mean- 

—  living   without    hard   work    on  ing  — '  money  borrowing,'  i  money 

one's  bit  of  land,  free   from   the  lending '  —  of  the  word  is  not  ap- 

troubles  of  the  market-place,  with  parent  until  v.  67. 
one's  own  little  yoke  of  oxen  ;  and  5-8.   The    farmer  escapes   the 

besides,  the  hearing  of  the  bleating  stress  of  war,  the  danger  of  the 

sheep.'  —  negotiis  :    in   a   narrow  sea,  the  worry  of  courts,  and  the 

sense,  like  our 'business.'  haughtiness   of   patrons.     Cf.  the 

2  f .   prisca    gens :    the  ancient  reminiscence   of   these   verses   in 

403 


2,7] 


HOKATI 


forumque  vitat  et  superba  civium 

potentiorum  limina. 
Ergo  aut  adulta  vitium  propagine 

altas  maritat  populos, 
aut  in  reducta  valle  mugientium 

prospectat  errantis  greges, 
inutilisve  falce  ramos  amputans 

feliciores  inserit, 
aut  pressa  puris  mella  condit  amphoris, 

aut  tondet  infirmas  ovis  ; 


Claudian  Carm.  mitt.  52,  7  f.  non 
freta  mercator  tremuit,  non  clas- 
sica  miles ;  |  non  rand  lites  pertu- 
lit  ille  fori.  —  superba  .  .  .  limina  : 
referring  to  the  morning  call,  salu- 
tatio,  and  the  humiliations  to  which 
clients  were  exposed  from  their 
patrons.  Imitated  by  Seneca, 
Episl.  68,  \o  piilsare  super  has  po- 
tent'iomm  fores. 

g.  ergo :  and  so,  being  free  from 
such  cares. — adulta:  according 
to  Columella,  when  three  years  old. 
In  this  word  lurks  the  figurative 
sense  —  '  old  enough  for  marriage.1 
—  propagine  :  shoot,  properly  the 
'  layer '  by  which  new  vines  were  ob- 
tained. See  Class.  Diet.  s.v.  vitis. 

10.  maritat  populos  :  the  black 
poplar  was  considered  second  only 
to  the  elm  as  a  support  for  grape 
vines.  The  '  wedding 1  of  the  vine 
and  tree  seems  to  have  been  a 
farmer's  expression  that  established 
itself  early  in  literature  :  so  Cato 
says  R.  R.  32  ar bores  facito  ut 
bene  maritae  sint.  Milton  adopts 


the  figure  P.  L.  5  'or  they  led  the 
vine  |  To  wed  her  elm ;  she, 
spoused,  about  him  twines  |  Her 
marriageable  arms/  The  plane 
tree  which  has  a  thick  foliage  was 
unfitted  for  this  purpose ;  so  C. 
2,  15,  4  plat  a  tins  caelebs. 

1 1  f .  in  reducta  valle  :  repeated 
C.  i,  17,  17.  Connect  with  er- 
rantis.—  mugientium:  used  sub- 
stantively  like  Vergil's  balantum 
gregein,  G.  i.  272,  for  sheep. 

13  f.    ramos.;    of  fruit  trees. — ' 
feliciores:    more  fruitful.      The 
root  appears  \\\fe-mina,fe-cnndas. 
—  inserit :  grafts,  a  technical  term. 
Cf.  insitiva,  v.  19. 

15  f.  Note  the  alliteration.— 
pressa  .  .  .  mella :  after  as  much 
honey  had  drained  out  as  naturally 
would,  the  comb  was  pressed  to 
extract  the  remainder.  Cf.  Verg. 
G.  4,  140  f.  spnmantia  cogere 
pressis  mella  fa-vis.  —  infirmas  : 
weak,  and  so  unresisting.  A  stock 
epithet ;  cf:  Ovid.  Id.  44  pecus 
infer  inn  in. 


404 


EPODO.N    U1JKK 


[2,26 


vel,  cum  decorum  mitibus  pomis  caput 

autumnus  agris  extulit, 
ut  gaudet  insitiva  decerpens  pira, 

certantem  et  uvam  purpurae, 
qua  muneretur  te,  Priape,  et  te,  pater 

Silvane,  tutor  finium. 
Libet  iacere  modo  sub  antiqua  ilice, 

modo  in  tenaci  graminej_ 
labuntur  altis  interim  ripis  aquae, 

queruntur  in  silvis  aves, 


17  f.  decorum  :  decked.  —  au- 
tumnus :  personified  as  C.  4,  7,  1 1 
poinifer  autumnus.  Cf.  Colum. 
R.  R.  10,  43  autumnus  quassans 
sna  tempora  pomis. —  agris  :  prob- 
ably dative. 

19  f.  insitiva  :  imply  ing  a  better 
sort.  —  decerpens  :  with  gaudet, 
T/Serai  SpcVwv.  This  Greek  con- 
struction of  a  participle  agreeing 
with  the  subject  after  a  verb  of 
emotion  is  rare  and  poetical.  Cf. 
Epist.  2,  2,  1 07  gaudent  scribentes. 
—  purpurae  :  poetic  usage  allows 
the  dative  with  certare,  while  in 
prose  we  find  the  ablative.  The 
grape  as  it  ripens  takes  on  a  color 
that  rivals  the  '  royal  purple. '  Cf. 
n.  to  C.  2,  5,  12. 

21  f.  muneretur:  potential,  ex- 
pressing suitability. — Priape:  a 
Hellespontic  divinity,  peculiarly 
the  genius  of  the  garden,  who  was 
represented  by  a  rude  wooden 
statue  that  also  served  the  useful 
purpose  of  scaring  away  the  birds. 
Cf.  S.  i,  8,  i  ff.  (Priapus  speaks) 


Olim  truncus  eram  ficulnus,  inu- 
tile lignum,  \  cum  faber,  incertus 
scamnum  faceretne  Priapum,  \ 
inaluit  esse  deum.  deus  inde  ego, 
fit  rum  aiiiumque  \  maxima  for- 
inido.  —  Silvane:  an  ancient  Ital- 
ian divinity  of  the  wood  and  field, 
protector  of  flocks  (Verg.  A.  8, 
60 1  arvontm pecorisque  deus).  and 
guardian  of  the  farm  boundaries. 
Cf.  Gromat.  i,  p.  302  primus  in 
terrain  lapidem  finalem  posuit 
(sc.  Silvanus). 

24.  tenaci:  i.e.  with  firm  hold 
on  the  rich  soil,  not  easily  pulled 
up  like  grass  that  grows  where  the 
soil    is    thin ;     hence    luxuriant, 
deep. 

25.  interim :  i.e.  while  we  lie  in 
the   deep   grass.  —  ripis  :     instru- 
mental   abl.    denoting    the    route 
taken,    between    the    banks ;     cf. 
Lucret.    2,    362   flitmina    snminis 
labentia  ripis. 

26  f .  queruntur :  the  low  sad 
notes  of  the  birds  are  heard  in  the 
distance,  while  the  rustle  of  the 


405 


HORATI 


35 


40 


frondesque  lymphis  obstrepunt  manantibus, 

somnos  quod  invitet  levis. 
At  cum  tonantis  annus  hibernus  lovis 

imbris  nivisque  comparat, 
aut  trudit  acris  hinc  et  hinc  multa  cane 

apros  in  obstantis  plagas, 
aut  amite  levi  rara  tendit  retia, 

turdis  edacibus  dolos, 
pavidumque  leporem  et  advenam  laqueo  gruem 

iucunda  captat  praemia. 
Quis  non  malarum  quas  amor  curas  habet 

haec  inter  obliviscitur  ? 
Quod  si  pudica  mulier  in  partem  iuvet 

domum  atque  dulcis  liberos, 


leaves  vies  and  mingles  with  the 
murmuring  waters.  Cf.  Prop.  5, 
4,  4  mtiltaque  nativis  obstrepit 
arbor  aquis. 

28.  quod  invitet :  a  sound  to 
•woo.  —  levis  :  gentle,  not  the  heavy 
sleep  of  exhaustion. 

29  ff.  Horace  now  turns  to  the 
delights  of  winter.  In  contrast  to 
the  fair  and  quiet  weather,  we  now 
have  tonantis  .  .  .  lovis.  —  annus : 
season,  as  C.  3,  23,  8  pomifer 
.  .  .  annus,  i.e.  antitrnnus. 

31-36.  Three  winter  sports  — 
hunting  the  wild  boar,  catching 
thrushes,  and  snaring  the  hare  and 
the  crane.  These  are  followed 
39-48  by  three  typical  occupations 
of  the  good  housewife. 

31.  cane:  the  singular  repre- 
sents the  class.  Cf.  Verg.  A,  I, 
334  multa  tibi  .  .  .  cadet  hostia. 


32  ff.  obstantis  plagas  :  the  toils 
into  which  the  boar  was  driven 
by  the  beaters  and  the  dogs. — 
amite  levi :  the  smooth  pole  of 
the  wide-meshed  (rara)  spring- 
net.  For  the  scansion,  see  Intr. 
58.  —  turdis  edacibus:  cf.  Mart. 
3,  58,  26  sed  tendit  avidis  rete 
subdolum  turdis. 

35.  For  the  scansion,  see  Intr. 
58.  —  advenam  :  wandering,  the 
stranger. 

37.  curas  :  the  substantive  com- 
mon to  both  antecedent  and 
relative  clauses.  —  amor:  passion. 
Horace  is  thinking  of  city  in- 
trigues in  contrast  to  the  domestic 
happiness  implied  in  the  following 
lines. 

39.  in  partem :  for  her  part ; 
i.e.  'does  her  share  in  caring  for,' 
etc. 


406 


EPODON   LIBER 

Sabina  qualis  aut  perusta  solibus 

pernicis  uxor  Apuli, 
sacrum  vetustis  exstruat  lignis  focum 

lassi  sub  adventum  viri, 
45  claudensque  textis  cratibus  laetum  pecus 

distenta  siccet  ubera, 
et  horna  dulci  vina  promens  dolio 

dapes  inemptas  adparet ; 
non  me  Lucrina  iuverint  conchylia 
50  magisve  rhombus  aut  scari, 

si  quos  Eois  intonata  fluctibus 

hiems  ad  hoc  vertat  mare ; 
non  Afra  avis  descendat  in  ventrem  meum, 


41.  The  Sabine  women  were 
the  ideal  farmers'  wives  (C.  3,  6, 
37  ff.)  ;  the  Apulians  were  noted 
for  their  industry  (C.  3,  16,  26). 

43  f .  sacrum  .  .  .  focum :  made 
sacred  by  being  the  shrine  of  the 
household  gods.  —  vetustis  :  there- 
fore '  dry,'  '  seasoned.'  —  sub  : 
against.  Cf.  Gray's  Elegy  'For 
them  no  more  the  blazing  hearth 
shall  burn,  |  Or  busy  housewife  ply 
her  evening  care.' 

45.  textis  cratibus :  in  wattled 
folds.  —  laetum :  sturdy,  lusty. 

47  f .  horna  .  .  .  vina :  the  com- 
mon folk  drank  the  wine  the  same 
year  it  was  pressed,  without  ferment- 
ing it ;  hence  the  adjective  dulci. 
The  finer  wines  were  fermented  in 
dolia  and  then  drawn  off  into  am- 
phorae, which  were  sealed  and  put 
away.  —  inemptas:  therefore  sim- 
ple and  doubly  sweet.  Cf.  Verg. 


G.  4,  133  dapibus  mensas  onera- 
bat  inemptis. 

49  ff .  The  apodosis  begins  here. 
Five  dainties  of  the  luxurious  city 
table  are  set  off  against  five  articles 
of  country  diet.  —  Lucrina  .  .  .  con- 
chylia :  the  Lucrine  lake  near 
Baiae  produced  the  best  oysters, 
which  are  meant  here.  —  scari :  so 
highly  esteemed  that  it  was  called 
by  Ennius.  Heduphag.  8,  cerebrum 
lovis.  Cf.  also  Suidas  s.v.  Aios 

£yiC£<£uAoS  •     TO  Ka.\Xl(TTOV  PpWfJM. 

51  f.  si  quos  :  the  scar  was 
most  common  in  the  eastern  half 
of  the  Mediterranean  sea,  the  coast 
of  Sicily  being  the  western  limit  of 
its  range.  It  was  believed  that 
storms  in  the  east  drove  the  fish 
westward.  —  intonata :  with  active 
meaning. 

53  f.  Afra  avis :  guinea-hen. 
According  to  Yarro,  in  Horace's 


407 


2.  54] 


IIORATI 


non  attagen  lonicus 
55  iucundior  quam  Iccta  de  pinguissimis 

oliva  ramis  arborum, 
aut  herba  lapathi  prata  amantis  et  gravi 

malvae  salubres  corpori, 
vel  agna  festis  caesa  Terminalibus, 
60  vel  haedus  ereptus  lupo. 

Has  inter  epulas  ut  iuvat  pastas  ovis 

videre  properantis  domum, 
videre  fessos  vomerem  inversum  boves 

collo  trahentis  languido, 


day  a  new  and  costly  delicacy  from 
Numidia.  —  attagen  :  a  kind  of 
grouse  ;  another  dainty  from  the 
East.  St.  Jerome  warns  his  friend 
against  luxury  of  the  table,  using 
this  bird  as  a  typical  article,  ad 
Salinii.  79  proctil  si  tit  a  conviviis 
tuis  Phasides  aves,  crassi  tiirtures, 
attagen  lonicus. 

55.  iucundior:  predicate, giving 
greater  satisfaction.  —  pinguissi- 
mis :  the  epithet  is  transferred  from 
the  fruit  to  the  branches  on  which 
it  grows.  Intr.  99. 

57  f.  For  the  scansion,  see  Intr. 
58.  —  herba  lapathi  :  sorrel,  for 
salad. — gravi .  .  .  corpori :  from  the 
indigestion  caused  by  overeating. 

59  f.  The  simple  country  diet 
is  relieved  by  fresh  meat  only  on 
some  holyday  when  sacrifice  is 
made,  or  when  some  chance  offers. 
It  was  a  proverb  that  the  wolf 
selected  the  choicest  of  the  flock. 
Plut.  Symfios.  2,  9  TO.  \vKoftporra 
A.ty<rui  TO  //.ti/  xpin'i  y\vKVTarov 


At  the  present  time  also 
fresh  meat  is  a  great  rarity  to  the 
Italian  peasant.  —  Terminalibus  : 
this  festival  to  Terminus,  the  god 
of  boundaries,  fell  on  February  23. 
It  is  described  by  Ovid.  Fasti  2, 
639  ff.  The  blood  offering  was 
either  a  lamb  or  sucking  pig ;  cf. 
Fast.  655  f.  spargitnr  et  caeso 
co  in  munis  Terminus  agno  \  nee 
qiteritur  lactans  cum  sibi  porca 
datur.  —  lupo  :  dative  with  ereptus. 

61-66.  This  picture  with  its 
expression  of  quiet  joy  forms  a 
fitting  close  to  the  preceding  de- 
scription. Notice  that  the  rapid 
movement  of  61-62  is  followed  by 
the  slow  verses  63-64,  expressing 
the  quiet  return  of  the  weary  cattle 
at  the  close  of  day.  Cf.  Gray's 
Elegy,  'The  curfew  tolls  the  knell 
of  parting  day,  |  The  lowing  herd 
winds  slowly  o'er  the  lea,1  |  etc. 

62  f .  videre  .  .  .  videre :  the 
anaphora  is  expressive  of  the 
farmer's  satisfaction.  Intr.  28  c. 


408 


EFODON    LIBER 


65  positosque  vernas,  ditis  examen  domus, 

circum  renidentis  Laris. 
Haec  ubi  locutus  faenerator  Alfius, 

iam  iam  futurus  rusticus, 
omnem  redegit  Idibus  pecuniam ; 
quaerit  Kalendis  ponere. 


70 

65.  positosque    vernas  :       the 
home-born  slaves  in  their  places 
(at  supper).     Vernae  were  slaves 
born  within  the  house,  not  bought 
from  abroad.     Such  were  highly 
prized,  sold  only  from   necessity, 
and  formed  an  important  part  of  a 
well-to-do  house.     Cf.  Tibul.  2,  i, 
23  turbaqiie  i>ernarnin^  satitri  bona 
signa  coloni.     On  the  scansion  of 
positos,  see  Intr.  58. 

66.  renidentis  :     the    polished 
images    of    the    household   gods, 
placed  about  the  hearth,  reflect  the 
firelight  and  seem  to  share  in  the 
satisfaction  of  the  scene. 

67  ft.  Horace  breaks  off  with 
this  unexpected  turn  which  is  not 
fully  understood  until  the  last  line 
is  reached,  as  if  he  would  say : 
'  But  I  am  getting  too  serious. 
Any  man,  even  an  Alfius,  can 


talk  this  way,  and  yet  have  no 
real  feeling  for  the  country ;  his 
enthusiasm  will  not  last  a  fort- 
night.1 It  is  a  favorite  method 
with  Horace  to  hide  a  deeper  pur- 
pose behind  an  apparently  light 
expression. 

—  locutus:  sc.  est. — Alfius:  a 
well  known  faenerator  of  Cicero's 
day,  whom  Horace  takes  as  typical. 
—  iam  iam  :  intensive,  in  hot  haste 
to.  Cf.  Tac.  Ann.  i,  47,  5  iam 
iamque  ilurus. —  idibus  .  .  .  kalen- 
dis  :  settlements  were  made  and 
new  arrangements  entered  into 
regularly  on  the  Calends,  Nones, 
or  Ides.  Alfius  called  in  (redegit) 
his  money  on  the  Ides,  but  before 
the  Calends  of  the  next  month 
came,  repented  of  his  enthusiasm 
for  country  life,  and  tried  to  invest 
(ponere)  his  wealth  again. 


With  comic  pathos  and  extravagance  Horace  inveighs  against  garlic, 
declaring  that  it  is  worse  than  all  the  drugs  and  poisons  known.  The 
occasion  of  Horace's  indignation  seems  to  have  been  a  fit  of  indigestion 
caused  by  a  salad,  of  whicli  garlic  had  been  an  ingredient,  offered  him 
at  Maecenas1  table.  In  his  distress  he  calls  down  vengeance  on  his 
friend.  This  epode  was  written  after  Horace  had  acquired  an  intimate 
footing  with  his  patron.  The  date  of  composition  cannot  be  more 
exactly  fixed.  Metre,  74. 

409 


3,0 


HORATI 


10 


Parentis  olim  si  quis  impia  manu 

senile  guttur  fregerit, 
edit  cicutis  alium  nocentius. 

O  dura  messorum  ilia ! 
Quid  hoc  veneni  saevit  in  praecordiis  ? 

Num  viperinus  his  cruor 
incoctus  herbis  me  fefellit,  an  malas 

Canidia  tractavit  dapes  ? 
Vt  Argonautas  praeter  omnis  candidum 

Medea  mirata  est  ducem, 
ignota  tauris  inligaturum  iuga 

perunxit  hoc  lasonem ; 
hoc  delibutis  ulta  donis  paelicem 


i  S.  The  parricide  shall  hence- 
forth be  punished  by  a  dose  of 
garlic,  surer  in  its  results  than  the 
hemlock  (cicutis)  that  carried  off 
Socrates.  —  olim  :  ever.  —  guttur 
fregerit:  strangle,  as  C.  2,  rj.  6 
fregisse  cerviccm.  —  edit :  the  old 
and  colloquial  form  of  the  subjunc- 
tive edat.  CfN  Plant.  Trin.  339 
de  mendico  male  meretiir  qiri  ei 
dat  quod  edit  at'it  bibat. 

4.  o  dura:   as  if  caught  by  a 
fresh  spasm  of  pain,  Horace  cries 
out    in    amazement    that   reapers 
(here    typical    of   all    classes    of 
toilers)  can  be  so  fond  of  garlic 
as   they  are.      Porphyrio   quotes 
Verg.    E.    2,    10   f.    Theslylis    et 
rapido  fessis    messoribus    aestu  \ 
alia  serpitlltimqite  her  has  contnndit 
olentis. 

5.  quid      veneni  :      comically 
graphic,  like  Terence's  quid  miilie- 
ris  itxorem  habes?  Hec.  643. 


8.  Canidia:  for  an  account  af 
Canidia,  probably  a  dealer  in 
unguents  and  perfumes,  to  whom 
the  practice  of  poisoning  was 
attributed,  see  Epod.  5.  From 
Canidia  Horace  passes  to  the  queen 
of  poisoners,  Medea.  —  tractavit: 
had  a  finger  in.  Cf.  C.  2,  13-,  8 
tile  venena  Colcha  .  .  .  tract  awl. 

9  f .  praeter  omnis :  connect 
with  mirata  est.  —  candidum  :  used 
of  youthful  beauty  as  in  C.  i,  18,  n 
candide  Bassareu. 

n.  tauris:  connected  with  ig- 
nota and  inligaturum  alike.  Intr. 
100. 

13  f.  When  Jason  deserted 
Medea  at  Corinth  tor  King  Creon's 
daughter  Glauce.  Medea  avenged 
herself  by  sending  the  bride,  here 
opprobriously  called  paelicem,  a 
poisoned  robe  and  diadem,  which 
burst  into  flames  and  caused  her 
death.  Cf.  5,  63  ff.  Medea  es- 


410 


EPODON    LIBER  [4 

serpente  fugit  alite. 
15  Nee  tantus  umquam  siderum  insedit  vapor 

siticulosae  Apuliae, 
nee  munus  umeris  efficacis  Herculis 

inarsit  aestuosius. 

At  si  quid  umquam  tale  concupiveris, 
20  iocose  Maecenas,  precor 

manum  puella  savio  opponat  tuo, 
extrema  et  in  sponda  cubet. 

caped  on  a  chariot  drawn  by  winged  lole.     Cf.  17,31.  —  efficacis:  with 

snakes.  reference  to  the  successful  accom- 

—  hoc:       emphatic    anaphora.  plishment  of  his  labors. 

Intr.  28  c.  19  ff.    The  close  of  the  epode  is 

15  f.   vapor:    heat.      Cf.    Sen.  a    comic  imprecation  against  the 

Oed.  47 gravis  et  atcr  incubal  terris  author  of  Horace's  distress. 

vapor.  —  siticulosae   Apuliae:    cf.  — at:    regular  in  curses.     Cf. 

the    Homeric   TroA.uSu/'iov  *Apyos-  5,  I  ;  Catull.  3,  13  at   vobis   male 

The  heat  of  Apulia  is  frequently  sit,  malae  tenebrae  Orci,  and  Verg. 

mentioned  by  Horace  :  cf.  2,  41  f.  ;  A.  2,  535  ff.  at   tibi  pro  scelere. 

C.  3.  30,  ii;  6".  i,  5,  77  ff,  91  f.  exdamat,  pro  talibits  aitsis,  \  di,  si 

17  f.    The  robe  dipped  in  the  qua   est  caelo  pietas^   qtiae  talia 

blood    of    the    Centaur,    Nessus.  curet,  \  persolvant  grates  dignas  et 

which  Deianira  sent  to  Hercules.  praemia  reddant  \  debita.    Cf.  the 

hoping  to  win  back  his  love  from  Greek  dAAa  in  address. 


The  rich  parvenu  became  common  in  Rome  during  the  last  years 
of  the  Republic.  The  increase  of  this  class,  chiefly  made  up  of  freed- 
men,  was  fostered  by  the  disorders  and  confiscations  of  the  civil  wars : 
so  that  society  was  contaminated  by  those  vulgar  rich  who  wished  to 
establish  themselves  in  it.  They  were  not  satisfied  with  enrollment  in 
the  equestrian  order,  but  pressed  even  into  the  senate,  which  Octavian 
purged  in  the  winter  of  29-28  B.C.  Cf.  Suet.  Aug.  35  senatorum 
affluentem  numerum  deformi  et  incondita  turba  (grant  enim  super 
iiiille,  et  quidam  indignissiini  et  post  necem  Caesar  is  per  gratia  m  et 

411 


4,  i]  HORATI 

praemiunt  adlecti,  quos  orcinos  vulgus  vocabat)  ad  modum  pristinum 
et  splendorem  redegit  duabtis  lectionibus . 

Horace  was  himself  the  son  of  a  freedman,  but  nothing  could  be 
more  offensive  to  him  than  the  straining  and  display  of  such  parvenus. 
His  own  attitude  is  clearly  seen  in  S.  i,  6,  where  his  calm  tone  shows 
that  he  is  discussing  a  general  question.  The  fierceness  of  this  epode 
seems  to  warrant  the  belief  that  he  has  some  definite  individual  in 
mind,  who  probably  was  easily  recognized  by  his  contemporaries. 
All  efforts  to  identify  him  are  useless.  Many  of  the  Mss.  have 
the  inscription :  ad  Sextum  Menant  Libertinuin.  Vedium  Riifum 
ex  servitute  miratur  usurpasse  equestrem  dignitatem  usque  ad  tribu- 
nattim  militum.  The  first  part  refers  to  Menas,  or  Menodorus,  a 
freedman  of  Sextus  Pompey  who  twice  deserted  to  Octavian.  The 
name  Vedius  was  probably  suggested  to  the  earlier  commentators  by  a 
passage  in  Cicero1s  letter  to  Atticus  (ad  Att.  6.  i,  25)  which  was  written 
at  Laodicea  in  54  B.C.,  but  not  published  until  some  time  in  the  first 
century  A.D.  hoc  ego  ex  P.  Vedio.  magno  nebulone  (rascal),  sed  Pompeii 
tamen  familiar  i,  audivi:  hie  Vedins  venit  mihi  ofrviam  cum  dtiobns 
essedis  (English  gigs)  et  raeda  (carryall)  equis  iuncta  et  lectica  et 
familia  magna,  pro  qua,  si  Curio  legem  pert  tiler  it,  HS  centenos  pendut 
necesse  est ;  erat  praeterea  cynocephalus  (a  dog-headed  ape)  in  essedo 
nee  deerant  onagri  (wild  asses)  :  nuinquam  vidi  hominem  neqniorem. 
The  possibility  remains,  however,  that  this  epode  is  nothing  more  than 
an  exercise  after  Archilochus  (Intr.  4).  The  date  of  composition  is 
probably  ^,6  B.C.  See  n.  to  17-19.  Metre,  74. 

Lupis  et  agnis  quanta  sortito  obtigit, 
tecum  mihi  discordia  est, 

i  f.   The  enmity  of  wolves  and  manebit,  \  c um  pecorc  infirnw quae 

sheep  has  been  proverbial  in  liter-  solet esse lupis.  —  sortito:  in  origin 

ature   from   the    Homeric    poems  an  ablative  absolute,  it  is  ccjuiv- 

down.     Cf.  //.  22,  262  ff.  (Ls  OUK  alent  to  sorte,   lege   naturae,  i.e. 

Ion    Ac'owi    icoi    av&paunv    opKua  '  the  allotment  made  by  nature ' : 

ovfe   \VKOI   TC    K<H    dpves  this   meaning  clearly  appears   in 

Ovfutv    Z\ov(Ti\>  \  dAAtt  S.  2,  6,  93  terreslria  quando  titor- 

KUKO.    <t>povio\xn   Sta/i7Tt/j€>;    uAAj/-  falis  animas  i>ii'iint  sortita,  also 

Aot«rt>',   |  «!>«  OVK   l(TT    «/ti€    Kal   (T(  I'liiut.    Aferc.    1 36    ut   tibi  sortito 

<j>ib.i'ifj.€vaj..  and  Ovid.  //>.  43  pax  idoptigit,  said  in  answer  to  the  cry 

crit  haec   nobis,  donee   mihi  vita  pertains. 

412 


EPODOX    I.I  HER 


[4. 


Hibericis  peruste  funibus  latus 

et  crura  dura  compede. 
Licet  superbus  ambules  pccunia, 

fortuna  non  mutat  genus. 
Videsne,  Sacram  mctiente  te  viam 

cum  bis  trium  ulnarum  toga, 
ut  ora  vertat  hue  et  hue  euntium 

liberrima  indignatio  ? 
'  Sectus  flagellis  hie  triumviralibus 


3.  Hibericis  .  .  .  funibus  :  made 
of-  spartum,  the  tough  Spanish 
broom,  used  in  antiquity  for  the 
best  ropes  and  cables  (Plin.  N.  H. 
19,  26). —  peruste:  scarred;  with 
latus,  body,  and  crura.  For  the 
use  of  the  word,  cf.  Epist.  i,  16,  47 
L>ris  non  ureris. 

4  ff .  compede  :  fetters  were  used 
only  on  the  lowest  slaves.  —  am- 
bules: strut  abroad.  Cf.  8.  14; 
Claud ian,  /';/  Eutrop.  i,  306  f. 
erecto  pectore  dives  \  atnbulat '.  — 
fortuna  :  in  the  restricted  sense  of 
our  '  fortune,1  as  the  previous  line 
shows. 

7  f .  sacram  viam :  the  fashion- 
able promenade  at  Rome,  running 
down  from  the  Velia  along  the  foot 
of  the  Palatine  through  the  Forum. 
—  metiente  :  pacing,  as  if  he  pom- 
pously would  measure  the  street's 
length.  —  bis  trium  ulnarum:  the 
ulna  was  about  half  a  yard  :  this 
rich  man's  toga  was  then  three 
yards  wide,  which  made  it  pos- 
sible for  him  to  arrange  it  in  elab- 
orate folds.  Such  a  toga  was  in 
marked  contrast  to  the  exigua  toga 


such  as  simple  Cato  would  wear, 
which  Horace  mentions,  Epist.  i, 

'9»  '3- 

g  f .  vertat :  '  causes  their  color 
to  change  with  indignation.'  Cf. 
S.  2,  8,  35  f.  vert  ere  pallor  turn 
parochi  faciem.  —  hue  et  hue  :  up 
and  down,  with  euntium.  —  liber- 
rima :  free  spoken;  cf.  II,  16. 
The  following  lines  give  the  words 
of  the  indignant  passers-by. 

ii.  sectus :  stronger  than  the 
ordinary  caesus.  —  triumviralibus : 
the  tresviri  capitales  were  police 
commissioners  whose  chief  duty 
was  the  safe  custody  of  condemned 
persons  and  the  execution  of  the 
punishment  inflicted  by  the  court. 
And  under  the  Republic  they  were 
responsible  for  good  order  in  the 
city.  They  had  the  power  of 
executing  summary  punishment  on 
disorderly  persons  and  slaves. 
Cf.  Schol.  Cic.  Div.  in  Caecil. 
1 6,  50  f  tires  et  servos  neqitain 
qni  apud  Ilfviros  capitales  apud 
colmnnam  Maeniatn  (where  the 
I/Iviri  capitales  had  their  head- 
quarters) puniri  solent. 


413 


IIORATI 


praeconis  ad  fastidium 
arat  Falerni  mille  fund!  iugera 

et  Appiam  mannis  terit 
sedilibusque  magnus  in  primis  eques 

Othone  contempto  sedet. 
Quid  attinet  tot  ora  navium  gravi 

rostrata  duci  pondere 


12.  praeconis :    the   crier  who 
proclaimed    the    reason    for    the 
punishment  while  the  flogging  was 
going  on.     This  particular  upstart 
has  in  his  time  been  flogged  so 
often  and  so  much  that  even  the 
praeco  is  sick  and  tired  of  it ;  and 
yet  to-day,  arat  Falerni  mille  fundi 
iugera. 

13.  arat :  equivalent  to possidet. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  3,  13  f.  terra  procul 
vastis  colitur  Mavortia   campis  \ 
Thraces    arant.  —  Falerni  :     the 
ager   Falernns,  in   the   south   of 
Campania,  was  famous  for  its  vine- 
yards. —  iugera  :  the  ingernm  was 
the   Roman   unit   of  measure  for 
land,  containing  about  five-eighths 
of  an  acre. 

14.  Appiam  :     sc.    viat/i,    the 
great  road  leading  to  the  south  of 
Rome,  called  by  Statins  longarnm 
regina  viaruni.     This  the  parvenu 
wears  out  (terit)  as  he  drives,  either 
to  exhibit  his  fine  turnout  to  the 
throng  of  travelers,  who  continu- 
ally  pass   along   the   road,  or  to 
visit  his  country  estates.     On  this 
use  of  tero.   cf.   Ovid,   ex  Ponto 
2,    7,    44    nee    magis    est    curvis 
Appia  trita  rotis. — mannis:  Gallic 


ponies,  fashionable  for  pleasure 
driving. 

15  f.  L.  Roscius  Otho,  tribune 
of  the  people,  in  67  B.C.  had  a  law 
passed  by  which  the  knights  were 
assigned  fourteen  rows  in  the 
theater  back  of  the  orchestra, 
which  belonged  to  the  senators. 
This  upstart,  regardless  of  his  low 
birth,  takes  his  seat  as  knight, 
swollen  with  pride  (magnus)  over 
his  great  wealth.  Worse  than 
that,  as  tribunus  militum  he  sits  in 
the  first  of  the  fourteen  rows, 
magnus  is  used  in  the  same  ironical 
sense  S.  I,  6,  72  magni  quo  piten 
magnis  e  centurionibus  orti. 

17-19.  The  allusions  here  give 
us  reason  to  believe  that  this  epode 
was  written  soon  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  large  ships  referred 
to.  In  38  B.C.  Octavian  was 
badly  defeated  by  Sextus  Pompey  ; 
in  the  following  winter  37-36  B.C. 
he  had  a  new  fleet  built,  consisting 
of  very  large  and  heavy  vessels. 
The  date  at  which  this  epode  was 
composed  is  then  probably  36  B.C. 
—  ora  rostrata:  an  artificial  ex- 
pression similar  to  the  Greek 
veoi?.  Acliil.  Tat.  3,  I  ; 


414 


El'ObON    LIBER  [5 

contra  latrones  atque  servilem  manum, 
20  hoc,  hoc  tribuno  rnilitum  ? ' 

Diod.  Sic.  13,  40  has  TO,  ordfiaTa  to  their  former  .uvners  some  thirty 

TU>V  f(ifi6\(Dv.  —  latrones  .  .  .  ser-  thousand  runaway  slaves  that  had 

vilem    manum:    such    as    Sextus  joined  Sextus  Pompev's  army. 

Pompey  welcomed  to  his  standards.  20.    hoc,  ho: :   emphatic      Intr. 

Augustus  says  in  the  Man.  Anc.  28  a.     Cf.  Sen.  H.  F.  99  hoc,  hoc 

5,  i  that  he  captured  and  returned  ministro  noster  utatur  dolor. 


The  Romans  were  extremely  superstitious,  and  during  the  last  cen- 
tury of  the  Republic  especially,  there  was  a  rapid  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  people  among  them  who  professed  to  practice  the  magic  arts. 
The  efficacy  of  witchcraft  and  love  potions  was  not  doubted  by  the  mass 
of  the  people.  In  this  epode  Horace  pictures  four  hags,  of  whom  Cani- 
dia  is  the  chief,  in  the  act  of  preparing  one  of  their  most  potent  charms 
by  which  Canidia  hopes  to  win  back  the  affections  of  her  aged  lover. 
The  quartette  have  captured  a  boy  whom  they  propose  to  bury  to  the 
chin  in  the  atrium  of  Canidia's  house,  that  he  may  starve.  His  death  is 
to  be  made  the  more  painful  by  the  sight  of  food  frequently  renewed, 
that  his  longing  for  it  may  sink  into  his  liver  and  very  marrow,  which 
then  shall  be  used  for  the  irresistible  philter.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
children  were  occasionally  murdered  for  such  purposes ;  at  any  rate 
there  was  a  current  belief  that  such  atrocities  were  practiced,  as  the 
Chinese  are  said  to  believe  to-day  that  the  missionaries  kill  young  chil- 
dren to  obtain  the  ingredients  tor  certain  charms.  Cicero  charges 
Vatinius,  in  Vatin.  14  cum  in  audit  a  ac  nefaria  sacra  susceperis,  cum 
inferorum  animas  elicere,  cum  puerorum  exit's  deos  manes  mactare 
soleas,  etc.  The  following  inscription,  found  in  a  columbarium  on  the 
Esquiline.  is  also  important  testimony.  CIL.  6,  19,  747  Iitcundus  Liviae 
Drusi  Caesaris  f(ilius)  Gryplii  et  I'italis.  In  quartum  surgens  com- 
pr  ens  us  deprimor  annum,  \  cum  possem  matri  dulcis  et  esse  patri.  \ 
eripuit  me  saga  manus  crudelis  iibiqite,  \  cum  tnanet  in  terris  et  nocit 
arte  sua.  \  -vos  vestros  natos  concustodite  pat~entes,  \  ni  dolor  in  toto 
pectore  fixsus  eat. 

Commentators  have  been  much  puzzled  as  to  the  identity  of  this 
Canidia,  whom  Horace  mentions  in  two  other  epodes  (3  and  17)  and 
in  S.  I,  8.  Porphyrio  says  that  she  was  a  certain  Gratidia  from  Naples, 

415 


5,  I]  iiOKATI 

whose  business  was  the  manufacture  of  perfumes.  There  is  also  the 
tradition  that  Horace  was  once  in  love  with  her,  and  that  the  celercs 
iambi  which  he  recants  in  the  sixteenth  ode  of  the  first  book,  are 
this  epode  and  the  seventeenth,  a  mock  palinode.  But  Porphyrio's 
identification  is  probably  only  a  clever  guess,  based  on  verses  43  and 
59,  and  Epode  17,  23,  which  give  after  all  very  insufficient  basis  for  his 
statement ;  and  the  rest  of  the  tradition  has  no  foundation  whatever. 

It  may  be  true  that  Horace  attacked  under  the  name  Canidia  some 
unguentaria,  well  known  at  the  time,  who  was  ready  to  furnish  potions 
and  poisons  to  her  customers,  but  it  is  equally  probable  that  Horace 
had  a  purely  literary  motive  in  depicting  a  scene  similar  to  that  in  Ver- 
gil's eighth  eclogue,  the  Pharinaceutria,  which  is  based  on  Theocritus' 
second  Idyll. 

The  epode  is  dramatically  constructed.  It  opens  with  the  cries  and 
prayers  of  the  boy  as  he  is  hurried  into  the  house  (i-io).  Canidia 
orders  the  various  materials  for  her  infernal  rites  (i  1-24).  while  Sngana 
sprinkles  the  house  with  water  from  Avernus  (25-28);  Veia  digs  the 
pit  in  which  the  boy  is  to  be  buried  (29-40).  A  fourth  hag.  Folia,  who 
can  call  down  the  very  moon  and  stars,  is  also  present  (41-46).  Cani- 
dia then  prays  that  the  charm  she  has  already  used  may  bring  her  aged 
lover  to  her  doors ;  but  suddenly  the  fear  comes  on  her  that  some  more 
skillful  rival  may  detain  him  (47-72).  At  this  thought  she  breaks  out 
with  the  threat  that  she  will  use  an  irresistible  charm  (73-82).  The 
boy,  seeing  that  his  prayers  are  of  no  avail,  calls  down  curses  on  his 
murderesses  and  threatens  that  his  shade  shall  haunt  them  (82-102). 
The  date  of  composition  cannot  be  exactly  fixed,  but  is  later  than  that 
of  S.  i,  8  and  probably  earlier  than  that  of  Epod.  17.  Metre,  74. 

'  At  o  deorum  quicquid  in  caelo  regit 
terras  et  humanum  genus, 

i.  at:  used  regularly  at  the  be-  added  pleonastically,  but  Horace 
ginning  of  entreaties,  prayers,  and  may  have  wished  to  make  the  con- 
curses  ;  here  it  marks  the  sudden  trast  between  dii  snperi  and  dii 
outburst  of  the  kidnapped  boy.  inferi  under  whose  protection  the 
Cf.  n.  to  3,  19.  —  o  deorum  quic-  boy's  tormentors  were.  If  so,  he 
quid :  cf.  Livy,  23,  9,  3  iitrantes  betrays  a  lack  of  skill,  for  a  fright- 
per  quidquid  deorum  est,  and  S.  ened  child  would  hardly  think  of 
1,6,  I  Lydorum  quicquid  .  .  .  in-  so  subtle  a  taunt  as  this.  Cf.  n. 
oliiit.  —  in  caelo:  apparently  to  v.  5. 

416 


l.ir.KK 


[5.  »5 


quid  iste  fert  tumultus,  ct  quid  omnium 

voltus  in  unum  me  truces  ? 
Per  liberos  te,  si  vocata  partubus 

Lucina  veris  adfuit, 
per  hoc  inane  purpurae  decus  precor, 

per  improbaturum  haec  lovem, 
quid  ut  noverca  me  intueris  aut  uti 

petita  f erro  belua  ? ' 
Vt  haec  trementi  questus  ore  constitit 

insignibus  raptis  puer, 
impube  corpus  quale  posset  impia 

mollire  Thracum  pectora, 
Canidia,  brevibus  implicata  viperis 


15 

3  f.  fert :  means.  This  sup- 
plies the  verb  for  the  following 
verse.  —  omnium :  in  contrast  to 
unum.  —  in  me :  connect  with  truces. 
Cf.  C.  i,  2,  39  acer  .  .  .  -volt us 
in  host 'em. 

5  f .  te :  the  boy  now  turns  to 
Canidia  as  the  leader  of  the  four. 
—  si  vocata,  etc. :  the  addition  of 
veris  makes  the  clause  carry  an  im- 
plication that  Canidia  has  never 
had  a  child,  although  she  has  tried 
to  palm  one  off  as  her  own.  This 
is  plainly  expressed  in  17,  50. 
Such  an  insinuation  is,  however, 
quite  too  clever  for  a  child  in  this 
situation. —  Lucina  :  Juno  as  god- 
dess of  childbirth.  Cf.  C.  S.  15 
and  n. 

7  f .  purpurae  decus  :  the  toga 
praetexta,  worn  by  boys  until  they 
reached  the  age  of  manhood,  is 
here  the  badge  of  innocence  and 
should  protect  the  child,  but  it  is 

HOR.  CAR.  —  27  417 


of  no  avail  (inane).  —  improbatu- 
rum :  a  mild  word  for  vindicatu- 
rutn. 

9  f .  ut  noverca  :  typical  of  sav- 
age hatred.  Cf.  Sen.  Cont.  4,  6  hie 
tints  est ;  quid  alterum  novercali- 
bus  oculis  inlueris  /  and  Tac.  Ann. 
12.  2  (coniunx)  ntrvercalibus  odiis 
I'isura  Britannic um  et  Octaviatii. 
—  petita  :  equivalent  to  saucia. 

12  f .  insignibus  raptis  :  the  toga 
praetexta  and  the  bitlla,  the  amu- 
let which  the  Roman  boy  wore 
about  his  neck.  These  symbols 
of  his  innocent  youth  are  ruth- 
lessly stripped  from  him,  so  that 
he  stands  naked  before  them  ;  but 
the  helplessness  of  his  childish  fig- 
ure (impube  corpus),  a  sight  to 
touch  even  barbarian  hearts,  makes 
no  appeal  to  Canidia  and  her  crew. 

15  f.  Notice  the  effect  produced 
by  the  succession  of  short  sylla- 
bles. Canidia  is  pictured  as  a  fury 


HOKAl I 


20 


crinis  et  incomptum  caput, 
iubet  sepulcris  caprificos  erutas, 

iubet  cupressos  funebris 
et  uncta  turpis  ova  ranae  sanguine 

plumamque  nocturnae  strigis 
herbasque  quas.Iolcos  atque  Hiberia 

mittit  venenorum  ferax, 
et  ossa  ab  ore  rapta  ieiunae  canis 


with  snakes  intertwined  in  her 
disheveled  hair.  Indeed  she  is 
called  furia  in  ^T.  i,  8,  45.  Cf. 
Ovid.  Her.  2,  119  Alecto  brevibus 
torquata  colnbris.  —  crinis  .  .  . 
caput :  Intr.  84. 

17-24.  These  verses  name  the 
materials  for  the  witches1  infernal 
sacrifice.  —  caprificos  :  the  first  in- 
gredient shall  be  from  the  barren 
wild  fig  tree,  naturally  associated 
with  the  dead,  for  it  grew  most 
often  in  the  crevices  of  tombs.  Cf. 
Mart.  10.  2.  9  marmora  Messalae 
findit  caprtftcus,  and  luv.  10, 
1 43  flF.  laudis  tituliqiie  ctipido  \  hae- 
suri  saxis  cinerum  citstodibus,  ad 
quae  \  discntienda  1'alent  sterilis 
mala  robora  fici. 

1 8  f .  cupressos  funebris :  cypress 
from  some  house  of  mourning.  Cf. 
C.  2,  14,  23  inirisas  cupressos.  — 
ranae  :  the  rana  nibeta,  a  poison- 
ous toad  described  by  Plin.  N.  H. 
8,  no  ranae  rubetae,  quorum  et 
in  terra  et  in  nmore  vita,  pluri- 
mis  refertae  medicaminibus  de- 
ponere  ea  cotidie  ac  resumere 
pastu  dimntnr,  i>enenn  tanttiin 
semper  sibi reservantes .  This  crea- 


ture  was  regularly  used  in  potions. 
Cf.  luv.  i,  69  matrona  potens,  qnae 
mollc  Calennm  \  porrectura  viro 
miscet  sitiente  rnbetam. 

20.  strigis  :  modifying  both  ova 
and  plumam.    The  strix  was  prob- 
ably   the     ordinary     screech-owl, 
which  frequented  tombs  and   de- 
serted places.  Popular  superstition 
still  magnifies  it  into  a  bugaboo. 
It  is  described  by  Ovid.  Fasti  6,  133 
grande  caput,  stantes  oculi,  rostra 
apta    rapinis ;  \  canities    pinnis, 
iiHguibiis  hainus  inest.    On  the  use 
of  these  ingredients  in  potions,  cf. 
Prop.  4,  6,  27  ff.  illuin  turgentis 
ranae  portenta  rubetae  \  et  lecta 
exsectis  angnibtis  ossa  trahnttt  \  et 
strigis  inventae  per  bnsta  iacentia 
pliunae,    reminding    one    of   the 
witches1  brew  in  Macbeth,  4,  i. 

21.  lolcos:  in  Thessaly,  famous 
for  witchcraft.      Cf.  C.   I,  27,  21 
Thessalis    magus.  —  Hiberia :    in 
Pontus,  near  Colchis,  the  home  of 
Medea.     Cf.  Colc/iicis*  v.  24. 

23  f.  Bones  snatched  from  a 
hungry  dog  arc  efficacious  as  com- 
municating tin-  craving  of  the  baf- 
fled animal  to  the  one  bewitched. 


418 


LTODUX    LIBER 


CS-.  36 


flammis  aduri  Colchicis. 
25  At  expedita  Sagana,  per  totam  domum 

spargens  Avernalis  aquas, 
horret  capillis  ut  marinus  asperis 

echinus  aut  currens  aper. 
Abacta  nulla  Veia  conscientia 
30  ligonibus  duris  humum 

exhauriebat  ingemens  laboribus, 

quo  posset  infossus  puer 
longo  die  bis  terque  mutatae  dapis 

inemori  spectaculo, 

35  cum  promineret  ore  quantum  exstant  aqua 

suspensa  mento  corpora, 


25-28.  Sagana  is  mentioned 
also  S.  I,  8,  25  as  Canidia's  assist- 
ant. With  dress  tucked  up  (ex- 
pedita =  succinta)  she  hurries  like 
a  wild  creature  through  the  house, 
sprinkling  it  with  water  from  Aver- 
nus  in  lustral  preparation  for  the 
infernal  rites.  The  waters  of  Lake 
Avernus,  being  near,  as  was  sup- 
posed, to  an  entrance  to  the  lower 
world,  were  especially  appropriate 
for  such  purposes  as  these.  So 
Vergil  says  of  Dido,  A.  4,  512 
sparser  at  et  latices  siinulatos  fontis 
Aiierni. 

29  f .  Veia :  her  function  is  to  dig 
in  the  floor  of  the  atrium  the  pit  in 
which  the  boy  is  to  be  buried.  — 
ligonibus  :  plural,  magnifying  the 
difficulty  and  intensity  of  her  toil ; 
so  laboribus  in  the  following  line. 
—  duris :  pitiless*  witli  ligonibus. 
Cf.  C.  3, 1 1, 31  ditro  perdere  ferro. 


31.  ingemens:  showing  the  dif- 
ficulty of  her  task.  Cf.  Verg.  G. 
i,  45  f.  depresso  incipiat  iam  turn 
niihi  taunts  aratro  \  ingemere. 

33.  The  food  is  to  be  changed 
again  and  again  (bis  terque)  to  in- 
crease the  boy's  longing,  a  refine- 
ment of  torture  whereby  the  day  is  to 
be  made  interminably  long  for  him. 

34.  inemori :  a  compound  found 
only  here  :  pine  to  death  at  (sight 
of,  etc.).  The  in-  has  the  same 
force  as  in  ingemens  v.  31,  or  in  the 
simpler  compound  immori,  Epist. 
i,  7,  85.  —  spectaculo :  dative  like 
laboribus,  v.  31. 

36  f .  suspensa,  etc. :  an  artificial 
expression  for  nat 'antes. — exsecta, 
aridum :  modifying  both  substan- 
tives. His  marrow,  his  innermost 
part,  and  his  liver,  the  seat  of  the 
passions,  shall  be  cut  out  and  dried 
to  form  the  basis  of  the  philter. 


419 


5,37] 


UOKATI 


45 


exsecta  uti  medulla  et  aridum  iecur 

amoris  esset  poculum, 
interminato  cum  scmel  fixae  cibo 

intabuissent  pupulae. 
Non  defuisse  masculae  libidinis 

Ariminensem  Foliam 
et  otiosa  credidit  Neapolis 

et  omne  vicinum  oppidum, 
quae  sidera  excantata  voce  Thessala 

lunamque  caelo  deripit. 
Hie  inresectum  saeva  dente  livido 

Canidia  rodens  pollicem 


38  S.  amoris  poculum  :  cf.  1 7, 
80  desiderique  teinperare  pocula. 
—  interminato :  forbidden,  in  pas- 
sive sense.  —  semel :  connect  with 
intabuissent.  — •  cibo  :  dative  with 
fixae  and  intabuissent  alike.  Intr. 
100. 

41-46.  Horace  skillfully  says  that 
he  has  only  heard  from  Neapolitan 
go  sip  that  Folia  was  present,  thus 
implying  that  his  statements  in  re- 
gard to  the  other  three  are  based 
on  certain  knowledge.  —  masculae 
libidinis  :  descriptive  genitive  with 
Foliam. 

43.  otiosa  .  .  .  Neapolis  :  cf. 
Ovid.  Met.  15,  711  in  otia  natani 
rarthenopen.  This  Greek  city 
was  given  to  gossip  :  according  to 
the  ancient  commentator  it  was 
CA\\z&fabulosa.  Gossip  and  curi- 
osity are  characteristic  of  the  Greek 
people.  Cf.  Demost.  riiilip.  i,  10 
(to  the  Athenians)  ») 


/xot,  rrcpiiorres  uvrwy  TTUVC 


"  At'yerai'  n  KOLIVOV  ;  "  and 
Acts  17,  21.  Livy  represents  the 
Roman  point  of  view  when  he  says 
of  the  Neapolitans.  8,  22  gens  lin- 
gua magis  st  retina  quam  factis. 

44.  omne  vicinum  oppidum :  es- 
pecially the  luxurious  watering- 
place  Baiae,  whose  characteristics 
in  the  following  century  are  so  well 
depicted  in  Petronius1  Cena  Tri- 
tnalcliionis. 

45  f .  The  power  regularly  as- 
signed to  incantations.  Cf.  Verg. 
E.  8,  69  carnrina  vel  caelo  possunt 
deducere  lunam. 

47  f.  hie  :  then,  marking  a  point 
in  the  preparations.  —  inresectum  : 
with  untritHtned  nail.  Long  nails 
are  marks  of  witches ;  with  them 
they  tear  their  victims,  since  the 
use  of  iron  is  impossible  in  magic 
Canidia  gnaws  her  nail  in  frenzied 
impatience.  Cf.  Mart.  4,  27,  5 
ecce  ilertim  nigros  conrodit  lividus 
ungues.  —  livido  :  her  very  teeth 


420 


KI'ODON    1.1BER 


[5.58 


quid  dixit  aut  quid  tacuit  ?  '  o  rebus  meis 
50  non  infideles  arbitrae, 

Nox  et  Diana,  quae  silentium  regis, 

arcana  cum  fiunt  sacra, 
nunc,.  nunc  adeste,  nunc  in  hostilis  domos 

iram  atque  numen  vertite. 
55  Formidolosis  dum  latent  silvis  ferae 

dulci  sopore  languidae, 
senem,  quod  omnes  rideant,  adulterum 

latrent  Suburanae  canes, 


show  her  envy  and  rage.  Cf.  6, 
1 5  atro  dente. 

49.  tacuit :  thought,  i.e.  left  un- 
expressed in  words.  The  follow- 
ing lines  represent  both  what  she 
thought  and  what  she  said.— 
rebus  meis:  with  adeste,  v.  53. 

51  f.  Cf.  Medea's  prayer,  Ovid. 
Met.  7,  192  ff.  nox,  ait,  arcanis 
fidissima  .  .  .  tuque,  triceps  He- 
cate, quae  coeptis  conscia  nostris 
adintrixqiie  vents  .  .  .  adeste ;  also 
Verg.  // .  3,  112  fida  silent ia  sacris, 
and  2,  255  tacitae  per  arnica  silen- 
tia  litnae. 

53  f .  nunc,  nunc  :  cf.  hoc,  hoc  4, 
20.  Intr.  28a.  —  hostilis  domos  : 
a  common  formula  in  prayers  ;  here 
used  to  include  the  homes  of  her 
rivals.  Cf.  3,  27,  21  ff.  —  iram 
atque  numen :  the  power  of  your 
divine  wrath. 

55  f.  This  with  v.  51  shows  that 
the  time  is  night,  when  all  crea- 
tures are  lulled  in  sleep  save  un- 
happy lovers.  Cf.  Verg.  ./.  4, 
522  ff.  no.v  crat,  et  placidiun  mrpe- 


bant  fessa  soporem  \  corpora  per 
terras,  silvaeque  et  saeva  quierant 
|  aequora,  cum  media  volviintiir 
sidera  lapsu,  \  cum  facet  omnis 
ager,  pecudes  pictaeque  volucres,  \ 
. . .  at  non  infelix  animi  Phoenissa. 

57.  In  spite  of  her  preparations, 
Canidia  still   hopes   that  the  un- 
guent she  has   already  used  may 
prove  effective.  —  senem  :  her  aged 
lover,  the  Varus  of  v.  73,  whose 
foppish     appearance    excites    the 
mirth  of  the  passers-by.   Cf.  Plaut. 
Casin.  240  senectan  aetate  unguen- 
tatus  pe"r  vias,  igndve,  incedis  ? 

58.  latrent :     transitive.       She 
trusts  that  the  barking  of  the  dogs 
may  announce  his  approach.     So 
Vergil's  enchantress  hears  Daph- 
nis1  coming,  E.  8,  107  Hylas  in 
limine  latrat.  —  Suburanae  :  Cani- 
dia's  house  is  in  the  Subura.  the 
Roman  slums,  situated  east  of  the 
fora  between  the  Esquiline.  Quiri- 
nal,   and   Viminal    hills.      It    was 
crowded  with   small  shops,  cafes, 
and  brothels. 


421 


5,  59]  HOKATI 

nardo  perunctum  quale  non  perfectius 
60  meae  laborarint  manus. 

Quid  accidit  ?     Cur  dira  barbarae  minus 

venena  Medeae  valent, 
quibus  superbam  fugit  ulta  paelicem, 

magni  Creontis  filiam, 
65  cum  palla,  tabo  munus  imbutum,  novam 

incendio  nuptam  abstulit  ? 
Atqui  nee  herba  nee  latens  in  asperis 

radix  fefellit  me  locis. 
Indormit  unctis  omnium  cubilibus 
70  oblivione  paelicum. 

A,  a,  solutus  ambulat  veneficae 

scientioris  carmine. 
Non  usitatis,  Vare,  potionibus, 

o  multa  fleturum  caput, 

59  f .    quale  .  .  .  laborarint :  tale  dyed.     The  robe  burst  into  flames 

is  implied  in   quale,  in   place   of  as  soon  as  the  princess  ptit  it  on. 
which  we  might  expect  quo  non,  67  ff.    •  Yet  I  made  no  mistake. 

'  none  more  perfect  will  my  hands  Still  he  must  be  sleeping  over  ail 

ever   make.'     The   future    perfect  my  magic  unguents,  forgetful  of 

expresses  Canidia's  confidence.  every  mistress/     She  has  smeared 

61  ff.    At  v.  60  Canidia  listens,  his  very  bed  with  her  potent  oint- 

but  to  no  purpose  —  her  lover  does  ment. 

not    come.       She   fears  that    the  71  ff.    A,  a:    suddenly  the  fear 

potent    unguent,    prepared    from  strikes  her  that  a  clever  rival  may 

Medea's   own  recipe,  has  lost  its  have  some  more  powerful  charm, 

power.  —  minus:    equivalent  here  and  in  fury  she  threatens  Varus 

to  parum.  with  her  irresistible  philter.  —  solu- 

63.   quibus:  connect  with  ulta,  tus:  set  free;  cf.  C.   i.  27,  21.— 

which  contains  the  main  idea.  —  ambulat :  "walks  abroad. 
superbam:  as  exultant  over  Medea,  74.    fleturum:  doomed  to  weep  ; 

Jason's   lawful    wife.        paelicem:  like  the  Greek  K\HI'<».     Intr.  no. 
the  opprobrious  term  applied  by  caput:  in  the  sense  of 'person.' 

Medea  to  Creusa.  most    common    in    addresses   ex- 

65.   tabo  .  .  .  imbutum :  death-  pressing  either  love  or,  as   here, 

422 


KI'<»1><).\    LIBER 


[5.87 


75  ad  me  recurres,  nee  vocata  mens  tua 

Marsis  redibit  vocibus : 
maius  parabo,  maius  infundam  tibi 

fastidienti  poculum, 
priusque  caelum  sidet  inferius  mari, 
80  tellure  porrecta  super, 

quam  non  amore  sic  meo  flagres  uti 

bitiHnen  atris  ignibus.' 
Sub  haec  puer  iam  non,  ut  ante,  mollibus 

lenire  verbis  impias, 
85  sed  dubius  unde  rumperet  silentium, 

misit  Thyesteas  preces : 
venena  magnum  fas  nefasque  non  valent 


hate.  Cf.  C.  I,  24,  i  desideritttn  .  .  . 
tain  cari  captis.  So  K(.<J>a\rj.  ndpa 
in  Greek,  e.g.  II.  8,  281  TevKps, 
<f>''\r)  Kt<j>aXrj.  Soph.  Antig.  \  o» 
KOIVOV  avTa8cA<£oi'  'la/t^i/?/?  Kapa. 

76.  Marsis  .  .  .  vocibus  :  •  no 
home-made  spells  shall  avail  you  to 
call  back  your  mind  when  once  it 
has  fallen  under  this  new  charm.' 
For  Marsic  spells,  cf.  17,  29  and 
Verg.  A.  7,  750. 

78  f.  fastidienti:  'in  spite  of 
all  your  disregard  for  me.'  —  infe- 
rius :  for  the  metre,  see  Intr.  58. 

82.  uti  bitumen :  she  draws  the 
comparison  from  her  own  rites.- 
Cf.  Verg.  E.  8,  82  fragilis  incende 
bituinine  laurns.  —  atris  :  the  ac- 
tual color  of  the  flame. 

83  f.  sub  haec  :  thereupon. 
The  boy  now  sees  that  there  is  no 
hope  of  escape  and  turns  to  threats. 
—  lenire  :  the  onlv  case  of  the  his- 


torical infinitive  in  the  odes  and 
epodes. 

85  f .  unde  :  '  with  what  words.' 
—  Thyesteas  preces:  such  curses 
as  Thyestes  uttered  when  betrayed 
into  eating  the  flesh  of  his  own 
son.  The  words  Horace  had  in 
mind  are  probably  those  in  En- 
nius'  famous  Thyestes,  which  Cice- 
ro, Tusc.  i,  107,  has  preserved  to 
us  ipse  summis  sdxisfixus  dsperis, 
evlsceratus,  \  Idtere  pendens,  sdxa 
spargens  tdbo,  sanie  et  sdngnine 
atro,  |  ne'qite  sepulcrnm,  qud  rc- 
ciptat,  hdbeat  portnm  cdrporis,  \ 
t'lbi  remissa  humdna  uita  cdrpus 
requiescdt  malis.  Cf.  also  in  Pis. 
43.  —  preces :  curses,  as  Caes. 
B.  G.  6,  31  omnibus  precibus  de- 
testatus  Ainbiorigem. 

87  f.  The  passage  is  corrupt, 
but  the  sense  is :  '  Sorceries  can- 
not overturn  the  mighty  law  of 


423 


5,88] 


IIORATI 


convertere  humanam  vicem. 
diris  agam  vos  ;  dira  detestatio 
90  nulla  expiatur  victima. 

Quin  ubi  perire  iussus  exspiravero, 

nocturnus  occurram  furor, 
petamque  voltus  umbra  curvis  unguibus, 

quae  vis  deorum  est  manium, 
95  et  inquietis  adsidens  praecordiis 

pavore  somnos  auferam. 
Vos  turba  vicatim  hinc  et  hinc  saxis  petens 

contundet  obscaenas  anus ; 
post  insepulta  membra  different  lupi 


right  and  wrong  after  the  manner 
of  men  (humanam  vicem).1  That 
is,  •  neither  your  evil  practices  nor 
offerings  of  victims  are  powerful 
enough  to  save  you  from  the  venge- 
ance of  the  gods.1  —  humanam 
vicem  :  adverbial  accus.  Cf.  Sail. 
Hist.  Frg.  4,  67  M.  ceteri  vicem 
pecoruni  obtruncabanttir. 

89  f.  diris:  substantively,r//r.r£r, 
repeated  in  the  formal  dira  desta- 
tio  that  follows.  —  nulla,  etc.:  It 
was  commonly  believed  that  there 
was  no  escape  from  a  solemn  curse 
of  this  kind.  Cf.  C.  1,28.  34  Ay//* 
piaciita  nulla  resolvent,  and  Plin. 
N.  H.  28,  19  defigi  qnidem  diris 
precationibus  nemo  non  potnit. 
Cf.  Dido's  threat,  ./.  4,  384  ff. 
sequar  atris  ignibns  abseiis,  \  et, 
cum  frigida  mors  animu  serin  writ 
artus.  |  omnibus  umbra  /<>(  /\  ctriero. 

92.  furor :  an  tivenging  spirit ; 
the  masculine  of/nria. 


94.  '  Such  is  the  power  of  the 
spirits  of  the  dead  (to  return  and 
harm).'     Cf.  Livy  3,  58,  1 1  manes- 
qne  Vergiiiiae  .   .  .  per  tot  domos 
ad  petendas  poenas  vagati  nullo 
rclicto  smite  tandem  qnievernnt. 

95.  inquietis:    proleptic. — as- 
sidens  :  like  the  incubus  in  a  night- 
mare. 

97  f .  hinc  et  hinc  :  '  on  every 
side.1  Cf.  2,  31  n. — obscaenas: 
'foul  hags,'  giving  the  cause  of 
their  punishment.  Stoning  to 
death  in  Rome  was  rare.  Livy  4, 
50.  5  f.  speaks  of  a  case  in  which  a 
military  tribune  was  killed  in  this 
fashion  by  a  mob  of  soldiers. 

99  f.  The  Esquiline  outside  the 
walls  was  a  common  burial  place 
for  the  poor  until  Maecenas  re- 
deemed it  by  Inning  it  up  and 
laving  it  out  into  beautiful  gardens. 
(  I.  .V.  i.  8.  Here  the  hags'  bodies 
are  to  be  cast  unburied,  for  the 


424 


EPODON    LIBER  [6 

100  et  Esquilinae  alites  ; 

neque  hoc  parentes,  heu  mihi  superstites, 
effugerit  spectaculum.' 

wolves   and   birds  to  prey  on.  —  Horace  here  breaks  off,  observing 

post :   adverb.  —  Esquilinae  ||  all-  the  rules  he  laid  down  himself  for 

tes:  for  the  hiatus,  see  Intr.  43.  the   drama.  Epist.   2,    3,    182    ff. 

101  f.   neque  hoc  .  .  .  effugerit:  non  tauten  intus  \  digna  geri  promes 

( my   parents  will  not  fail  to  see  in   scaenam,   multaque    tolles  \  ex 

your  mangled   corpses  and   gloat  ocnlis,  qitae  max  narret  facundia 

over  them.'  —  heu  mihi  superstites :  praesens,  \  ne  pueros  coram  po- 

The  boy  turns  from  his  own  fate  pulo   Medea   trucidet,   \   aut   hu- 

to  pity  for  his  parents.     His  death  matta  palam  coquat  exta  nefarins 

will  deprive  them  of  the  joy  and  Atreus,  \  ant  in  aiiem  Procne  verta- 

support  which  their  old  age  should  tur,  Cadmus  in  anguent.     He  thus 

have    known.      The    sadness    of  leaves    us    impressed     with     the 

such    bereavement   oppressed  the  pathos  of  the  situation,    not   the 

ancients,    whose    religious    ideas  manner    of    the    boy's     horrible 

gave  no  consolation  for  early  death.  death. 


An  attack  on  a  scurrilous  ,defamer,  who  like  a  cowardly  cur  dared  to 
assail  only  those  who  could  not  fight  in  return.  -Attack  me,1  says 
Horace,  '  and  you  will  find  I  am  ready  to  bite  back.  You  bark  nobly 
and  then  sniff  the  bone  thrown  to  you  (i-io).  I  shall  prove  a  bull 
with  horns  as  sharp  as  the  iambi  of  Archilochus  or  Hipponax  ;  I  am  no 
boy  to  cry  and  not  strike  back  (11-16).'  The  metaphors  are  only 
apparently  mixed,  for  at  v.  n  Horace  definitely  abandons  the  figure  of 
the  dog. 

Who  the  object  of  this  attack  was  must  remain  uncertain.  A  num- 
ber of  Mss.  have  the  inscription  in  Cassium  Severutn,  by  which 
the  early  commentators  probably  meant  the  orator  Cassius  Severus, 
banished  by  Augustus  on  account  of  his  defamatory  writings  (Tac. 
Dial.  19;  Ann.  i,  27;  4,  21).  But  this  Cassius  belonged  to  Ovid's 
generation,  so  that  he  can  hardly  be  the  person  meant.  All  other 
guesses  are  equally  futile.  The  verses  may  be  only  an  exercise  in  iambi 
(Intr.  4).  Metre,  74. 

425 


6,lJ 


HORATI 


10 


Quid  immerentis  hospites  vexas  canis 

ignavus  adversum  lupos  ? 
Quin  hue  inanis,  si  potes,  vertis  minas 

et  me  remorsurum  petis  ? 
Nam  qualis  aut  Molossus  aut  fulvus  Lacon, 

arnica  vis  pastoribus, 
agam  per  altas  aure  sublata  nivis 

quaecumque  praecedet  fera. 
Tu  cum  timenda  voce  complesti  nemus, 

proiectum  odoraris  cibum. 
Cave,  cave  :  namque  in  malos  asperrimus 

parata  tollo  cornua, 
qualis  Lycambae  spretus  infido  gener 

aut  acer  hostis  Bupalo. 


i.  hospites :  passers-by.  The 
word  frequently  has  this  sense  in 
epitaphs.  Cf.  Cicero's  translation 
of  the  inscription  over  the  Spar- 
tans who  fell  at  Thermopylae, 
Tnsc.  I,  42,  1 01  die,  hospes,  Spar- 
tae  nos  te  hie  vid/sse  iacentes. 
Also  Catullus1  verse  4,  i  Pliasellus 
tile  qnem  iiidetis  hospites.  —  canis : 
a  shepherd  dog,  as  the  following 
verse  shows. 

3  f.  inanis  :  a  barking  dog,  you 
have  no  bite.  —  remorsurum :  equiva- 
lent to  a  relative  clause. — petis: 
fly  at. 

5.  Molossus  .  .  .  Lacon  :  ad- 
jectives used  substantively  like  our 
'St.  Bernard,'  'bull.'  etc.  These 
were  the  choice  breeds  of  watch- 
dogs, mentioned  together  by  Ver- 
gil G.  3,  405  velocis  Spartae 
catulos  acremque  Molossum.  Cf. 


Shakespere,  Midsummer  Nighfs 
Dream  4,  i,  124  'My  hounds  are 
bred  out  of  the  Spartan  kind.' 

6  f .  vis:  cf.  Lucret.  6,  1220 
fida  cannm  vis ;  Verg.  A.  4,  132 
odor  a  canutn  vis.  — aure  sublata  : 
i.e.  arrecta.  Cf.  the  opposite 
demit  tit  auris  C.  2,  13,  34. 

9  f .  'A  scrap  of  meat  flung  to 
you  is  quite  enough  to  stop  your 
noise;  you  are  a  blackmailer.'  — 
proiectum  :  more  contemptuous 
than  the  ordinary  obiectum.  —  cave, 
cave :  cf.  tunic,  tunic  5,  53  ;  hoc, 
hoc  4,  20.  Intr.  283. 

12.  parata  tollo  cornua  :  the 
same  figure  as  in  the  proverbial 
S.  i,  4,  ^\faeni(i>!  liabet  in  cornn. 

13  f.  Lycambes  promised  his 
daughter  Neobule  in  marriage  to 
Archilochus,  the  great  master  of 
iambic  poetry,  but  later  refused 


426 


EPODON    LIBER  [7,5 

15  An,  si  quis  atro  dente  me  petiverit, 

inultus  ut  flebo  puer  ? 

him  (infido)  ;  tradition  says  that  friends.  The  story  is  told  by 
Archilochus  by  his  bitter  verses  Pliny  N.  H.  26,  12. 
drove  both  father  and  daughter  to  15  f.  an:  introducing  an  inter- 
suicide.  The  dative  depends  on  rogative  conclusion.  Cf.  17,  76. 
spretus.  —  acer  hostis  Bupalo  :  — atro  dente:  i.e.  'with  envious 
Hipponax,  "who  retaliated  with  malice.'  Cf.  Epist.  I,  19,  30  ver- 
bitter  verses  on  Bupalus  and  sibus  atris  ;  C.  4,  3,  16  tarn  dente 
Athenis,  two  sculptors  who  in  sport  minus  mordeor  invido.  —  inultus  : 
had  made  a  bust  of  the  homely  connect  with  the  subject  rather 
poet  with  which  they  amused  their  than  with  the  predicate  puer. 


An  appeal  to  the  Romans  not  to  renew  civil  war,  written  probably  in 
38  B.C.  on  the  eve  of  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  between  the  triumvirs 
and  Sextus  Pompey.  In  August,  39  B.C.,  a  treaty  between  the  opposing 
parties  signed  at  Misenum  had  raised  the  hope  that  the  exhausted 
Roman  world  might  have  an  opportunity  to  recover  itself  in  peace ;  but 
within  a  year  these  hopes  were  disappointed.  It  was  most  natural  then 
that  Horace  should  express  himself  in  this  gloomy  way ;  later  he  was 
more  hopeful  of  the  state.  Notice  the  dramatic  form  of  which  Horace 
is  fond.  He  makes  a  personal  appeal  to  the  opposing  lines.  Metre,  74. 

Quo,  quo  scelesti  ruitis  ?  aut  cur  dexteris 

aptantur  enses  conditi  ? 
Parumne  campis  atque  Neptuno  super 

fusum  est  Latin i  sanguinis,  — 
5  non  ut  superbas  invidae  Carthaginis 

i  f.   quo,  quo:    cf.   hoc,  hoc  4,  sheathed.'    Cf.  C.  i,  31,  i  dedica- 

20.    Intr.  28  a.  —  scelesti :  i.e.  with  turn  Apollinem  and  n. 
fratricide. — ruitis:  literally,  rush-  3.   campis  atque  Neptuno :  with 

ing  dmvn  to  ruin.     Cf.  16,2  ipsa  super.     Intr.  32. 
Roma  .  .  .  ruit;    C.  i.  3,  26  gens  5.   non  ut :    shed  not  that,  etc. 

humana  ruit  per  vetitum  uefas.  The  Roman  youth  are  no  longer 

—  conditi:    'that   were   so   lately  wasted  to  punish  a  proud  enemy 

427 


7,6] 


HORATI 


Romanus  arcis  ureret, 
intactus  aut  Britannus  ut  descenderet 

Sacra  catenatus  via, 
sed  ut  secundum  vota  Parthorum  sua 
10  urbs  haec  periret  dextera. 

neque  hie  lupis  mos  nee  fuit  leonibus, 

numquam  nisi  in  dispar  feris. 
Furorne  caecus  an  rapit  vis  acrior 

an  culpa  ?     Responsum  date  ! 


or  to  extend  the  Roman  empire, 
but  solely  to  compass  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  own  state.  —  invidae  : 
cf.  Sail.  Cat.  10,  I  Carthago 
aemula  imperi  Romani  ab  stirpe 
intcriit. 

7  f .  intactus  Britannus  :  practi- 
cally true,  as  Caesar's  expeditions 
to  Britain  had  had  no  practical 
results.  Cf.  Tac.  Agric.  13  igitur 
primus  omnium  Romanonim  di- 
vus  lulius  cum  exercitu  Britan- 
niam  ingressus,  quamquam  pros- 
pera  pugna  terrnerit  incolas  ac 
lit  ore  pot  tins  si/,  potest  videri  os- 
tendisse  posteris,  non  tradidisse. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  Octavian 
planned  an  expedition  against  the 
Britons  after  the  peace  of  Mise- 
num,  as  he  certainly  did  in  34».c. 
Dio  Cass.  49,  38.  —  descenderet 
Sacra  .  .  .  via:  the  Sacra  via 
made  a  descent  of  some  fifty  feet 
from  the  Velia  to  tin-  forum  and 
then  asct-nded  the  Capitol.  The 
descent  into  the  forum  and  pas- 
sage through  it  formed  (lit-  most 
brilliant  part  of  the  triumphal  pro- 


cession. —  catenatus  :  a  chained 
captive,  before  the  car  of  triumph. 
Cf.  4,  2,  34  ff. 

g  f.  secundum  vota :  the  Par- 
thians  at  this  time  had  overrun 
Syria  and  Asia  Minor  and  were 
the  most  powerful  opponents  of 
the  Romans.  Finally  when  driven 
back  and  overawed,  in  20  B.C  , 
they  gave  up  the  standards  they 
had  captured  from  Crassus  in  53 
and  from  Antony  in  36  B.C.  Cf. 
C.  3,  5,  5  ff.  ;  6,  9ff. ;  4,  15.  6  ff., 
and  the  notes  on  these  passages. 
—  sua  :  emphatic.  With  the  ex- 
pression in  these  two  verses,  cf.  16, 

I-  10. 

ii  f.  hie  .  .  .  mos:  i.e.  of  de- 
stroying their  own  kind.  — dispar  : 
used  substantively,  equivalent  to 
dispar  animal.  —-  feris  :  here  an 
adjective,  agreeing  with  lupis  and 
leonibus,  —  who  are  never  fierce 
save,  etc. 

13  f .  vis  acrior  :  some  external 
force,  more  powerful  than  your  own 
strength,  i.e.  Kate.  —  culpa:  defined 
below  by  scelus  fraternae  necis. 


428 


El'ODOX    LI  HER  [8,  14 

15  Tacent,  ct  albus  ora  pallor  inficit, 

mentesque  perculsac  stupent. 
Sic  est :  acerba  fata  Romanes  agunt 

scelusque  fraternae  necis, 
ut  immerentis  fluxit  in  terram  Remi 
20  sacer  nepotibus  cruor. 

15  f.  Horace  dramatically  turns  crated,'  'set  apart  for  the  gods,1 
to  the  spectators,  'They  have  no  then  'devoted  to  a  god  for  de- 
answer,1  etc.  —  albus:  deathly. —  struction  ' ;  hence  'accursed,1 '  pol- 
parculsae :  i.e.  with  horror  at  their  luting,'  the  Greek  erayi/s.  Cf. 
own  situation.  Verg.  A.  3,  56  quid  non  mortalia 

17.  sic  est:  'this  is  the  sum  of  pectora  cogis,  \  auri  sacra  fames  1 

the  whole  matter.1  —  acerba  fata:  Lvican  echoes  the  idea  that  the 

the  vis  acrior  of  v.  13.  curse  of  the  first  fratricide  hung 

19  f .  ut :  temporal,  ever  since.  over  the  whole  Roman  people. 

Cf.  C.  4, 4, 42.  —  sacer :  that  brought  Phars.  \ ,  95  f  rater  no  priini  HI  adit- 

a  curse  on.  sacer  means  '  conse-  eritnt  sanguine  rnnri. 

8 

Rogare  longo  putidam  te  saeculo 

viris  quid  enervet  meas, 
cum  sit  tibi  dens  ater  et  rugis  vetus 

frontem  senectus  exaret, 
5  hietque  turpis  inter  aridas  natis 

podex  velut  crudae  bovis  ! 
Sed  incitat  me  pectus  et  mammae  putres, 

equina  quales  ubera, 
venterque  mollis  et  femur  tumentibus 
10  exile  suris  additum. 

Esto  beata,  funus  atquc  imagines 

ducant  triumphales  tuum, 
nee  sit  marita  quae  rotundioribus 

onusta  bacis  ambulet. 
429 


8,  is]  HORATI 

15  Quid  quod  libelli  Stoici  inter  sericos 

iacere  pulvillos  amant  ? 
Inlitterati  num  minus  nervi  rigent? 

minusve  languet  fascinum, 
quod  ut  superbo  provoces  ab  inguine, 
20  ore  adlaborandum  est  tibi  ? 


Addressed  to  Maecenas  in  September,  31  B.C.,  on  hearing  of  Octa- 
vian's  success  at  Actium.  In  eager  enthusiasm  Horace  asks  his  patron 
when  they  can  hope  to  celebrate  together  this  glorious  victory,  as  they 
had  celebrated  a  few  years  before  the  defeat  of  Sextus  Pompey.  The 
evidence  seems  to  show  that  Maecenas  was  in  Rome  at  the  time  this  was 
written  (see  introduction  to  Epod.  i),  but  those  who  believe  that  Mae- 
cenas was  present  at  Actium  regard  the  opening  lines  as  additional 
evidence  that  he  took  part  in  the  battle.  Some  even  hold  that  the 
graphic  details  mentioned  prove  that  Horace  also  was  there. 

After  the  address  to  Maecenas  (i-io),  Horace  reflects  on  the  dis- 
grace Antony  has  brought  on  the  Romans  by  enslaving  himself  to  an 
oriental  queen  (11-16),  a  sight  that  made  the  Gauls  desert  to  Caesar, 
and  the  queen's  own  fleet  withdraw  (17-20).  'Hail,  Triumph,  dost 
thou  delay  xhe  great  procession  for  the  mightiest  leader  thou  hast  ever 
yet  brought  home  (21-26).  The  enemy  has  changed  his  purple  robe 
for  mourning  and  flees  to  farthest  lands  (27-32).  Come,  boy,  bring 
larger  cups  and  stronger  wine  ;  I  will  forget  my  care  and  fear  for  Caesar 
(33-38).'  With  this  epode  compare  C.  i,  37  written  a  year  later  in  joy 
at  the  news  of  Cleopatra's  death.  Metre,  74. 

Quando  repostum  Caecubum  ad  festas  dapes 

victore  laetus  Caesare 
tecum  sub  alta  (sic  lovi  gratum)  domo, 

i.  repostum:  for  the  syncope,  3  f .  sub  alta  .  .  .  domo  :  Mae- 
see  Intr.  40.  —  Caecubum:  one  cenas'  palace  on  the  Esquiline: 
of  the  choicer  wines.  Cf.  C.  1,20,  Horace  calls  it  C  .  3.  29,  10  mole  in 
9;  37,  5.  propinqitam  tin  hi  bus  ardttis,  with 

430 


EPODON   LIBER 


10 


beate  Maecenas,  bibam, 
sonante  mixtum  tibiis  carmen  lyra, 

hac  Dorium,  illis  barbarum  ? 
ut  nuper,  actus  cum  freto  Neptunius 

dux  fugit  ustis  navibus, 
minatus  urbi  vincla  quae  detraxerat 

servis  amicus  perfidis. 
Romanus  eheu  (poster!  negabitis) 

emancipatus  feminae 
fert  vallum  et  arma,  miles  et  spadonibus 

servire  rugosis  potest, 


reference  no  doubt  to  its  lofty 
tower  which  commanded  a  view 
of  the  city  and  surrounding  coun- 
try.—  beate:  fortunate,  blest  and 
happy.  Cf.  2,  I  beatus  ille. 

3  f .  tibiis:  Intr.  89. — car- 
men: strain.  The  lyre  shall  raise 
a  Dorian  strain  of  victory,  the 
music  of  a  Pindaric  epinicion  :  the 
pipes  a  Phrygian  (barbarum)  dithy- 
rambic  tune,  suitable  for  reveling. 
Cf.  the  Berecyntiae  tibiae  of  C. 
3,  19,  18;  4,  i,  22. 

7  f.  nuper :  in  36  B.C.  after  the 
battle  of  Naulochus.  —  freto  :  sc. 
Siailo.  —  Neptunius  dux :  said  in 
scornful  mockery.  Pompey  had 
styled  himself  the  son  of  Neptune, 
according  to  Appian  B.  C.  5,  100 
«0u£  (6  HofjiTnijtos)  p.6vov  OaXa.(TCTY) 
feat  IIcKrciStovi,  KCU  vios  avTtav  v<f>t- 
(TTO.TO  KaXtlaOai. 

9  f .  vincla:  Intr.  40. — servis: 
cf.  n.  to  4,  19.  It  is  dependent 
on  both  detraxerat  and  amicus. 
Intr.  i  oo.  —  perfidis :  for  thev  had 


run  away   from  their  owners  to 
fight  with  Pompey  against  them. 

n  f.  Romanus:  emphatic,  An- 
tony and  his  soldiers.  'To  think 
that  a  Roman  could  fall  so  low ! 
Future  generations  will  say  it  was 
impossible ! '  —  emancipatus  :  in 
slavery  to. 

13.  fert,   etc.:    'Romans  ac- 
tually serve  as  common   soldiers 
and  carry  on  the  march  the  valli 
and    their    arms,    subject    to    a 
woman's   orders  ! '  —  miles :    con- 
trasted  with   spadonibus    rugosis. 
as  fert  vallum  et  arma  is  set  over 
against  feminae.      According  to 
the  Schol.  Verg.  A.  7,  696  the  Ro- 
man contingent  was  commanded 
by    Cleopatra  and    her  eunuchs, 
Augustus  in  commemorationeintae 
stiae  refert  Antonhim  iussisse,  ut 
legiones  suae  apnd  Cleopatram  ex- 
cub  arent,   eiusque    nutu  et   htssit 
parerent. 

14.  servire :  emphatic  by  posi- 
tion.— potest :  can  bring  himself  to* 


43' 


p,  15]  1IORAT1 

15  interque  signa  tufpe  militaria 

sol  adspicit  conopium. 
Ad  hoc  frementis  verterunt  bis  mille  equos 

Galli  canentes  Caesarem, 
hostiliumque  navium  portu  latent 
20  puppes  sinistrorsum  citae. 

lo  Triumphe,  tu  moraris  aureos 
currus  et  intactas  boves  ? 


15  f.  turpe:  a  shameful  sight, 
with  conopium.  —  sol  adspicit :  the 
all-seeing  sun  is  regularly  invoked 
as  the  witness  of  shameful  deeds. 
So  by  Aeschylus'  Prometheus 
in  his  suffering,  P.  V.  91  KM. 

TOV   TTUl/OTTTT/V    KVK\OV    TjAlOU    KClAoJ. 

Likewise  by  Shelley's,  '  I  ask  you, 
Heaven,  the  all-beholding  sun,  | 
Has  it  not  seen  ? '  —  conopium :  '  a 
mosquito  bar,'  then  a  'canopied 
couch.1  Symbolical  of  the  abomi- 
nation of  oriental  luxury.  Cf.  the 
similar  passage  in  Propertius,  who 
is  speaking"  of  Cleopatra,  3,  9.  45 
foedaqite  Tarpeio  conopia  tendere 
saxo  (ausa). 

17  f.  ad  hoc :  (in  disgust)  at 
this.  —  Galli:  Galatians,  led  by 
Amyntas  and  Deiotarus.  who  went 
over  to  Octavian  before  the  battle, 
verterunt :  Intr.  36.  —  canentes 
Caesarem :  cf.  Verg.  .4.  7, 698  ibant 
aequatinumero  regemque  canebant. 

19  f .  The  naval  maneuver  here 
spoken  of  is  not  clearly  under- 
stood. Horace  evidently  refers  to 
a  defection  or  at  least  a  withdrawal 
from  active  battle  by  a  part  of  the 
fleet,  similar  to  the  action  of  the 


Galatian  cavalry.  The  ships  seemed 
to  have  abandoned  the  rest  of  the 
fleet  by  making  a  turn  to  the  left 
(sinistrorsum  citae) .  —  citae  :  ap- 
parently a  real  participle,  equiva- 
lent to  the  Greek  KivrjOela-ai. 

21  f .  io  Triumphe :  the  shout 
of  the  people  to  the  personified 
Triumph,  as  the  procession  ad- 
vanced towards  the  Capitol.  Cf. 
C.  4,  2,  49.  Horace  already  in 
imagination  sees  Octavian  in  the 
triumphal  car.  The  triumph  did 
not  actually  take  place  until  Aug. 
13-15,298.0.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  8,  714- 
728. — aureos  currus:  the  gilded 
car  of  triumph,  to  be  used  in  the 
triumphal  procession.  With  the 
plural,  cf.  i,  2,  1 5  f.  —  intactas  : 
sc.  iugo.  Only  cattle  that  had 
not  been  broken  to  the  service  of 
man  could  be  used  in  sacrifice  to 
the  gods.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  38 
grege  de  intacto  .  .  .  ntactare  iii- 
•vencos.  The  reference  here  is  to 
the  white  bulls  (the  gender  of 
boves  is  due  to  custom)  which 
were  driven  in  the  triumphal  pro- 
cession and  sacrificed  to  Jupitei 
on  the  Capitol. 


432 


KI'MIHIN      I    lll|-.k 


lo  Triumphe,  nee  lugurthino  parem 

bello  reportasti  ducem, 
25  neque  Africanum,  cui  super  Carthaginem 

virtus  sepulcrum  condidit. 
Terra  marique  victus  hostis  punico 

lugubre  mutavit  sagum ; 
aut  ille  centum  nobilem  Cretam  urbibus, 
30  ventis  iturus  non  suis, 

exercitatas  aut  petit  Syrtis  Noto, 

aut  fertur  incerto  mari. 
Capaciores  adfer  hue,  puer,  scyphos 

et  Chia  vina  aut  Lesbia, 


23  f.  parem  .  .  .  ducem  :  i.e. 
parent  Caesari.  Marius  is  meant. 
The  mention  of  his  service  in  the 
war  against  lugurtha  rather  than 
of  his  greater  exploits  in  repulsing 
the  Teutons  and  Cimbri,  is  proba- 
bly due  to  the  recent  appearance 
of  Sallust's  Bellum  lugttrthinum. 

25  f.  The  younger  Scipio  Afri- 
canus,  who  destroyed  Carthage  in 
1 46  B.C. —Africanum:  in  the  same 
construction  as  ducem.  —  cui  ... 
virtus  sepulcrum  condidit :  i.e.  his 
valor  has  raised  over  the  ruins  of 
Carthage  an  eternal  memorial. 
Cf.  Veil.  Pater,  i.  12  Carthaginem 
magis  invidia  imperil,  quam  ullius 
eius  temporis  noxiae  invisam  Ro- 
mano nomini  funditus  snstiilit 
fecit  que  suae  irirtutis  man  mi  ten- 
turn,  quod  f tierat  airi  eius  clemen- 
tiae. 

27  f.  Horace  now  returns  to 
the  present.  —  hostis  :  Antony.  — 
punico  lugubre,  etc. :  a  general  in 


battle  wore  either  a  purple  or  a 
white  cloak  (sagiim  pttrpitretitri). 
This  Antony  has  put  aside  for  that 
of  the  common  soldier,  as  Pompey 
did  after  the  battle  at  Pharsalia. 
Caesar  B.  C.  3,  96.  For  the  order, 
see  Intr.  21. 

29  f .  centum  .  .  .  urbibus :  e*a- 
To/x7roAts.  Cf.  C.  3,  27,  33  centum 
.  .  .  potent  em  oppidis  Creten.— 
Cretam :  paralleled  in  construction 
with  Syrtis.  —  non  suis  :  i.e.  ad- 
•versis.  Cf.  Mart.  10,  104,  3  f.  et 
cursit  facili  tuisque  ventis  \  His- 
panae  pete  Tarraconis  arces. 

32.  incerto :  in  doubt  whither 
to  turn  his  course.  Intr.  99. 
Cf.  Stat.  Silv.  3,  2,  6  dubio  com- 
mittitur  alto. 

33  f .  capaciores  .  .  .  scyphos : 
ordinary  cups  are  quite  too  small. 
Seneca  adapted  the  expression  de 
fra  3,  14,  2  bibit  deinde  liber alius 
quam  alias  capacioribus  scyphis. 
—  puer:  the  universal  address  to 


HOR.  CAR.- 


433 


9.35J  HOKATI 

35  vel  quod  fluentem  nauseam  coerceat 

metire  nobis  Caecubum. 
Curam  metumque  Caesaris  rerum  iuvat 
dulci  Lyaeo  solvere. 

a  slave.  So  the  Greek  TTCU.  —  Horace  is  on  the  sea  off  Actiun 
Chia  .  .  .  Lesbia  :  sweet  Greek  and  beginning  to  suffer  from  sea- 
wines  which  used  in  excess  might  sickness. 

well  produce  the  'rising  qualms1  36  ft.    Caecubum:  the  Caecuban 

mentioned  in  the  next  verse.     The  was    strong    and    dry.  —  rerum  : 

frankness   with    which  this  result  obj.gen. — Lyaeo  :  the  •  Releaser' ; 

of  overdrinking  is  mentioned  was  cf.  C.  I,  7,  22  ;  3,  21, 16,  as  if  from 

less  offensive  to  the  ancient  than  the  Greek  A,v'u>,  so  that  there  may 

to  us.      There   is   no  reason  for  be  a  play  between  the  name  and 

saying  as  some   have   done   that  solvere. 


IO 

A  propempticon  to  the  poet  Mevius,  hated  by  Horace  and  the  circle 
to  which  he  belonged.  Vergil  has  secured  immortality  for  Mevius  and 
his  associate  Bavius  by  his  verses  E.  3,  90  f.  qui  Barium  non  fldit, 
aviet  tua  cartnina,  Afevi  ';  \  atque  idem  inngat  snipes  et  mulgeat  hircos. 
The  ill-nature  of  Horace's  poem  should  be  compared  with  the  good 
wishes  in  the  propempticon  addressed  to  Vergil  C.  1.3. 

That  this  epode  also  is  modeled  on  a  poem  by  Archilochus  is  shown 
by  a  fragment  recovered  from  a  papyrus  sheet  in  1899.  *  The  begin- 
ning, which  probably  contained  the  name  of  the  poet's  false  friend,  is 
lost  ;  the  fragment,  as  restored,  is  as  follows  : 


Aa/3oiev  (tvOj.  TroAA'  avair\y(rti  KO.KO. 

8ov\iov  aprov  e8o>v) 
ptyct  irnrrjyoT    O.VTOV  •   c*  8«  TOV  (po^Oov 


Kporfoi  8'  u8cicruf,  a>s  (KU)<OI'  CTTI 

(lKpa<Tir) 


1  First   published   by    Reitzonstein,   Situngst.  d.   Akad.   d.    Wissemchaften  tu 
lierlin,  1899,  p.  857  ff. 

434 


EPODON   LIBER  [10,  n 

aKpov  Trupa.  prjyfjuva  Ki>fjia.T<a(v  o)(tov' 
ravT*  fdf\oi[L    av  (Self, 

OS    fJL     ri&lKr)Cri    A.(a)£    8'    (<p'    OpKUUS    €@r) 

TO  Trplv  eruipos  (tyav. 

' .  .  .  driven  by  the  wave,  and  in  Salmydessus  may  the  tufted  Thracians 
give  him  kindest  welcome,  naked,  stiffened  with  cold,  —  there  shall  he 
suffer  many  woes  to  the  full,  eating  the  bread  of  slavery.  And  I  pray 
that  he  may  have  over  him  (for  his  covering)  deep  weed  from  the  surge, 
that  his  teeth  may  chatter  as  those  of  a  dog  that  in  its  weakness  lies  on 
its  belly  on  the  edge  of  the  strand  near  the  waves.  This  is  what  I  could 
wish  to  see  (the  man  suffer)  who  has  done  me  injustice  and  trampled 
on  his  pledges,  though  he  was  once  my  friend.'  Metre,  74. 

Mala  soluta  navis  exit  alite, 

ferens  olentem  Mevium  : 
ut  horridis  utrumque  verberes  latus, 

Auster,  memento,  fluctibus; 
5  niger  rudentis  Eurus  inverse  mari 

fractosque  remos  differat ; 
insurgat  Aquilo,  quantus  altis  montibus 

frangit  trementis  ilices, 
nee  sidus  atra  nocte  amicum  adpareat, 
10  qua  tristis  Orion  cadit, 

quietiore  nee  feratur  aequore 

i  f.    mala  .  .  .  alite:    modify-  The  opposite,  C,  i,  7,  15,  is  albns 

ing  soluta.     Cf.  C.   r,  15,  5  mala  Notus  and  3,  7,  i  candidus  Favo- 

duciscwidomum.  —  olentem :  rank,  nius.  —  inverse  mari :  cf.  Verg.  A. 

for  Horace  will  have  it  that  he.  like  I,  43  evert itque  aequora  ventis. 
Gargonius,  ^.  I,  2,  27,  olet  hircitm.  7.    quantus :  with  the  power  it 

3  f .    All  the  winds  of  Heaven  has  when,  etc.  —  montibus:  loca- 

un favorable  for  a  voyage  to  Greece  tive  abl.     Intr.  95. 
shall  compass  Mevius1  rain.  —  ut  9  f.    amicum:    predicate,   with 

verberes:  optative  subjunctive.—  kindly  light.  —  Orion,  etc.  :  Orion's 

memento:  parenthetical.  setting  is  accompanied  with  heavy 

5.    niger    .    .    .    Eurus:    as   it  winds  and  storms.     Cf.    C.    i,  3, 

gathers  dark  clouds.      Cf.    C.    i,  14.     Hence  he,  like  the  Hyades, 

5,  6  aspera  nigris  aeqnora  mentis.  is  tristis. 

435 


10,   I2J 


11UKATI 


quam  Graia  victorum  manus, 
cum  Pallas  usto  vcrtit  Irani  ab  Ilio 

in  impiam  Aiacis  ratem. 
O  quantus  instat  navitis  sudor  tuis 

tibique  pallor  luteus 
et  ilia  non  virilis  eiulatio 

preces  et  aversum  ad  lovem, 
lonius  udo  cum  remugiens  sinus 

Noto  carinam  ruperit. 
Opima  quod  si  praeda  curvo  litore 

porrecta  mergos  iuverit, 


12.  Graia  victorum  manus  :  the 
adjective  is  equivalent  to  the  geni- 
tive Graecorutti,  and  so  is  modi- 
fied by  victorum. 

13  f.  After  the  fall  of  Troy,  Pal- 
las transferred  her  wrath  against 
the  city  to  the  Greeks  because 
Ajax  Oileus  had  torn  from  the 
altar  Cassandra,  Pallas1  priestess. 
This  act  polluted  the  entire  fleet. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  I,  39  ff.  Pallastie  ex- 
urere  classem  \  Argivom  atque 
ipsos  potiiit  submergere  ponto,  \ 
unius  ob  noxain  et  furias  .Aiacis 
Oilei? 

15  f.  0  quantus  sudor:  a  remi- 
niscence of  //.  2,  388  ff.  quoted  in 
n.  to  C.  I,  15,  9  f.  hen  hen,  quan- 
tus  equis,  quant  us  .  adest  "viris 
sudor  I  —  luteus:  Greek  w^pds. 
The  dark  skins  of  Italians  and 
Greeks  take  on  tins  greenish 
yellow  tint  when  pale.  Cf.  Tibul. 
I,  8,  52  ni ruins  luto  corpora  tingit 
amor. 

17  f.    ilia:  almost  equivalent  to 


'  your  common.1'  —  non  virilis  :  cf. 
Cic.  Tusc.  2,  55  ingemescere  non- 
nit  in  quam  viro  concessum  est 
idque  raro,  eiulatus  tic  mulieri 
quidcin. — et:  for  the  position, 
see  Intr.  31.  —  aversum:  cf.  C. 
3,  23,  19  aversof  Penatis. 

19  f.  udo  .  .  .  Noto:  i.e.  'rain- 
bringing.'  —  remugiens :  cf.  C.  3, 
10,  6. 

21.  opima  praeda  :  a  fat  prise < 
—  quod  si:  introducing  a  conclu- 
sion.   Cf.  C.  i,  i,  35.    Notice  that 
Horace  here  makes  no  mention  of 
Mevius  by  name,  and  euphemistic- 
ally avoids  ill-omened  expressions 
such    as  tuum   corpus,  which    is 
implied,  however,  in  porrecta.     In 
this  way  he  makes   his  wish    for 
Mevius'    harm    all     the    harsher. 
Porphyrio  saw  a  special  point  in 
opima,  for  he  remarks  apparel  et 
pingiiein  fuisse  ( .  Meirium  ) . 

22.  mergos  :  the  voracious  coots 
are,  however,  not  given  to  eating 
carrion. 


43" 


EPODUN    LI1JKR  [n,  7 

libidinosus  immolabitur  caper 

et  agna  Tempestatibus. 

• 

23  f.   Horace  mockingly  closes  chosen  as  a  fit  offering  for  relief 

with    the    promise    of    a    solemn  from  an  olem  Meviits.     With  the 

sacrifice  of  thanksgiving  for  the  sacrifice  of  a  lamb  to  the  storms, 

storm   that   shall  drown  Mevius.  cf.  Verg.  A.  5,  772  Tempestatibus 

The    libidinosus   caper  is   clearly  agnam  caedere  deinde  iubet. 

II 

Horace  no  longer  finds  any  pleasure  in  writing  verses,  for  love  once 
more  has  him  in  his  meshes  (1-4).  Two  years  have  passed  since  he 
freed  himself  from  Inachia,  who  long  charmed  and  tortured  him  (5-22)  ; 
now  he  is  ensnared  by  the  fair  Lyciscus  (23-28).  The  Pettius  to  whom 
these  verses  are  addressed  is  otherwise  unknown  to  us.  The  names 
Inachia  and  Lyciscus  are  borrowed  from  the  Greek.  Metre,  80. 

Petti,  nihil  me  sicut  antea  iuvat 

scribere  versiculos  amore  percussum  gravi, 

amore  qui  me  praeter  omnis  expetit 

mollibus  in  pueris  aut  in  puellis  urere. 
5  Hie  tertius  December,  ex  quo  destiti 

Inachia  furere,  silvis  honorem  decutit. 

Heu  me,  per  urbem  (nam  pudet  tanti  mali) 

i  f .    nihil :    cognate   object   of  5  f.    hie  tertius  December,  etc. : 

iuvat.  —  versiculos  :    the  climinu-  this  December  which  is  stripping, 

tive     in     disparagement     of    the  is  the  third  since,  etc.      Horace 

epodic  measure,  unsuited  for  love  measures  the  years  by  the  month 

verses.  —  amore  :     not   fully   per-  in    which     his     birthday     fell.  — 

sonified.  Inachia    furere :     like    the    Greek 

3  f .    amore  :   for  the  anaphora,  ftaatttr^su     lirf    nvi.  —  honorem  : 

see    Intr.    28  c.  —  praeter   omnis :  splendor.      Cf.    Verg.   G.    2,   404 

the  lover's  inevitable  extravagance.  frigidtts  et  silins  aqitilo  decussit 

'  No  one  ever  suffered  as  he  does.1  honor  em. 

—  in  puellis  urere:  cf.   C.    i,    17.  7  f.  nam:  in  apology  for  his  sigh, 

19  f.    dices    laborantis    in    lino  \  heu  me.     Notice  that  the  broken 

Penelopen  i'itreamqne  Circen.    For  order  also  expresses  Horace's  feel 

the  infinitive,  see  Intr.  107.  ing  of  shame. 

437 


ii  ,8] 


HORATI 


fabula  quanta  fui !     Conviviorum  et  paenitet, 
in  quis  amantem  languor  et  silentium 
10  arguit  et  latere  petitus  imo  spiritus ! 

'  Contrane  lucrum  nil  valere  candidum 

pauperis  ingenium  ! '  querebar  adplorans  tibi, 
simul  calentis  inverecundus  deus 

fervidiore  mero  arcana  promorat  loco. 
15          'Quod  si  meis  inaestuet  praecordiis 

libera  bilis,  ut  haec  ingrata  ventis  dividat 
fomenta  volnus  nil  malum  levantia, 

desinet  imparibus  certare  submotus  pudor.' 
Vbi  haec  severus  te  palam  laudaveram, 
20  iussus  abire  domum  ferebar  incerto  pede 


8.  fabula :    subject    of  gossip. 
So   Ovid.    Am.   3,    i,    21  fabula, 
nee  sentis,  tola  iactaris  in  urbe. 

—  et :  Intr.  31. 

9.  quis  :     this   form    is   found 
only  here  in  the  lyric  poems.  — 
amantem :  sc.  tne.  —  languor  :  lack 
of   interest,    indifference,     which 
showed  itself  in  his  silence. 

ii  f.  The  poet's  indignant  out- 
burst against  his  richer  rivals. 
For  the  construction,  see  Intr.  106. 

—  adplorans:    i.e.  'accompanying 
my  plaints  with  tears.' 

13  f.  simul:  regularly  used  by 
Horace  equivalent  to  simul  ac.  — 
calentis :  genitive  agreeing  with 
the  genitive  implied  in  the  pos- 
sessive pronoun  that  is  naturally 
understood  here,  i.e.  mea  arcana. 
Cf.  Cic.  in  Pis.  3.  6  iuravi  hanc 
urbem  mea  unius  opera  esse  sal- 
r,>am. — inverecundus  deus :  the  god 
who  destroys  all  verecnndia,  when 


taken  in  excess.  The  god  and  his 
gift  are  identified.  Cf.  the  opposite 
C.  i,  27,  3  •verecundum  B ace  hunt. 
— mero :  with  calentis.  — loco  :  /  e. 
( their  proper  place '  —  my  own 
mind. 

i5ff.  quod  si,  etc.:  resuming  the 
quotation  of  his  former  confidences. 
—  libera  bilis  :  '  my  anger  find  free 
speech,'  etc.  Cf.  4,  10  liberrima 
indignatio.  Propertius  desired  the 
same  relief,  I,  i,  28  sit  motto  libcr- 
tas  qiiae  velit  ira  log  HI.  —  ingrata  : 
vain,  inrita.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  9,  312  f. 
sed  attrae  \  oinnia  disccrpunt  et 
nubibus  inrita  don  ant.  —  fomenta  : 
figuratively  used  of  his  plaintive 
outpourings  to  Pettius.  —  pudor  : 
the  false  pride  that  still  urged  him 
to  the  contest. 

19  f.  ubi  haec  severus,  etc. : 
when  I  determined  grou>n  had 
spoken  thus  so  nobly.  —  iussus  :  sc. 
a  te.  Pettius  approved  his  praise- 


438 


EPODON   LIBER  [12,  8 

ad  non  amicos  heu  mihi  postis  et  heu 

limina  dura,  quibus  lumbos  et  infregi  latus. 
Nunc  gloriantis  quamlibet  mulierculam 

vincere  mollitia  amor  Lycisci  me  tenet; 
25          unde  expedire  non  amicorum  queant 

libera  consilia  nee  contumeliae  graves, 
sed  alius  ardor  aut  puellae  candidae 

aut  teretis  pueri  longam  renodantis  comam. 

worthy  resolution.  —  ferebar :  note  23.   mulierculam :  Lyciscus  uses 

the   tense.      He  wished  to   carry  the  diminutive  disparagingly, 

out   his   determination    to    break  25  f.   expedire :   set  free  (from 

with  his  love,  but  still  with  irreso-  these  toils).     Cf.  C.  i,  27,  23  f. 

lute  steps  (incerto  pede)  he  wan-  vix  inligatum  te  .  .  .  Pegasus  ex- 

dered     to     his     mistress1    home.  pediet.  —  libera  consilia  :  frank 

Tibullus  acknowledges   the  same  advice.    Cf.  v.  16.  —  contumeliae: 

weakness,  2,  6,  13  iuravi  quotiens  on  the  part  of  Lyciscus. 

rediturum  ad  limina  mtmq uain:  \  28.    teretis:    shapely.      Cf.    C. 

cum  bene  turai'i,  pes  tamen  ipse  2,4,21  teretis  suras.  —  renodantis 

redit.  comam :  binding  his  long  hair  into 

21  f.    heu  .   .  .  heu :    he   sighs  a  knot,     renodo  has  here  the  same 

over  his  weak  will  ;  the  exclama-  sense   as   religare   C.   i,  5,  4  cui 

tions   are    to   be    taken   with    the  flavam  religas  comam?     For  the 

entire  sentence   rather  than  with  custom  of  such  boys  to  wear  the 

any  particular  words.  —  dura  :  lit-  hair  long,  see  C.  2,  5,  23  f. ;  3,  20, 

erally,  as  the  relative  clause  shows.  14 ;  4,  10,  3. 

12 

Quid  tibi  vis,  mulier  nigris  dignissima  barris  ? 

Munera  cur  mihi  quidve  tabellas 
mittis,  nee  firmo  iuveni  neque  naris  obesae  ? 

Namque  sagacius  unus  odoror, 
5  polypus  an  gravis  hirsutis  cubet  hircus  in  alis, 

quam  canis  acer  ubi  lateat  sus. 
Qui  sudor  vietis  et  quam  malus  undique  membris 
crescit  odor,  cum  pene  soluto 
439 


12,9]  HORATi 

indomitam  properat  rabiem  sedare,  neque  illi 
10  iam  manet  umida  creta  colorque 

stercore  fucatus  crocodili,  iamque  subando 

tenta  cubilia  tectaque  rumpit ! 
Vel  mea  cum  saevis  agitat  fastidia  verbis : 

'  Inachia  langues  minus  ac  me ; 
15          Inachiam  ter  nocte  potes,  mihi  semper  ad  unum 

mollis  opus.     Pereat  male  quae  te 
Lesbia  quaerenti  taurum  monstravit  inertem, 

cum  mihi  Cous  adesset  Amyntas, 
cuius  in  indomito  constantior  inguine  nervus 
20  quam  nova  collibus  arbor  inhaeret. 

Muricibus  Tyriis  iteratae  vellera  lanae 

cui  properabantur  ?     Tibi  nempe, 
ne  foret  aequalis  inter  conviva,  magis  quern 

diligeret  mulier  sua  quam  te. 

25          O  ego  non  felix,  quam  tu  fugis  ut  pavet  acris 
agna  lupos  capreaeque  leones.' 

13 

A  study  from  the  Greek.  The  motive  is  taken  from  the  same  poem 
of  Alcaeus  that  Horace  imitated  later  in  C.  I,  9.  While  snow  and 
rain  fall  outside,  the  poet  calls  his  friends  to  celebrate  the  day  with  ajar 
of  old  wine,  so  long  as  youth  yet  is  theirs.  As  warrant  for  this  he 
quotes  Chiron's  advice  to  his  pupil  Achilles.  Metre,  79. 

Horrida  tempestas  caelum  contraxit,  et  imbres 

nivesque  deducunt  lovem ;  mine  mare,  nunc  siluae 

i  f.  caelum  contraxit :  the  heavy  place  of  Hellenistic  and   Roman 

clouds  have  covered  the  sky  and  literature.     Cf.  C.  \,  I.  25  sub  love 

brought  it  nearer  to  the  earth.—  frigjub>(  —  snbcaelo).     Verg. /:.  7, 

deducunt  lovem :  the  identification  60  IiippHer  et  laeto  desccndet plnri- 

of  the  skv  and  the  supreme  divinity  WHS  imbri,  and  G.  2,325  fT.  ////// 

of  the    heavens   was  a   common-  pater  omnipotent  fecundt 's  imbri- 

440 


EI'UDUN    LIBER 


i  10 


Threicio  Aquilone  sonant :  rapiamus,  amici, 

occasionem  de  die,  dumque  virent  gcnua 
et  decet,  obducta  solvatur  frontc  scncctus. 

Tu  vina  Torquato  move  consule  pressa  meo. 
Cetera  mitte  loqui ;  deus  haec  fortasse  benigna 

reducet  in  sedem  vice.     Nunc  et  Achaemenio 
perfundi  nardo  iuvat  et  fide  Cyllenea 

levare  diris  pectora  sollicitudinibus, 


bus  aether  \  coniugis  in  gremium 
laetae  descendit,  et  omnis  \  mag- 
nits  alit  magno  commixtus  cor- 
pore,  fetus.  —  siluae  :  trisyllabic 
as  C.  I,  23,  4. 

3.  Threicio  ||  Aquilone :  for  the 
hiatus,    see  Intr.  43.      Thrace   is 
the  home  of  the  North  wind.     Cf. 
C.  1,25,  ii  Thraciu  .  .  .  vento. — 
rapiamus  :  an  intensive  expression, 
eagerly  seize.     Plutarch's  dpTraeras 
TOV  Kaipov.     Cf.  Publil.  Syr.  p.  129 
W.    occasiones   non   modo  accipe, 
arripe. 

4.  de  die  :    '  offered  by  the  day,1 
with  the  suggestion  of  beginning 
early.     Cf.  the  expressions  de  die 
bibere ;  de  die  convivia  facere.  — 

—  virent  genua  :  cf.  C.  1, 9,  17  donee 
virenti  canities  abest.     Theoc.  14, 
70  TTOieiv  rt  Set  us  (i.e.  ?ws)   yow 
xAtopdv. 

5.  et  decet:  'youth  is  the 'time 
for   drinking1;     some    ten    years 
later,  Horace  called  his  friend  to 
a  carouse   dum  licet,  C.  2,  11,  16. 

—  obducta :  clouded. 

6.  tu  :  with  this  abrupt  address 
Horace  invests  one  of  his  imagi- 
nary company  with  the  duties  of 


host.  Cf.  C.  i,  9. — vina  .  .  . 
move,  broach.  Cf.  C.  3,  21,  6 
(testa)  moveri  digna  bono  die.  — 
Torquato  .  .  .  consule  .  .  .  meo : 
L.  Manlius  Torquatus,  cos.  65  B.C., 
the  year  of  Horace's  birth.  Cf. 
C.  3,  21,  I  o  nata  mecnm  consule 
Manlio  (testa). 

7  f .    cetera :  all  else,  save  words 
of  cheer.     It  is  possible  that  Hor- 
ace means,  '  do  not  discuss  poli- 
tics or  refer  to  our  present  state, 
the  losses  we  have  suffered  in  the 
civil  wars  (haec).'  —  benigna  vice  : 
with  kindly  compensation.     Cf.  C. 
4,  14,  13  plus  vice  siwplici,  'with 
more  than  equal  return.1  —  sedem  : 
sc.  suam  ;   cf.   Suet.   Aug.   28  it  a 
mihi  salvam  ac  sospitem  rem  pu- 
blicam  sistere  in  sua  sede  liceat. 

8  f.    Achaemenio    .    .    .    nardo : 
oriental  perfume;  cf.   C.   3,  i,  44 
Achaemenium  costnm.     Achaeme- 
nes  was  the  mythical  founder  of  the 
Persian  dynasty.  —  fide  Cyllenea : 
the  lyre  was  invented  by  Hermes, 
who  was  born  on  Mt.  Cyllene  in 
Arcadia. 

10.  Cf.  C  4,  1 1,  35  minuentur 
atrae  carmine  curae. 


441 


.  "J 


HORATI 


nobilis  ut  grand!  cecinit  centaurus  alumno : 

'  Invicte,  mortalis  dea  nate  puer  Thetide, 
te  manet  Assaraci  tellus,  quam  frigida  parvi 

findunt  Scamandri  flumina  lubricus  et  Simois, 
unde  tibi  reditum  certo  subtemine  Parcae 

rupere,  nee  mater  domum  caerula  te  revehet. 
Illic  omne  malum  vino  cantuque  levato, 

deformis  aegrimoniae  dulcibus  adloquiis.' 


ii  ft.  Horace  supports  his  ex- 
hortation by  quoting  the  example 
of  Chiron,  as  he  introduces  Teucer 
later  (C.  i,  7)  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose. —  grand! :  full  grown.  Cf. 
luv.  7,  210  metuens  virgae  Jam 
grandis  Achilles.  —  invicte  :  used 
substantively,  as  Verg.  A.  6,  365 
eripe  me  his,  invicte,  malis.  — 
mortalis  :  predicate  with  nate. 
For  the  order,  see  Intr.  21. 

13.  Assaraci  tellus :  Assaracus 
was    king   of    Troy,  great-grand- 
father of  Aeneas.  —  frigida  :  prob- 
ably with  reference  to  one  of  the 
Scamander's  sources.     Cf.  //.  22, 
151  f.  17  8*  erepr)  (sc.  irrryy)  Qipti 
Trpopiei    iiKvla.    ^aXd^rj    \    1} 
faXPji   %    '£    uSaros 

—  parvi:    in   Homer  it   is 
TTora/tios. 

14.  lubricus :  of  the  swiftsmooth 
current.     Cf.  Ovid.  Am.  3,   6,  81 
sitpposuisse  manus  ad  pectora  lu- 
bricus amnis  dicitur.     The   Sca- 
mander  and  Simois  are  to  be  the 
witnesses  of  Achilles'  mighty  deeds. 


So  the  Fates  prophesy,  Catull.  64, 
357  ff.  test  is  erit  magnis  inrtuti- 
bus  undo,  Scamandri,  \  quae  passim 
rapido  diffunditur  Hellesponto,  \ 
cuius  iter  caesis  angustans  cor- 
porum  acervis  \  alta  tepefaciet 
permixta  flumina  caede. 

15  f.  unde  :  connect  with  redi- 
tum.—  certo  subtemine:  instru- 
mental ablative  with  rupere.  The 
web  of  the  Fates  determines  man's 
destiny.  Cf.  Catull.  64,  327  cur- 
rite  ducentes  subtegmina,  cnrrite, 
fusi.  Also  Verg.  A.  10,  814  f. 
extremaque  Lauso  \  Parcae  fila 
legunt.  —  caerula  :  for  her  home  is 
in  the  sea.  Cf.  n.  to  C.  3, 28,  10,  and 
Ovid.  Her.  9,  14  Nereits  caerulus. 

17  f.  illic :  i.e.  before  Troy. 
When  Agamemnon's  envoys  came 
to  Achilles  (//.  9.  186)  they  found 
him  cheering  himself  before  his 
tent,  TOV  8'  cvpov  (frptva.  TtpTrd/ie- 
vav  <f>6pfuyyi  Atyeo;.  —  adloquiis: 
equivalent  to  solaciis.  Cf.  Catull. 
38.  ^.qiiem  tu  .  .  .  qua  solatus  es 
allocutione  f 


442 


EFODON   LIBER 


[14.5 


Maecenas  had  urged  Horace  again  and  again  to  finish  up  some  col- 
lection of  verses,  probably  the  book  of  epodes.  Horace  answers  that 
he  cannot  now,  for  he  is  in  love,  and  even  Anacreon  could  not  write 
polished  verses  when  smitten  with  Bathyllus.  The  poem  closes  with 
the  retort :  '  You  too  are  in  love,  Maecenas,  and  should  understand ; 
thank  Heaven  that  your  flame  is  not  like  mine.'  The  colloquial  and 
familiar  tone  of  the  epode  should  be  noticed.  Metre,  75. 

Mollis  inertia  cur  tantam  diffuderit  imis 

oblivionem  sensibus, 
pocula  Lethaeos  ut  si  ducentia  somnos 

arente  fauce  traxerim, 
5  candide  Maecenas,  occidis  saepe  rogando : 


1-4.  Maecenas'  constant  ques- 
tion, given  here  in  indirect  form, 
dependent  on  rogando,  v.  5.  — 
mollis :  the  opening  word  gives 
the  keynote  of  the  reproach. 
Horace  has  grown  '  soft,'  and  has 
forgotten  all  his  promises.  —  imis 
.  .  .  sensibus :  dative,  equivalent 
to  penitus.  Cf.  Verg.  E.  3,  54 
sensibus  haec  itnis  reponas. 

3.  Lethaeos  .  .  .  somnos :  the 
sleep  of  complete  forgetfulness. 
Cf.  Verg.  A.  6,  714  f.  Lethaei  ad 
fliiminis  undam  \  secures  latices 
et  longa  oblivia  potant.  —  ut  si : 
not  to  be  connected  with  tantam 
only,  but  rather  with  imis  .  .  . 
sensibus,  showing  how  completely 
forgetfulness  has  taken  possession 
of  him. — ducentia:  cf.  C.  3.  i, 
20  f.  non  ai'ittm  citharaeque  can- 
tus  \  somnum  reducent,  also  Epist. 


i,  2.  31  ad  strepitum  citharae  ces- 
santem  ducefe  somnum. 

4.  traxerim  :     like   the   Greek 
eA.K«v;     stronger   than  the  ordi- 
nary bibere  or  ducere,  which   is 
used  C.  i,  17,  21  pocula  .  .  .  duces 
sub  umbra.    The  latter  word,  how- 
ever, would  be  impossible  here,  as 
it  has  just  been  used  in  v.  3. 

5.  candide  Maecenas :  with  gen- 
eral reference  to  Maecenas'  upright 
character ;  here  used  because  Hor- 
ace recognizes   the  justice  of  his 
patron's   reproaches.     Cf.    u,    11 
candidum  ingenium.     In   similar 
fashion    he     addresses     Tibullus 
Epist.  i,  4.  i  Albi,  nostrorurn  ser- 
monum  candide  iude.\:      Cf.    the 
English    'candid.'  —  occidis:    col- 
loquially extravagant.     Cf.    C.   2, 
17,  i :  also  Plant.   Pseud.  931  oc- 
cidis  me,  quom  istuc  rogas. 


4X3 


I4,6] 


IIORAT1 


deus,  deus  nam  me  vetat 
inceptos,  olim  promissum  carmen,  iambos 

ad  umbilicum  adducere. 
Non  aliter  Samio  dicunt  arsisse  Bathyllo 

Anacreonta  Teium, 
qui  persaepe  cava  testudine  flevit  amorem 

non  elaboratum  ad  pedem. 


6  f .  deus,  deus:  'for  it  is  the 
god,  the  god,  I  tell  you,  who.' 
Emphatically  stating  the  cause  of 
his  delay.  Intr.  28 a. — carmen: 
used  here  apparently  of  the  entire 
collection  •  for  which  his  friends 
have  so  long  waited  (olim  promis- 
sum). For  the  order  cf.  Epist.  2, 
I,  234  acceptos,  regale  nomisma, 
Philippos;  and  Verg.  E.  2,  3 
inter  densas,  umbrosa  cacumina, 
fagos.  —  iambos :  this  word  seems 
to  show  that  the  poems  in 
epodic  form  are  meant,  for 
this  is  the  term  Horace  applies 
to  them,  Epist.  i,  19,  23;  2,  2, 
59.  Intr.  4. 

8.  ad  umbilicum  adducere :  a 
stick  was  fastened  to  the  last  sheet 
of  the  strip  of  papyrus  paper  on 
which  the  book  was  written  ;  when 
the  book  was  finished  the  strip 
was  rolled  on  this  stick,  which  was 
called  the  umbilicus  because  it  was 
in  the  center  of  the  roll.  SeeSchrei- 
ber's  Atlas,  pi.  90  iT.  Therefore  the 
phrase  means.  '  to  finish  the  book.1 
So  Martial  opens  tin-  list  epigram 
of  his  fourth  book  flit?  iam  satis 
i'\/.  ohe  libelle,  \  iam  pcrvenimus 
usque  ad  uinbilicos. 


9-12.  None  of  Anacreon's  poems 
to  his  favorite  Bathyllus  are  pre- 
served, so  that  we  cannot  deter- 
mine the  correctness  of  this  state- 
ment. —  non  aliter  :  generally  used 
to  return  to  the  main  theme  after 
an  illustration,  not  as  here  to  in- 
troduce the  illustration  itself.  — 
cava  testudine  :  the  sounding  box 
of  the  lyre.  Cf.  C.  i,  32.  13  f.  o 
decus  Phoebi  et  dapibus  snpremi  \ 
grata  testudo  lovis.  —  flevit  amo- 
rem :  gave  sad  expression  to  his 
love.  Domitius  Marsus  says  in 
his  elegy  on  Tibullus  te  quoque 
Vergilio  comitein  non  aeqna^  Ti- 
bitlle,  \  mors  iuvenem  catnpos  misit 
ad  Elysios,  \  ne  foret,  ant  elegis 
molles  qui  fleret  atnoresy  \  out  ca- 
neret  forti  regia  be  I  la  pede.  Dios- 
corides,  a  writer  of  the  Hellenistk 
period,  testifies  that  Anacreon 
often  became  lachrymose  over  his 
love  and  cups.  Anth.  Pal.  7,  31. 
3  f.  TtpirvaruTt  MOIXTT^TII/  'Ara/c- 
ptov,  o»  TTI  Ba0i'AAu»  |  \\iapov  VTTfp 


12.  non  elaboratum.  etc.  :  i)rol> 
ably  meaning  that  Anacreon  em- 
ployed only  simple  measures  for 
his  love  poems. 


444 


EPODON    LIBER  [15,3 

Vreris  ipse  miser ;  quod  si  non  pulchrior  ignis 

accendit  obsessam  I  lion, 

15          gaude  sorte  tua :  me  libertina  nee  uno 
contenta  Phryne  macerat. 

13.  ipse:  'you  know  how  it  is  end  of  his  verses.  Cf.  e.g.  C.  I, 

from  your  own  experience,  Maece-  i,  29,  when  after  enumerating  the 

nas.'  —  quod  si :  now  if:  introduc-  interests  of  other  men,  he  sud- 

ing  a  supposition  recognized  as  denly  says,  me  doctarum  hederae 

true.  Cf.  C.  3,  i,  41. — ignis:  praeinia  front  him  \  dis  mi  scent 

flame,  with  the  same  double  superis ;  me  gelidnm  netnus,  etc. 

meaning  that  the  English  word  has.  —nee:  adding  a  second  char- 

Cf.  3,  7, 10  f.  Helen  was  the  '  flame'  acteristic,  — '  she  is  not  only  a  lib- 

that  fired  besieged  Ilion.  The  early  ertina,  but  she  is  not  even,'  etc. 

commentators  think  Maecenas1  Catullus  complains  of  his  Lesbia 

'flame'  was  Terentia,  whom  he  68, 135  uno  non  est  contenta  Ca  tullo. 

later  married.  Cf.  C.  2,  12.  —macerat:  cf.  C.  i,  13,  6  umor 

15  f.  me :  emphatic,  as  for  me.  et  in  genas  furtim  labittir,  argu- 

Horace  frequently  thus  concen-  ens  \  quain  lentis  penitus  tnacerer 

trates  attention  on  himself  at  the  ignibus. 


15 

Horace's  reproach  to  faithless  Neaera. 

'  In  the  depth  of  night  thou  didst  swear  thy  constancy  to  me  (i-io). 
Now  thou  art  no  longer  true.  I  tell  thee  I  am  man  enough  to  seek 
another  love  (11-16).  Thy  present  lover  may  have  all  riches,  wisdom, 
and  the  beauty  of  a  Nereus,  his  triumph  will  be  short,  for  presently  he 
shall  weep  over  thy  broken  faith.  And  I  shall  laugh  last  (17-24).' 
Metre,  75. 

Nox  erat  et  caelo  fulgebat  luna  sereno 

inter  minora  sidera, 
cum  tu,  magnorum  numen  laesura  deorum, 

if.  Night  is  the  time  for  lovers'  inter  minora  sidera:  repeated  C. 
vows;  the  moon  and  stars  their  1,12,47. 

proper  witnesses.    Cf.  Catull.  7,  7  f.  3  f .   laesura :  ready  to  outrage, 

sidera  .   .   .  cum  facet  nox,  \  fur-      Intr.  1 10.  —  in  verba  .  .  .  mea  :  i.e. 
tivos  hominum  vident  amores.  —      repeating  the  oath  after  me.     The 

445 


'5.4] 


HORATI 


10 


in  verba  iurabas  mea, 
artius  atque  hedera  procera  adstringitur  ilex 

lentis  adhaerens  bracchiis, 
dum  pecori  lupus  et  nautis  infestus  Orion 

turbaret  hibernum  mare 
intonsosque  agitaret  Apollinis  aura  capillos, 

fore  hunc  amorem  mutuum. 
O  dolitura  mea  multum  virtute  Neaera ! 

nam  si  quid  in  Flacco  viri  est, 
non  feret  adsiduas  potiori  te  dare  noctis, 

et  quaeret  iratus  parem ; 


phrase  in  verba  alicuius  iurare 
was  originally  a  technical  expres- 
sion for  taking  the  military  oath  of 
fidelity  to  the  general ;  then  ex- 
tended to  include  any  oath  of 
allegiance.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  i,  14 
iurare  in  verba  magistri. 

5.  artius  atque  :  cf.  12, 14  minus 
ac.  For  the  figure,  cf.  C.  i,  36,  20 
lascivis  hederis  ambitiosior. 

7.  dum,  etc. :  giving  the  oath 
in  indirect  form.  In  the  form  in 
which  the  sentence  was  first  con- 
ceived v.  7  was  a  complete  idea 
dum  pecori  lupus  et  nautis  infestus 
Orion  (esset).  The  following  verse 
contains  an  attribute  of  Orion 
which  would  naturally  be  expressed 
by  qui  turbaret,  etc.  This  was, 
however,  made  the  predicate  of 
infestus  Orion  to  parallel  v.  9,  so 
that  dum  pecori  lupus  is  left  with- 
out a  verb.  In  translating  supply 
esset  with  lupus.  For  the  com- 
parison of  the  wolf  and  the-  lamb,  cf. 
4.  i  and  n.  On  Orion  as  a  storm- 


bringing  constellation,  cf.  10,  10 
tristis  Orion,  and  C,  I,  28,  21  f.  tie- 
vexirapidus  comes  Orionis  \  Not  us. 

9  f .  4  So  long  as  Apollo's  youth 
shall  last,'  i.e.  '  forever.1  Cf. 
Tibul.  i,  4,  57  solis  aeterna  est 
Phoebo  Bacchoque  invent  as,  \  nam 
decet  intonsus  crinis  utrumque 
deum.  —  hunc:  this  love  of  ours. 
—  mutuum  :  requited.  Catullus 
says  of  Septumius  and  Acme  45, 
20  mutuis  animis  amant  amantur. 

ii  f.  virtute:  literally,  'spirit 
that  becomes  a  man  ' ;  the  idea  is 
repeated  in  si  quid  .  .  .  viri  est.  — 
Flacco :  use  of  the  proper  name 
instead  of  me  gives  the  same 
dignity  to  the  expression  that  is 
lent  to  Teucer's  words  C.  \,  7,  27 
;//'/  desperandum  Teucro  dace  et 
auspice  Teucro. 

13  f.  potiori  :  more  favored 
rival,  as  C.  3,  9.  2  nee  quisquam 
potior.  —  parem :  i.e.  one  who 
will  return  true  love  with  like ;  in 
sense  equivalent  to  se  dignam. 


446 


EPODON    LI  HER 


15          nec  semel  offensi  cedet  constantia  formae, 

si  certus  intrarit  dolor. 
Et  tu,  quicumque  es  felicior  atque  meo  nunc 

superbus  incedis  malo, 
sis  pecore  et  multa  dives  tellure  licebit 
20  tibique  Pactolus  fluat, 

nec  te  Pythagorae  fallant  arcana  renati, 

formaque  vincas  Nirea, 
heu  heu,  translates  alio  maerebis  amores ; 

ast  ego  vicissim  risero. 


15  f .  offensi :  sc.  Flacci,  modi- 
fying constantia.  Cf.  n.  to  calen- 
tis,  II,  13.  —  formae:  dative.— 
si  ...  dolor :  Horace  has  not  yet 
completely  shut  the  door  of  his 
heart  ;  Neaera  can  still  return. 
But  if  once  his  painful  jealousy  be 
confirmed  (certus  .  .  .  dolor),  then 
beware!  Cf.  u,  15  ff. 

17  f.  et  tu,  etc. :  the  successful 
rival.  Cf.  Tibul.  i,  5,  69  at  /«,  qui 
potior  nunc  es,  mea  fata  thneto.  — 
superbus  incedis :  struttest  in  thy 
pride.  Cf.  4,  5. 

19  ff.  Wealth,  wisdom,  beauty 
cannot  oppose  her  fickleness.  — 
licebit :  future  to  conform  to  mae- 
rebis v.  23.  —  tibique  Pactolus 


fluat:  'though  you  have  Midas' 
riches.1 

21  f.  Pythagorae  .  .  .  renati : 
cf.  n.  to  C.  i,  28,  10. — arcana  : 
i.e.  his  esoteric  teachings,  reserved 
for  his  closest  disciples.  —  Nirea  : 
cf.  //.  2, 673  f.  Nipevs,  o«  KaAAioros 
avrjp  VTTO  "IXtov  rj\06V  \  TWV  aAAtuv 
Aavacov  /ACT*  d/xu/u.ova  Il7/A.euora, 
and  C.  3,  20,  15. 

23  f.  heu  heu  :  in  mocking  pity 
for  his  rival.  —  ast :  an  archaic 
form,  favored  by  Vergil,  but  used 
by  Horace  only  here  and  S.  i,  6, 
125;  8,  6.  —  risero:  the  fut.  perf. 
expresses  Horace's  confidence. 
;  I  shall  certainly  have  my  time  to 
laugh.' 


16 

This  epode  was  probably  written  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Perusine 
War  between  Octavian  and  Antony,  41  B.C.  At  this  time  Horace  had 
just  returned  broken  in  fortune  after  the  defeat  at  Philippi,  and  had  not 
yet  met  Maecenas,  whose  favor  later  relieved  his  personal  necessities,  or 
been  reconciled  to  the  new  order  of  government.  In  this  poem,  how- 
ever, he  shows  no  thought  for  his  personal  needs,  but  is  anxious  solely 

447 


16,  i]  HORATI 

for  tne  state,  which  doubtless  seemed  to  many  to  be  sinking  into  ruin. 
The  difference  between  his  feelings  now  and  a  few  years  later  can  be 
seen  from  the  words  C.  i,  14,  17  f.  nnper  sollicitum  quae  (sc.  navis 
—  civitas)  inihi  taedium,  \  mine  desiderimn  cnraqne  non  Ici'is.  Sellar 
(p.  122)  has  acutely  observed  that  Horace  seems  to  express  the  feelings 
of  the  losing  side  before  the  peace  of  Brundisium ;  Vergil,  in  his  fourth 
eclogue,  those  of  the  winning  side  after  its  conclusion.  The  poem  is 
not  only  the  earliest,  but  the  best  of  Horace's  political  verses.  There 
is  an  intensity  of  feeling  and  a  patriotic  enthusiasm  that  did  not  appear 
later  when  the  poet's  anxieties  had  been  calmed  and  somewhat  blunted. 
In  form  also  it  is  the  most  perfect  of  the  epodes.  Elision  is  wholly 
avoided  in  the  hexameters  —  a  new  effect  in  Latin  verse  —  and  there 
are  only  three  cases  in  the  iambics.  Furthermore  there  is  a  careful 
regard  for  assonance  and  a  skillful  use  of  alliteration  that  combine  with 
other  excellencies  to  make  this  one  of  the  most  remarkable  productions 
of  the  Latin  poets.  The  epode  has  been  a  favorite  with  many. 

The  mention  of  the  Fortunate  Isles  may  be  due  to  the  belief  that 
Sertorius,  after  his  defeat,  wished  to  settle  there.  Cf.  Plut.  Serf.  g. 
The  Scholiast  says  on  v.  42  ad  quas  (insulas  for  tunas)  Sallnstius  in 
historia  dicit  victitm  voluisse  ire  Sertorium.  Probably  the  Canaries  were 
meant.  It  is  not  impossible  that  some  of  the  party  defeated  at  Philippi 
had  conceived  the  same  plan.  The  thought  running  through  the  entire 
epode  is  that  the  state  is  hopelessly  distracted  by  internal  strife ;  it 
cannot  escape  ruin.  Therefore  all  who  are  earnest  and  strenuous  should 
settle  in  a  new  land  where  life  can  begin  anew.  The  poem  should  be 
compared  with  Epod.  7  and  with  Vergil's  E.  4.  Metre,  76. 

Altera  iam  teritur  bellis  civilibus  actas, 
suis  et  ipsa  Roma  viribus  ruit. 

i  ff .  Solon  had  similar  fore-  —  altera  .  .  .  aetas  :  a  second 
bodings  for  the  Athenian  state,  generation  from  that  of  Marius 
4,  i  ff.  fifjLtTfpa  &  TroAis  Kara  fjifv  and  Sulla,  in  whose  time  civil  war 
Atos  OUTTOT'  oAciTtH  |  diaav  KO!  began. — teritur:  is  being  wasted. 
fjjiKdfjwv  Bttav  </>p£va?  adavdroiv  \  2.  suis  et  ipsa.  etc. :  cf.  Livy 

.  .  .  avroi  8f  <£#ct'p£u/  fj.tyd\r)v  Praef.  res .  .  .  ut  tain  magnitudine 
TTO\LV  a<t>pa8trj(Ttv  \  arrrol  ftov\ovrai  laboret  sua,  and  Aug.  Civ.  Dei  18. 
\firffuuri  7T€i0o/A£»'0(.  8r)fiov  ff  45  Roma  late  orbi  terrartim  im- 
oiv  aSuco?  voo?.  ounc  froifwv  perans  tainqiiam  se  ipsa  ferre 
IK  fjutydXtfi  aAytu  TroAAa.  non  i>alens  sna  se  qnodainnioilo 

iHagnitndine   fregerat.      In   these 
448 


EI'OUON   LIBER 


[16,7 


Quam  neque  finitimi  valuerunt  perdere  Marsi 
minacis  aut  Etrusca  Porsenae  manus, 

aemula  nee  virtus  Capuae  nee  Spartacus  acer 
novisque  rebus  inndelis  Allobrox, 

nee  fera  caerulea  domuit  Germania  pube 


passages,  however,  the  idea  is  that 
Rome  has  grown  too  great,  whereas 
Horace  feels  that  the  state  is 
rushing  to  suicidal  ruin. 

3-8.  An  enumeration  of  the 
great  dangers  that  have  threatened 
Rome  from  without,  arranged  ac- 
cording to  distance  rather  than 
time.  —  quam  :  that  city  -which.  — 
Marsi :  who  led  in  the  Social  War 
in  91  B.C.  ;  they  proposed  to  reduce 
Rome  and  to  establish  a  new 
capital  of  Italy  at  Corfinium.  — 
Porsenae  manus  :  '  Lars  Porsena  of 
Clusium,'  who  adopted  the  cause 
of  the  banished  Tarquins  and 
accordingly  brought  the  city  to 
surrender.  Tacitus  in  writing  of 
the  burning  of  the  Capitol  in  the 
year  of  anarchy  69  A.D.  employs  a 
similar  expression,  Hist.  3,  72 
nitllo  externo  hoste  .  .  .  sedein  Iirvis 
.  .  .  ,  quam  non  Porsena  dedita 
urbe  neqne  Galli  capta  temerare 
potuissent,  furore  principuin  ex- 
scindil 

5.  aemula  nee  virtus  Capuae  : 
cf.  the  reminiscence  in  Auson.  Ord. 
Urb.  Nobil.  49  f.  de  Capua :  nitnc 
subdita  Romae  \  aemula.  After 
the  battle  of  Cannae  in  216  n.c. 
the  Capuans  went  over  to  Hanni- 
bal, and  openly  aimed  to  become 
the  leaders  in  Italy.  The  Romans 


never  forgot  this  perfidy.  Cf.  Cic. 
Leg.  Agr.  2,  87  quo  in  oppido 
maiores  nostri  nullam  omnino  rein 
publicam  esse  -voluerunt ;  qui  tres 
soluin  urbes  in  t  err  is  omnibus,  Kar- 
thaginem,  Corinthum,  Capua/ti, 
statuerunt  posse  imperil  gravi- 
tatem  ac  nomen  sustinere.  —  Spar- 
tacus acer  :  the  gladiator  who 
carried  on  the  war  against  the  Ro- 
mans 73-71  B.C.  Cf.  C.  3,  14,  19. 

6.  novis  rebus:  abl.  of  time. — 
Allobrox  :    with    reference   to   the 
conspiracy  of  Catiline  in  63  B.C., 
when  an  attempt  was  made  to  win 
over  to  the  side  of  the  conspiracy 
the   Allobrogian   envoys   then   in 
Rome.    They  hesitated,  but  finally 
decided  it  was  for  their  interests 
to  betray  the  plot.     Cf.  Sail.  Cat. 
40  ff..  Cic.  in  Cat.  3,  4.    In  54  B.C., 
however,  they  revolted   but  were 
subdued  by  C.  Pomptinus,  and  this 
revolt  was  thought  to  be  due  to 
the   conspiracy.      Cf.   Cic.  Prov. 
Cons.  32  C.  Pomptinus  .  .  .  ortum 
repente  helium  Allobrogum  atque 
hac    scelerata    coniuratione    (sc. 
Catilinaria)     excitatum     proeliis 
fregit   eosque   domuit,   qui  laces- 
sierant. 

7.  The  greatest  danger  to  Rome 
since  its  capture  by  the  Gauls  in 
390  B.C.  was  the  invasion  of  the 


HOK.  CAR. —  29 


449 


10,  8J 


HORAT1 


parentibusque  abominatus  Hannibal, 
impia  perdemus  devoti  sanguinis  aetas, 
10  ferisque  rursus  occupabitur  solum. 

Barbaras  heu  cinercs  insistet  victor  et  urbem 

eques  sonante  verberabit  ungula, 
quaeque  carent  ventis  et  solibus  ossa  Quirini 

(nefas  videre)  dissipabit  insolens. 


Teutones  and  Cimbri,  who  were 
defeated  and  cut  to  pieces  by 
Marius  at  Aquae  Sextiae  in  102  B.C., 
and  at  Versellae  in  the  following 
year.  —  caerulea  :  blue-eyed.  The 
blue  eyes  and  fair  hair  of  the 
Germans  excited  the  wonder  of 
the  dark  Italians.  Cf.  luv.  13, 
164  f.  caerula  gut's  stupuit  Ger- 
mani  lamina,  flavam  \  caesariem? 

8 .  parentibus  abominatus :  cf. 
C.  1,1,24  bella  matribus  detest  at  a. 

9  f .  impia  .  .  .  aetas :  in  oppo- 
sition with  the  subject  of  perdemus. 
Cf.  C.  i.  35,  34  quid  nos  dura 
refugimus  aetas  ?  —  devoti  san- 
guinis :  with  a  taint  in  the  blood, 
caused  by  the  scelus  fraternae 
nee  is  7,  1 8.  —  rursus :  as  before  the 
founding  of  Rome. 

nf.  barbarus  :  the  Parthian 
particularly  was  in  Horace's  mind, 
as  eques  in  the  following  verse 
shows.  Cf.  7,  9.  —  cineres :  i.e. 
of  fallen  Rome.  Accus.  with  in- 
sistet. —  sonante :  '  and  the  hoofs 
of  the  victor's  horse  will  clatter 
and  echo  through  the  empty 
streets.1  Cf.  Ezek.  26.  n  'with 
the  hoofs  of  his  horses  shall  he 
tread  down  all  thy  streets.1 


13.  carent:  now  are  safe  from. 
Tradition  placed  the  tomb  of  Ro- 
mulus —  in  spite  of  his  apotheosis 
—  behind  the  rostra.     So  Porph. 
Varro  post  rostra  fuisse  sepultum 
Romulum  dicit.    Whether  it  was  at 
the  spot  marked  by  a  slab  of  black 
stone  was  uncertain,  according  to 
Festus.  p.  177  M.  niger  lapis  in 
Comitio  locum  funestum  significat, 
ut  alii,  Romuli  morti  destinatum. 
In  1899-1900  the  spot  beneath  this 
niger    lapis    was    excavated,   but 
nothing  that  could  be  regarded  as 
a  tomb  of  a  hero  was  discovered ; 
yet  the  place  was  clearly  hallowed, 
as  the  remains  of  sacrifices  show. 
The  most  important  discovery  was 
a  fragmentary  ancient  inscription, 
which   can   hardly   be  later  than 
500  B.C. 

14.  nefas  videre :  sc.  est.     Said 
with  reference  to  the  entire  act  of 
desecration.  —  insolens  :    all  un- 
wittingly.    Cf.  C.  i,  5,  8.     With 
the    expression    in    the   last   two 
verses,  cf.  Jeremiah  8,  I  'At  that 
time,  saith   the    Lord,  they   shall 
bring  out  the  bones  of  the  kings 
of  Judah,  and   the   bones   of  his 
princes,   and    the    bones    of    the 


450 


EPODON    LIBER 


[16,  23 


Forte  quid  expediat  communiter  aut  melior  pars 

malis  carere  quaeritis  laboribus. 
Nulla  sit  hac  potior  sententia :  Phocaeorum 

velut  profugit  exsecrata  civitas 
agros  atque  laris  patrios  habitandaque  fana 

apris  reliquit  et  rapacibus  lupis, 
ire  pedes  quocumque  ferent,  quocumque  per  undas 

Notus  vocabit  aut  protervus  Africus. 
Sic  placet,  an  melius  quis  habet  suadere  ?    Secunda 


priests,  and  the  bones  of  the 
prophets,  and  the  bones  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  out  of 
their  graves :  .  .  .  they  shall  be 
for  dung  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth.1 

15  ff.  The  poet  dramatically 
appeals  to  his  audience  as  if  it 
were  assembled  in  council. — forte : 
equivalent  to  forsitan.  Instead 
of  putting  the  clause  in  the  form 
of  a  condition,  si  .  .  .  quaeritis,  a 
direct  statement  is  used. — com- 
muniter :  equivalent  to  omnes,  in 
contrast  to  melior  pars.  —  aut :  or 
at  least.  —  carere  :  to  escape.  An 
infinitive  of  purpose,  dependent  on 
quid  expediat.  Intr.  107.  Cf.  C. 
i ,  26,  i  met  us  tradani  .  .  .  port  are 
•ventis. 

17  f.  nulla  sit,  etc.:  'no  pro- 
posal shall  prevail  over  this.'  The 
proposal  proper  begins  v.  21  ire, 
etc. — Phocaeorum  :  in  534  B.C.  the 
Phocaeans  left  their  home  rather 
than  submit  to  the  Persian  yoke. 
The  story  is  told  by  Herodotus  i, 
165.  — exsecrata:  having  bound 
themselves  by  a  curse  (if  any  should 


try  to  return).  Herod.  l.c.  eiroo/- 
(ravro  l(T)(vpa.<;  Kareipas  T<3  vrroAeiTro- 
/AtVu>  eauToiv  TOV  oroAou.  They  fur- 
thermore sunk  a  mass  of  iron  in 
the  sea  and  swore  they  would  not 
return  to  Phocaea  until  the  iron 
should  come  to  the  surface  again. 
This  act  became  proverbial.  Cf. 
Callim.  Frg.  209  4><uKaeu>v  />i«x/3is 
K€  p-tvr)  /icyas  fiv  dA.i  /nvSpos- 

19.  laris  patrios  .  .  .  fana :  'their 
hearths  and  temples.1  —  habitanda, 
etc. :  marking  the  desolation  of 
their  city.  Cf.  n.  to  v.  10  above. 

21  f.  pedes  .  .  .  per  undas:  'by 
land  and  sea.1  —  quocumque  .  .  . 
quocumque :  the  anaphora  marks 
the  poet's  feeling.  Intr.  28  c.  — 
vocabit :  of  a  favorable  wind.  Cf . 
Catull.  4,  19  f.  laeva  sive  defter  a  \ 
vocaret  aura. 

23  f .  sic  placet :  the  language 
of  the  Roman  senate,  where  the 
form  of  putting  the  question  was 
placetne?  Thus  Horace  continues 
the  dramatic  figure  of  a  delibera- 
tive assembly.  —  suadere  :  -  with 
habeo,  like  the  Gr.  e^w  Trei'&tv  — 
secunda  .  .  .  alite :  cf.  n.  to  10, 1. 


1 6,  24] 


HORATI 


ratem  occupare  quid  moramur  alite  ? 
25          Sed  iuremus  in  haec  :  '  Simul  imis  saxa  renarint 

vadis  levata,  ne  redire  sit  nefas ; 
neu  conversa  domum  pigeat  dare  lintea  quando 

Padus  Matina  laverit  cacumina, 
in  mare  seu  celsus  procurrerit  Appenninus, 
30  novaque  monstra  iunxerit  libidine 

mirus  amor,  iuvet  ut  tigris  subsidere  cervis 

adulteretur  et  columba  miluo, 
credula  nee  ravos  timeant  armenta  leones, 

ametque  salsa  levis  hircus  aequora.' 
35          Haec  et  quae  poterunt  reditus  abscindere  dulcis 

eamus  omnis  exsecrata  civitas, 
aut  pars  indocili  melior  grege ;  mollis  et  exspes 

inominata  perprimat  cubilia. 


25.  sed  :  '  but  before  we  set  sail, 
we  must  bind  ourselves  by  an  oath 
as  the  Phocaeans  did.1  —  in  haec  : 
sc.  iierba.  Cf.  n.  to  15,4.  —  simul. 
etc. :  the  simple  'never'  which  we 
might  expect  is  expanded  into  four 
uSwara,  a  favorite  figure  with  the 
Romans.  Cf.  C.  I,  29,  toff. ;  33, 
7  f.  Verg.  E.  i,  59  ff.  — vadis :  abl. 
of  separation. 

28.  Matina  .  .  .  cacumina :  in 
Apulia.  Cf.  1,28,  3.  'The  river 
shall  climb  the  mountain  heights.' 
Then  follows  the  opposite  figure  of 
the  Apennines  running  into  the  sea. 

30.  nova :  strange,  unnatural. 
—  monstra  :  proleptic.  changed  to 
unnatural  monsters  by  their  strange 
passion  (mirus  amor) . 

31  f .  subsidere :  mate  with. 
The  reversal  of  nature  is  the  more 


complete  as  the  tiger  and  the  lion 
become  gentle,  the  deer  and  cattle 
bold  ;  the  dove  too  is  to  be  wanton, 
whereas  it  was  typical  of  fidelity. 
Cf.  Prop.  3,  7,  27  exemplo  iiinctae 
tibi  sint  in  amore  colitmbae.  — 
miluo :  trisyllabic. 

33  f .  credula  :  proleptic,  trust- 
ful.— levis  :  also  proleptic,  become 
smooth,  like  a  sea  animal. 

35  f .  haec  :  resuming  the  pre- 
ceding oath  ;  object  of  exsecrata. 
—  et  quae  :  and  whatever  else.  — 
civitas :  for  the  construction,  cf. 
v.  9  aetas. 

37  f.  aut  pars  .  .  .  melior :  cf. 
n.  to  v.  15.  The  dull  crowd,  the 
inactive  (mollis),  and  the  faint- 
hearted (exspes)  may  remain  be- 
hind.—  inominata:  equivalent  to 
male  ominata  ;  found  only  here. 


452 


EPODON    LI  HER 


Vos,  quibus  est  virtus,  muliebrem  tollite  luctum, 
40  Etrusca  praeter  et  volate  litora. 

Nos  manet  Oceanus  circumvagus ;  arva  beata 

petamus,  arva  divites  et  insulas, 
reddit  ubi  Cererem  tellus  inarata  quotannis 

et  imputata  floret  usque  vinea, 
45          germinat  et  numquam  fallentis  termes  olivae 

suamque  pulla  ficus  ornat  arborem, 
mella  cava  manant  ex  ilice,  montibus  altis 


39  f.  vos  :  i.e.  the  melior  pars. 
—  virtus  :  manly  courage,  in  con- 
^trast  to  muliebrem  .  .  .  luctum.  — 
Etrusca  .  .  .  litora  :  on  the  voyage 
to  the  West.  —  et  :  for  the  position, 
see  Intr.  31. 

41  f.  nos,  etc.  :  the  decision  is 
now  made,  and  the  poet  returns  to 
the  glories  of  their  new  home  in 
the  Fortunate  Isles.  —  circumvagus  : 
apparently  coined  by  Horace  to 
reproduce  the  Homeric  di//6ppoo?, 
the  stream  that  circles  around  the 
world.  Ovid.  Met.  I,  30  uses  cir- 
ciimfluits  for  the  same  purpose. 
Cf.  Aesch.  P.  V.  138  ff.  TOV  -rrtpl 


ptV/Ji'lTL   TTolSeS    TTOTpOS    'flKt- 

avov.  '  Children  of  father  Ocean, 
who  circles  round  the  entire  earth 
with  stream  unwearied.'  —  arva 
.  .  .  arva:  Intr.  28  c.  —  divites 
insulas  :  i.e.  the  Fortunate  Isles  in 
the  Western  sea  :  Homer's  Elvsian 
Plain  (O</.  4,  563  ff.).  Hesiod's 
Islands  of  the  Blest  (Op.  170  ff.), 
where  the  heroes  dwell.  Cf.  also 
Tenn.  Ulysses,  -  It  may  be  th;it  tlie 
gulls  will  wash  us  down  :  |  It  may 


be  we  shall  touch  the  Happy  Isles, 
|  And  see  the  great  Achilles,  whom 
we  knew.1  The  'Fortunate  Isles' 
of  later  times  are  probably  to  be 
identified  with  the  Madeiras  or  the 
Canaries,  which  were  visited  by 
the  traders.  In  this  distant  west- 
ern land  poets  thought  that  nature 
supplied  all  man's  needs  without 
effort  on  his  part. 

43.   reddit :  i.e.  as  man's  due. 

45  f .  numquam  fallentis  :  cf.  C. 
3,  i,  30  fundus  mendax.  This, 
like  imputata  and  inarata  above, 
emphasizes  man's  ease  and  confi- 
dence there.  —  suam  :  emphatic. 
The  better  varieties  of  figs  can  be 
obtained  only  by  grafting.  Cf.  2, 
19  insitiva  pira  and  n.  So  Vergil 
says  of  a  grafted  tree,  G.  2.  82 
miraturque  novas  frondes  et  non 
sua  poma.  —  pulla  :  i.e.  4  ripe.1 

47.  mella  :  typical  of  abundance, 
like  the  Biblical  'land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey."  Cf.  C.  2.  19, 
10-12,  and  Tibul.  i.  3.  45  f.  ipsae 
mella  dabant  quercns,  ultroqite  fe- 
rebaiit  \  obvia  secnris  ubera  lactis 

s.  —  montibus  :  Intr.  95. 


453 


1 6,  48] 


1IORATI 


levis  crepante  lympha  desilit  pede. 
Illic  iniussae  veniunt  ad  mulctra  capellae, 
50  refertque  tenta  grex  amicus  ubera, 

nee  vespertinus  circum  gemit  ursus  ovile, 

neque  intumescit  alta  viperis  humus ; 
61          nulla  nocent  pecori  contagia,  nullius  astri 

gregem  aestuosa  torret  impotentia. 
53          Pluraque  felices  mirabimur,  ut  neque  largis 
aquosus  Eurus  arva  radat  imbribus, 


48.  The  music  of  this  verse  has 
been  noted  by  commentators  ever 
since  Porphyrio's  day.  Cf.  C.  3, 
13.  15  f.  nnde  loquaces  lymphae 
desiliunt  tuae.  In  this  verse  the 
/-sound  is  added  to  that  of  the 
liquid.  This  new  home  will  also 
have  an  abundant  supply  of  water, 
which  is  far  more  important  in  such 
countries  as  Italy,  especially  in  the 
siticulosa  Apulia,  or  in  our  Cali- 
fornia, where  there  is  a  long  dry 
season,  than  in  the  middle  and 
eastern  part  of  the  United  States. 
—  pede :  carrying  the  figure  in 
desilit  to  its  extreme.  Anticipated 
by  Lucretius  5,  272  qua  via  secta 
semel  liquido  pede  detulit  tindas. 

49  ff.  The  cattle  need  no  herds- 
man to  bring  them  home,  no  pro- 
tection against  wild  beasts.  A 
little  later  Vergil  used  the  same 
description  to  picture  the  golden 
age  that  was  approaching,  E.  4, 
21  f.  ipsae  lacte  down  in  referent 
distenta  capellae  \  itfa'nt.  In  Ver- 
gil's verse  ipsae  is  equivalent  to 
Horace's  iniussae,  and  tiistenta  re- 
places the  simple  tenta. 


51.  vespertinus :    in    effect    an 
adverb.      Cf.   Verg.   G.   3,  537  f. 
non  lupus  insidias  explorat  <rviiia% 
circum   \  nee  gregibus   nocturntis 
obambulat. — circum  gemit:    Intr. 

33- 

52.  intumescit :    the  action   of 
the  angry  snake  is  transferred  to 
the  ground.     Cf.  Intr.  99. — alta: 
proleptic   with    intumescit,   swells 
and  rises  with. 

6 1  f.  These  verses  stand  in  all 
the  Mss.  after  v.  60,  but  are  ob- 
viously out  of  place  ;  by  transfer- 
ring them  to  this  position  the  con- 
tinuity of  thought  is  maintained. 
—  nulla  .  .  .  nullius:  Intr.  28  c.  — 
astri:  especially  such  as  Sirius:  cf. 
C.  3,  29,  17  ff.  — aestuosa  . . .  impo- 
tentia: the  dog-star's  furious  heat, 
which  brings  disease  on  the  flocks 
and  herds.  With  this  meaning  of 
impotentia,  cf.  impotens  C.  \*  37, 
10 ;  3,  3°i3- 

53-56.  '  They  shall  be  oppressed 
neither  by  too  abundant  rains  as 
in  the  Italian  winter,  nor  by  too 
great  drought  as  in  the  Italian 
summer.'  —  ut :  how.  —  radat :  cf. 


454 


KPiiDON    LIBER 


55          pinguia  nee  siccis  urantur  semina  glaebis, 

utrumque  rege  temperante  caelitum. 
Non  hue  Argoo  contendit  remige  pinus, 

neque  impudica  Colchis  intulit  pedem ; 
non  hue  Sidonii  torserunt  cornua  nautae, 
60  laboriosa  nee  cohors  Ulixei : 

63          luppiter  ilia  piae  secrevit  litora  genti, 

ut  inquinavit  acre  tempus  aureum  ; 
65          acre,  dehinc  ferro  duravit  saecula,  quorum 

piis  secunda  vate  me  datur  fuga. 


Lucret.  5,  256  ripas  radentia  flu- 
mina  rodunt.  —  siccis  :  proleptic. 

57-60.  '  That  land  is  yet  uncon- 
taminated  by  man  ;  no  adventurers 
or  traders  have  ever  reached  its 
shores.'  —  Argoo  remige  :  collect- 
ively, an  instrumental  abl.  With 
the  use  of  the  adjective,  cf.  Etrusca 
v. 4 above  and  n.  to  10, 12. — pinus: 
i.e.  the  ship  made  from  the  pines  of 
Pelion.  Cf.  Eurip.  Med.  3  f.  /u.r/8'  «v 
va.ira.KTi  II^Xiov  Treo-etv  TTOTC  |  r/xr/- 
#£10-0.  TTCVKT/.  'Would  that  the 
pine  had  ne'er  fallen  under  the  ax 
in  the  vale  of  Pelion.1  And  Catull. 
64,  I  f.  Peliaco  quondam  prognatae 
vertice  pinus  \  dicuntur  liquidas 
Neptuni  nasse  per  undas.  —  im- 
pudica Colchis :  Medea,  queen  of 
sorceresses,  who  helped  Jason  win 
the  golden  fleece,  and  then  fled 
with  him  in  the  Argo,  murdering 
her  brother  Apsyrtus  to  delay  her 
father's  pursuit. 

59  f.  Sidonii :  the  great  traders 
of  antiquity  —  torserunt  cornua  : 


swung  their  yards,  i.e.  directed 
their  ships.  —  laboriosa  :  the  epi- 
thet proper  to  Ulysses  —  Homeric 
TroAvrAas,  Tro\vT\^fj.<av — is  trans- 
ferred to  his  companions.  Cf.  17, 
1 6.  Intr.  99. 

63  f.  secrevit :  set  apart  for  an 
upright  people  (piae  genti),  i.e.  the 
melior  pars,  comprising  Horace 
and  his  friends.  — ut:  temporal. 

—  inquinavit :  alloyed. 

65.  acre:  in  the  same  construc- 
tion as  ferro.  For  the  anaphora, 
cf.  arva,  arva  v.  42.  Intr.  28  c. 
The  present  age  is  the  age  of  iron. 

—  quorum :  from  which,  objective 
gen.  with  fuga.  —  vate  me  :  accord- 
ing to  my  prophecy ;    vates,  'in- 
spired bard,'  was  the  earliest  word 
for  poet  among  the  Romans,  but 
had  been  displaced  by  poeta  until 
the  poets   of  the   Augustan   Age 
restored   it  to  its  former  dignity. 
Cf.    Verg.    A.    6.  662   quiqite  pii 
I'ates  et  Phoebo  tiigna  locuti.     Cf. 
C.  i,  i,  35. 


455 


'7.  '] 


HORATI 


17 

A  mock  palinode  addressed  to  Canidia ;  in  pretended  terror  at  the- 
sorceress'  power  Horace  pleads  for  mercy.  Yet  in  his  very  prayer  (i- 
52),  as  also  in  Canidia's  reply  (53-81),  he  makes  his  sharpest  attack  by 
rehearsing  again  all  the  charges  he  has  ever  made  against  her.  Cf. 
Epod.  5  and  S.  i,  8.  With  the  palinodic  form,  cf.  C.  I,  16.  The  date 
of  composition  naturally  falls  after  these  other  two  poems  ;  it  cannot  be 
more  accurately  fixed.  Metre,  58. 

lam  iam  efficaci  do  manus  scientiae, 
supplex  et  oro  regna  per  Proserpinae, 
per  et  Dianae  non  movenda  numina, 
per  atque  libros  carminum  valentium 
5  refixa  caelo  devocare  sidera, 

Canidia,  parce  vocibus  tandem  sacris 
citumque  retro  solve,  solve  turbinem. 


i.  iam  iam :  cf.  2, 68,  where  the 
meaning,  however,  differs,  owing 
to  the  tense  of  the  verb.  So  Ca- 
tullus says  63,  73  iam  iam  dolet 
quodegi.  Intr.  28  c.  — efficaci .  . . 
scientiae :  for  it  has  accomplished 
its  end,  and  Horace  is  forced  to 
recognize  its  power.  —  do  manus : 
yield  like  a  captive  who  extends 
his  hands  for  fetters. 

2  ff .  Horace  adjures  her  by  the 
divinities  and  powers  under  whose 
protection  she  stands.  —  et,  etc. : 
for  the  position  of  the  conjunctions, 
see  Intr.  31.  —  Dianae  :  i.e.  Hecate. 
Cf.n.to5,5i.  —  non  movenda  :  ac- 
cording to  Porphyrio,  equivalent  to 
non  lacessenda  —  not  to  be  dis- 
turbed -with  impunity,  inviolable. 

4  f.  libros,  etc. :  books  contain- 
ing formulae  for  incantations  and 
magic.  Cf.  Acts  19,  19  'And  not 


a  few  of  them  that  practiced  curi- 
ous arts  brought  their  books  to- 
gether, and  burned  them  in  the 
sight  of  all.' — valentium  .  .  .  de- 
vocare: cf.  v.  78  and  n.  to  5,  45. 
—  refixa:  proleptic  —  unfix  and, 
as  if  the  stars  were  fastened  to  the 
vault  of  heaven.  Cf.  Verg.  A.  5, 
527  f.  caelo  ceu  saepe  refixa  \  trans- 
currunt  crinemque  -volantia  sidera 
dncunt. 

6.  parce  :    refrain  from.      Cf. 
C.  3,  14,  12  male  ominatis  par  cite 
•verbis.  —  sacris  :  intentionally  am- 
biguous, meaning  both  'holy '  and 
'accursed.'     Cf.  n.  to  7,  20. 

7.  citum :    a  participle  (ciere), 
proleptically  used  with  retro,  "whirl 
swiftly  backward,  and,  etc. — solve, 
solve:  Intr.  28  b. — turbinem:    a 
rhombus,  or'  bull  roarer,1  em  ployed 
in  magic  rites.     It  was  a  smooth 


456 


EPODOX   LIBER 


[17. 


Movit  nepotem  Telephus  Nereium, 
in  quern  superbus  ordinarat  agmina 
Mysorum  et  in  quern  tela  acuta  torserat. 
Unxere  matres  Iliae  addictum  fens 
alitibus  atque  canibus  homicidam  Hectorem, 
postquam  relictis  moenibus  rex  procidit 
heu  pervicacis  ad  pedes  Achillei. 


board  which,  when  whirled  at  the 
end  of  a  string,  made  a  whirring 
noise,  and  was  supposed  to  exer- 
cise a  charm  over  the  intended 
victim.  To  loose  the  spell  it  was 
whirled  in  the  opposite  direction 
(retro).  It  is  still  in  use  among 
some  uncivilized  peoples.  See 
Andrew  Lang,  Custom  and  Myth, 
p.  29  ff.  Cf.  Theoc.  Id.  2,  30  f. 
o8e  po/u./&>s  6  xdAKeos, 
iTas  |  &s  KCIVOS  Sivotro 
7TO0'  afJ.€T£pr)(ri  Ovpyai.  i  And  as 
whirls  this  brazen  wheel,  so  rest- 
less, under  Aphrodite's  spell,  may 
he  turn  and  turn  about  my  doors, 
(Lang).  Lucian,  Dial.  Meretr. 
4,  5  describes  its  use. 

8-18.  Three  mythical  examples 
of  the  effect  of  supplication.  Tele- 
phus, King  of  the  Mysians,  was 
wounded  by  Achilles  when  the 
Greeks  landed  at  Troy.  His 
wound  would  not  heal,  and  he  was 
finally  forced  to  come  as  a  suppliant 
to  his  enemy,  in  accordance  with 
an  oracle  which  said  he  could  be 
cured  only  by  the  rust  of  the  spear 
that  had  struck  him.  Aged  Pri- 
am's prayers  made  Achilles  relent 
and  give  back  Hector's  body.  Circe 


allowed  Odysseus'  companions  to 
regain  their  human  form. — ne- 
potem .  .  .  Nereium  :  Achilles' 
mother  Thetis  was  the  daughter  of 
Nereus. 

1 1 .  unxere :    i.e.    prepared   for 
burial  Hector's  body.  — addictum : 
i.e.   destined   to   be  the  food  of, 
etc.,  as  a  consolation  to  Patroclus' 
shade.     Cf.  //.  23,  179  ff.  ^aipe'/xot, 
a>  IlaTpOKA.€,  Kai  uv  'Ai'8ao  So/noun  • 
Travra  yap  f/8r)  rot  reXe'w,  ra  Trapot- 
0ev  vnicrrrfv  •  \    SeiScKa.  (J.ev  Tpwtov 
fj.fyaOvfi<av    viea?     ecrdXov 

tt/xa  (roi  TravTus  trvp  ifrOLu  • 

8'  ou   TI   |    8w(TM    Hpia/xiiSr^v   Trupi 

SaTTTe/zcv,  dAAa  Kwecrcriv. 

12.  homicidam  :     reproducing 
the  Homeric  "E/crtop   dv8po<^>dvo5. 

13!  rex:  Priam.  For  the  Ro- 
mans the  pathos  of  the  situation 
lay  not  in  Priam's  loss  of  his  son, 
but  in  the  fact  that  this  mighty 
king  was  forced  to  humiliate  him- 
self and  weep  for  his  son  before 
Achilles.  Cf.  //.  24,  509  f.  6  /xcv 
"ExTopos  dv8po<£ovoio  |  K\OI'  d8tva 
7rpO7rdpoi0£  7ro8a»v  A^tX^os  eAu- 
o-^ct's.  It  is  said  this  passage  moved 
M acaulay  to  tears.  —  pervicacis  : 
obstinate,  but  yielding  in  the  end. 


457 


?.  '53 


HORATI 


15          Saetosa  duris  exuere  pellibus 
laboriosi  remiges  Ulixei 
volente  Circa  membra ;  tune  mens  et  sonus 
relapsus  atque  notus  in  voltus  honor. 
Dedi  satis  superque  poenarum  tibi, 

20          amata  nautis  multum  et  institoribus. 
Fugit  iuventas  et  verecundus  color, 
reliquit  ossa  pelle  amicta  lurida, 
tuis  capillus  albus  est  odoribus ; 
nullum  a  labore  me  reclinat  otium, 

25          urget  diem  nox  et  dies  noctem,  neque  est 


15  f.  The  example  of  Circe  is 
well  chosen.  The  poet  prays  that 
Canidia  like  the  early  sorceress 
will  reverse  her  spell.  —  saetosa : 
i.e.  with  swinish  bristles. — duris 
pellibus  :  abl.  with  exuere.  —  labori- 
osi :  Homeric  TroAirrAas,  TroXvrAiy- 
fiwv:  best  taken  with  Ulixei.  Still, 
cf.  16,  60. 

17  f.  mens  :  Horace  supposes 
that  Circe's  victims  lost  their  minds 
as  well  as  shapes,  but  in  the  Ho- 
meric account  their  fate  is  made 
the  more  pathetic  because  their 
wits  remain.  —  sonus  :  voice.  — 
honor  :  in  contrast  to  the  ugly 
swinish  faces  they  had  just  put  off. 

20.  amata.  etc.  :  in  this  ironi- 
cal compliment  Horace  gives  Cani- 
dia the  best  thrust.  —  nautis  .  .  . 
et  institoribus :  the  lowest  classes  ; 
cf.  n.  to  3,  6,  30. 

21-36.  With  mocking  extrava- 
gance Horace  describes  his  suffer- 
ings.—  fugit,  reliquit,  etc.:  note 
the  animated  asyndeton.  —  iuven- 


tas et  .  .  .  color :  modest  youth's 
fresh  color. 

22.  Horace  is  reduced  to  skin 
and  bones.     He  may  have  derived 
his    description    from    Theoc.    2, 

88    ff.      KCU     fJL€V   |    Xp<W     /XCI/     6/U.OlO? 

eyiVcro  TroAAaKi  6a.\f/w.  |  eppew  8* 
CK  /c£<£uAu«>  Traaat  Tpt'^e?  •  aura  & 
AOITTO.  |  oori'  CT*  ^s  KOI  8tpfjua..  'And 
oftentimes  my  skin  waxed  wan  as 
the  color  of  boxwood,  and  all  my 
hair  was  falling  from  my  head,  and 
what  was  left  of  me  was  but  skin 
and  bones'  (Lang).  Cf.  also 
Sil.  Ital.  2,  466  ff.  iam  lurida  sola 
|  tecta  cute  et  venis  male  iuncta 
trementibits  ossa  \  extant,  consitmp- 
tis  visit  deformia  membris. 

23.  albus  :    whitened.  —  odori- 
bus :  sweet  smelling  (magic)    un- 
guents.    Cf.  5,  59. 

24  f .  labore  :  distress.  —  urget : 
presses  close.  Cf.  C.  2,  18,  \itru- 
ditiir  dies  die.  Note  the  effective 
order  of  the  following.  — neque  est 
levare:  a  Greek  construction. 


458 


EPODON   LIBER 


[17,  38 


levarc  tenta  spiritu  praecordia. 
Ergo  negaturh  vincor  ut  credam  miser, 
Sabella  pectus  increpare  carmina 
caputque  Marsa  dissilire  nenia. 

30          Quid  amplius  vis  ?     O  mare  et  terra,  ardeo 
quantum  neque  atro  delibutus  Hercules 
Nessi  cruore  nee  Sicana  fervida 
virens  in  Aetna  flamma  :  tu,  donee  cinis 
iniuriosis  aridus  ventis  ferar, 

35          cales  venenis  officina  Colchicis. 

Quae  finis  aut  quod  me  manet  stipendium  ? 
Effare !     lussas  cum  fide  poenas  luam, 
paratus  expiare  seu  poposceris 

26  f .  tenta  spiritu :  gasping, 
strained.  —  negatum  :  sc.  a  me, 
equivalent  to  quod  negaveram. 

28  f.  In  apposition  with  negatum. 

—  Sabella  .  . .  Marsa  :  the  Sabines, 
Marsi,   and    (v.  60)   Paeligni,  all 
mountain    folk,    were    skilled    in 
magic.  —  increpare  :  distress,  assail. 

—  dissilire :  split  in  two.    Popular 
belief  held  that  incantations  liter- 
ally had  this  power  over  snakes. 
Cf.    Verg.    E.    8,   71  frigidits  in 
pratis  cantando  ruinpitur  anguis. 
and  Ovid.  Am.  2.  i.  25  car  mine  dis- 
silinnt  abrnptis  fancibus  angues. 

30.  o  mare  et  terra  :  a  common 
expression  like  our  'great  heavens.' 
Cf.  Plant.  Trin.  1070  mare  terra 
caelum,  di  vostram  fidem !  and 
Ter.  Ad.  790  o  caelum,  o  terra,  o 
maria  IVeptmti ! 

31  f .  atro :  deadly.  Cf.  C.  I, 
28,  13.  —  delibutus  Hercules:  cf. 
n.  to  3, 1 7.  —  Sicana : 


33  f .  virens  :  ever  burning.  — 
cinis :  a  cinder.  —  iniuriosis  :  re- 
lentless. Cf.  C.  i,  35,  13  f.  iniii- 
rioso  tie  pede  proruas  \  stantem 
columnam. 

35.  cales  :  art  hot.  Canidia  be- 
ing identified  with  officina,  —  she 
is  a  very  'still-house'  of  poisons. 
Cf.    Plaut.     True.    581    stabulutn 
flagiti,  'a  very  stall  of  sin.'  —  Col- 
chicis: cf.  n.  to  5,  21  ;  also  C.  2, 
2,  13,  8. 

36.  stipendium  :    service,  pen- 
alty.   The  figure  of  the  defeated 
foe  (do  mantis  v.  i,  vincor  v.  27) 
is  continued  in  this  word. 

37  f.  Horace  is  willing  to  do 
most  extravagant  penance  (poe- 
nas luam),  whether  she  require 
a  hundred  bullocks  or  even  ask 
that  he  proclaim  her  brilliant 
purity. 

—  seu  .  .  .  sive :  the  same  vari- 
ation C.  1,4,  12. 


459 


'7.  39] 


IIORATI 


centum  iuvencis,  sive  mendaci  lyra 
40  voles,  sonare  '  Tu  pudica,  tu  proba 

perambulabis  astra  sidus  aureum.' 
Infamis  Helenae  Castor  offensus  vicem 
fraterque  magni  Castoris,  victi  prece 
adempta  vati  reddidere  himina : 
45  et  tu  (potes  nam;  solve  me  dementia, 

o  nee  paternis  obsoleta  sordibus, 
nee  in  sepulcris  pauperum  prudens  anus 
novendialis  dissipare  pulveres ! 
Tibi  hospitale  pectus  et  purae  manus, 


39.  mendaci :  a  telling  thrust. 
This  word  like  sacris  v.  6,  has  a 
double  meaning.  His  lyre  may 
be  mendax  in  what  it  has  already 
said  or  in  what  it  will  proclaim. 

40  f .  sonare  :  sound  abroad. 
Cf.  C.  2,  13,  26. — tu  pudica.  tu 
proba  :  so  Catullus  in  mockery 
42,  24  pudica  et  proba,  redde 
codicillos.  —  perambulabis :  for  her 
virtues  Canidia  shall  be  raised  to 
heaven  and  wander  among  the 
other  stars. 

42-44.  Helen's  brothers,  Cas- 
tor and  Pollux,  punished  her  de- 
famer  Stesichorus  with  blindness 
(cf.  C.  4,  9,  8)  ;  his  recantation  is 
preserved  by  Plato,  rhaedr.  243  A. 
OUK  lor'  rrv/ioj  Aoyo-j  OUTOS  |  ov8* 
c/?a;  tv  vi/wiv  eu<re'A./*ois.  owS'  ?*c«o 
Ile'pyafuz  Tpouzs- 

—  vicem :  lot.  —  vati :  a  bard. 
Cf.  n.  to  1 6.  66. 

45.  et  tu  :  •  you  too  have  divine 
power.1  For  the  complimentary 
potes  nam,  cf.  S.  2,3,  283  f.. '  uniim 


me  surpite  mortil  dis  etenim  fa- 
cile est '  orabat. 

46-52.  At  the  very  climax  ot 
the  appeal  Horace  repeats  the 
worst  slanders  current  against 
Canidia.  —  o  nee  paternis,  etc. : 
'unsullied  by  disgraceful  parents,' 
implying  that  Canidia's  parentage 
was  dubious.  With  the  phrase,  cf. 
C.  2,  10,  6  obseleti  sordes  tecti,  and 
Cic.  pro  Sest.  60  (in'rlus)  neque 
alienis  unquam  sordibus  obsolescit. 

47  f.  prudens  anus  :  nor  art  thou 
a  hag  skilled  to  scatter,  etc.  The 
ashes  of  the  poor  whose  relatives 
could  not  protect  their  tombs  were 
stolen  by  such  witches  for  their 
magic  rites  —  novendialis  :  i.e.  just 
put  away.  According  to  Apul. 
Met.  9.  31  the  funeral  rites  were 
not  ended  until  the  ninth  day 
(/iflttff  die  coin  filet  is  apudtitmitlum 
sollemnibus) .  They  closed  appar- 
ently with  a  sacrifice  and  banquet 
in  honor  of  the  dead.  —  pulveres  : 
plural,  to  match  sepulcris. 


460 


EPODON    LIHEK 


[17,60 


50  tuusque  venter  Pactumeius,  et  tuo 

cruore  rubros  obstetrix  pannos  lavit, 
utcumque  fortis  exsilis  puerpera. 
Quid  obseratis  auribus  fundis  preces? 
Non  saxa  nudis  surdiora  navitis 

55  Neptunus  alto  tundit  hibernus  salo. 

Inultus  ut  tu  riseris  Cotyttia 
volgata,  sacrum  liberi  Cupidinis, 
et  Esquilini  pontifex  venefici 
impune  ut  urbem  nomine  impleris  meo  ? 

60  Quid  proderit  ditasse  Paelignas  anus 


49.  tibi :  sc.  est.  —  hospitale 
pectus,  etc. :  some  wish  to  see 
here  a  reference  to  Ep.  5,  but  per- 
haps the  sneer  should  be  taken  in 
a  general  sense. 

50-52.  tuusque  .  .  .  tuo:  Intr. 
28  c.  The  charge  implied  in  5,  5. 
—  venter:  cf.  Livy  1,34,  3  igno- 
rans  nuruin  iientrem  ferre.  — 
Pactumeius  :  a  genuine  Roman 
name.  —  utcumque,  etc  :  as  often 
as,  implying  that  Canidia  has  prac- 
ticed this  deceit  more  than  once : 
her  recovery  is  so  rapid  and  com- 
plete (fortis  exsilis)  that  all  the 
world  knows  her  children  are  sup- 
posititious. 

53.  Canidia's  answer.  The 
poet  skillfully  makes  his  victim 
condemn  herself  by  her  threats  of 
vengeance  on  him,  her  accuser. 

54  f.  non  saxa,  etc. :  this  line 
continues  the  figure,  and  we  may 
translate,  —  rocks  are  not  .  .  .when 
Neptune.  Cf.  C.  3,  7.  21  scopti- 
lis  surdi-ir  Icari. — nudis:  ship- 


wrecked and  stripped  of  all  they 
owned. 

56.  inultus  :  emphatic,  express- 
ing the  gist  of  her  exclamation. 
—  ut :  with  the  subj.  in  exclama- 
tion, —  '  What,  shall  you,'  etc.  — 
Cotyttia :  this  reference  to  the  sen- 
sual orgiastic  worship  of  the  Thra- 
cian  Cotytto  is  only  literary  ;  there 
is  no  evidence  that  it  was  prac- 
ticed at  Rome.  —  sacrum,  etc. : 
added  in  explanation  of  the  fore- 
going. The  rites  are  those  of 
unrestrained  passion  (liberi  Cupi- 
dinis). 

58.  Esquilini,  etc. :  the  inter- 
pretation of  this  is  doubtful.  It 
probably  means  that  Canidia  in 
scorn  calls  him  pontifex,  i.e.  cen- 
sor and  judge  of  her  magic  rites, 
for  the  part  he  had  presumed  to 
play  in  representing  her  and  Sa- 
gana  (S.  i,  8)  busy  with  their  foul 
work  among  the  burial  places  of  the 
poor  on  the  Esquiline.  The  ponti- 
fices  had  oversight  over  all  sacra. 


461 


17,  6 1]  1IORATI 

velociusve  miscuisse  toxicum  ? 
Sed  tardiora  fata  te  votis  manent : 
ingrata  misero  vita  ducenda  est  in  hoc, 
novis  ut  usque  suppetas  laboribus. 

65  Optat  quietem  Pelopis  infidi  pater, 

egens  benignae  Tantalus  semper  dapis, 
optat  Prometheus  obligatus  aliti, 
optat  supremo  conlocare  Sisyphus 
in  monte  saxum :  sed  vetant  leges  lovis. 

70  Voles  modo  altis  desilire  turribus, 

modo  ense  pectus  Norico  recludere, 
frustraque  vincla  gutturi  nectes  tuo 
fastidiosa  tristis  aegrimonia. 


60  f .  quid  proderit :  '  if  I  fail 
now  to  punish  you,  what  will  be 
the  gain?'  etc.  —  Paelignas  anus  : 
from  whom  she  had  learned  sor- 
cery.—  velociusve:  i.e.  in  its  ef- 
fect; connect  with  toxicum. 

62.  sed  tardiora :    '  do  not  im- 
agine  that  you  will  quickly  meet 
your  doom,  as  you  pray  you  may ; 
I    will   bring   on   you  a  lingering 
death  with  all  the  pangs  a  Tanta- 
lus ever  suffered.1 

63.  misero :   for  the  metre,  see 
Intr.  58. —  in   hoc:    to   this   end; 
defined  in  the  following  verses. 

64.  usque :  temporal,  ever,  con- 
stantly. —  laboribus  :    the   regular 
expression  for  the  torments  of  the 
damned.     Cf.  v.  24  and  C.  2,  13, 
38  ;  14,  19  f.  damnat usque  longi  \ 
Sisyphus  Aeolides  laboris. 

65  ff.  Three  examples  of  long 
continued  punishment  such  as 


Canidia  will  inflict  on  Horace.  — 
optat  .  .  .  optat  .  .  .  optat:  foi 
a  similar  anaphora,  cf.  C  2,  16,  i. 
5.  6.  Intr.  28  c.  —  infidi :  because 
he  treacherously  threw  into  the 
sea  his  charioteer  Myrtilus,  through 
whose  aid  he  had  won  Hippoda- 
mia  as  bride.  Sophocles  says  this 
was  the  beginning  of  the  curse 
that  rested  on  all  of  Pelops1  line. 

—  egens  .  .  .  semper :  ever  long- 
ing for.  —  benignae  :    abundant. 
and  so  increasing  his  suffering. 

67!  obligatus  aliti :  the  vulture 
that  continually  fed  on  his  vitals. 

—  supremo  :  equivalent  to  the  more 
common  sntntno  monte. 

70  ff .  '  Thou  wilt  try  all  means 
of  suicide  in  vain.1 — ense  .  .  . 
Norico:  cf.  n.  to  C.  i,  16,  9. — 
pectus  .  .  .  recludere :  cf.  Verg. 
A.  10,  601  turn,  latebras  animae, 
pectits  tinier  one  recludit.  —  vincla  : 


462 


EPODON    LIBER 


[17,81 


Vectabor  umeris  tune  ego  inimicis  eques, 
75  meaeque  terra  cedet  insolentiae. 

An  quae  movere  cereas  imagines, 
ut  ipse  nosti  curiosus,  et  polo 
deripere  lunam  vocibus  possim  meis, 
possim  cremates  excitare  mortuos 
So  desiderique  temperare  pocula, 

plorem  artis  in  te  nil  agentis  exitus  ? 


i.e.  a  noose.  —  fastidiosa :  with 
loathing  weariness.  Cf.  C.  3, 
29,9. 

74.  She  will  tame  him  and  ride 
in  triumph  on  his  shoulders.     In 
certain  children's   games  the  one 
defeated   had  to  carry  the  victor 
about    on    his   back.     Cf.   Plaut. 
A  sin.    699    vehes  pol  hodie    me. 
Such  scenes  were  represented  in 
certain  terra-cotta  groups  and  in 
vase   paintings.     See    Schreiber's 
Atlas,  pi.   79,  8 ;  Baumeister  no. 
836. 

75.  She   will   spurn   the  earth 
in  her  pride  and  mount  to  the  very 
stars.     Cf.  v.  41. 

76  ff.    an :    introducing  an   in- 
terrogative conclusion.     Cf.  6,  15 


'or  shall  I  with  all  my  power  have 
to  weep  over  the  failures  of  my 
art.'  Canidia's  claims  here  repeat 
the  account  of  her  practices  given 
in  S.  i,  8,  30-41. — cereas  imagi- 
nes :  i.e.  puppets  representing  the 
person  to  be  affected.  They  are 
mentioned  in  Theoc.  2,  28  and 
Verg.  E.  8,  80;  similar  images 
are  still  used  in  hoodoo  charms. 

78.  deripere  lunam :  cf.  5,  45  f. 
and  n. 

80  f .  desiderique  poculum  :  love 
philters.  Cf.  5,  38  amoris  pocu- 
Itim,  and  n.  —  plorem  :  delibera- 
tive subjunc.  —  artis  ...  nil  agen- 
tis :  proleptic  with  exitus,  giving 
the  cause  of  her  grief.  —  in  te  :  abl. 
in  thy  case.  —  exitus:  accusative. 


463 


INDEX    TO    FIRST    LINES 


Aeli  vetusto,  3,  17. 
Aequam  memento,  2,  3. 
Albi,  ne  doleas,  i,  33. 
Altera  iam  teritur,  Epod.  1 6. 
Angustam  amice  pauperiem,  3,  2. 
At,  o  deorum,  Epod.  5. 
Audivere,  Lyce,  4,  13. 

Bacchum  in  remotis,  2,  19. 
Beatus  ille,  qui  procul,  Epod.  2. 

Caelo  supinas,  3,  23. 

Caelo  tonantem,  3,  5. 

Cum  tu,  Lydia,  Telephi,  I,  13. 

Cur  me  querellis,  2,  17. 

Delicta  maiorum,  3,  6. 
Descende  caelo,  3,  4. 
Dianam  tenerae  dicite,  I,  21. 
Diffugere  nives,  4,  7. 
Dive,  quern  proles  Niobea,  4, 6. 
Divis  orte  bonis,  4,  5. 
Donarem  pateras,  4,  8. 
Donee  gratus  eram  tibi,  3,  9. 

Eheu  fugaces,  2,  14. 
Est  mihi  nonum  supcrantis,  4,  II. 
Et  ture  et  fidibus  iuvat,  i,  36. 
Exegi  monumentum,  3,  30. 
Extremem  Tanain  si  biberes,  3,  10. 

Faune  Nympharum,  3,  18. 
Festo  quid  potius  die,  3,  28. 

Herculis  ritu  modo  dictus,  3,  14. 
Horrida  tempestas,  Epod.  13. 


Iam  iam  efficaci,  Epod.  17. 
Iam  pauca  aratro,  2,  15. 
Iam  satis  terris,  I,  2. 
Iam  veris  comites,  4,  1 2. 
Ibisliburnisinteralter  navium,  Epod.  i, 
Icci,  beatis  nunc  Arabum,  i,  29. 
Ille  et  nefasto  te  posuit  die,  2,  13. 
Impios  parrae  recinentis,  3,  27. 
Inclusam  Danaen,  3,  16. 
Intactis  oppulentior,  3,  24. 
Integer  vitae,  I,  22. 
Intermissa,  Venus,  diu,  4,  I. 
lustum  et  tenacem,  3,  3. 

Lauclabunt  alii  claram  Rhodon,  I,  7,, 
Lupis  et  agnis,  Epod.  4. 
Lydia,  die,  per  omnes,  I,  8. 

Maecenas  atavis,  I,  I. 

Mala  soluta  navis,  Epod.  IO. 

Martiis  caelebs,  3,  8. 

Mater  saeva  Cupidinum,  I,  19. 

Mercuri,  facunde  nepos,  I,  10. 

Mercuri,  nam  te  docilis,  3,  n. 

Miserarum  est  neque  amori,  3,  12. 

Mollis  inertia  cur,  Epod.  14. 

Montium  custos,  3,  22. 

Motum  ex  Metello,  2,  I. 

Musis  amicus  tristitiam,  I,  26. 

Natis  in  usum  laetitiae,  I,  27. 
Ne  forte  credas,  4,  9. 
Ne  sit  ancillae  tibi  amor,  2,  4. 
Nolis  longa  ferae  bella,  2,  1 2. 
Nondum  subacta  ferre,  2,  5. 
Non  ebur  neque  aureum,  2,  18. 
464 


INDEX  TO  HRST   LINES 


Non  semper  imbres,  2,  9. 

Non  usitata  nee  tenui  ferar,  2,  20. 

Non  vides  quantu,  3,  20. 

Nox  erat  et  caelo,  Epod,  15. 

Nullani,  Vare,  sacra  vite,  I,  18. 

Nullus  argento  color,  2,  2. 

Nunc  est  bibendum,  i,  37. 

O  crudelis  adhuc,  4,  10. 

O  diva,  gratum  quae  regis,  I,  35. 

O  fons  Bandusiae,  3,  13. 

O  matre  pulchra  filia,  I,  16. 

O  nata  mecum  consule,  3,  21. 

O  navis,  referent  in  mare,  I,  14. 

O  saepe  mecuni,  2,  7. 

O  Venus,  regina  Cnidi,  I,  30. 

Odi  profanum  vulgus,  3,  I. 

Otium  divos  rogat,  2,  1 6. 

Parcius  iunctas,  I,  25. 
Purcus  deorum  cultor,  I,  34. 
Parentis  olim  siquis,  Epod.  3. 
Pastor  cum  traheret,  I,  15. 
Persicos  odi,  puer,  I,  38. 
'  Petti,  nihil  me  sicut  antea  iuvat,  Epod. 

II. 

Phoebe  silvarumque  potens,  C.  S. 
Phoebus  vulentem,  4,  15. 
Pindarum  quisquis,  4,  2. 
Poscimur,  siquid,  I,  32. 

Quae  cura  patrum,  4,  14. 
Qualem  ministrum,  4,  4. 
Quando  repostum  Caecubum,  Epod.  9. 


Quantum  distet  ab  Inacho,  3,  19. 
Quern  tu,  Melpomene,  semel,  4,  3. 
Quern  virum  aut  heroa,  1,12. 
Quid  bellicosus  Cantaber,  2,  n. 
Quid  dedicatum  poscit,  I,  31. 
Quid  fles,  Asterie,  3,  7. 
Quid  immerentis  hospites,  Epod.  6. 
Quid  tibi  vis,  mulier,  Epod.  12. 
Quis  desiderio  sit  pudor,  I,  24. 
Quis  multa  gracilis  te  puer,  I,  5. 
Quo  me,  Bacche,  rapis,  3,  25. 
Quo,  quo  scelesti  ruitis,  Epod.  7. 

Rectius  vives,  Licini,  2,  10. 
Rogare  longo  putidam  te,  Epod.  8. 

Scriberis  Vario,  I,  6. 
Septime,  Gadis  aditure,  2,  6. 
Sic  te  diva  potens  Cypri,  I,  3. 
Solvitur  acris  hiems,  i,  4. 

Te  mans  et  terrae,  I,  28. 
Tu  ne  quaesieris,  I,  n. 
Tyrrhena  regum  progenies,  3,  29. 

Vila  si  iuris  tibi,  2,  8. 
Vxor  pauperis  Ibyci,  3,  15. 

Velox  amoenum,  I,  17. 
Vides,  ut  alta,  I,  9. 
Vile  potabis  modicis,  I,  20. 
Vitas  inuleo  me  similis,  i,  23. 
Vixi  puellis  nuper  id  one  us,  3,  a6r 


HOK.  CAR.  —  30 


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HORACE 
THE    SATIRES 


WITH   INTRODUCTION   AND   NOTES 
BY 

EDWARD    P.    MORRIS 

PROFESSOR   OF    LATIN    IN    YALE   COLLEGE 


NEW  YORK  •  :•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  BY 
EDWARD  P.  MORRIS  AND  MORRIS  H.   MORGAN. 

ENTERKO  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL,  LONDON 


MOKRIS.       HORACE      SATIRES. 


PREFACE 

THIS  book  will  be  found  to  differ  from  the  many  excel- 
lent editions  of  the  Satires  accessible  to  American  students 
chiefly  in  the  emphasis  which  I  have  desired  to  place  upon 
the  thought  of  Horace,  as  distinguished  from  the  language 
or  the  verse  or  the  allusions.  That  is,  without  denying 
that  Horace  may  be  made  useful  as  the  basis  for  a  study 
of  Roman  life,  and  without  forgetting  that  it  is  absurd  to 
talk  of  studying  the  thought,  if  the  language  is  only  imper- 
fectly understood,  I  have  nevertheless  believed  that  of  all 
the  Latin  writers  read  in  college  Horace  was  the  pne  in 
whose  writings  literary  form  could  be  most  interestingly 
studied.  In  the  Satires,  too,  the  connection  of  thought  is 
peculiar  and,  at  first,  difficult  to  follow.  To  meet  this  diffi- 
culty and  to  facilitate  the  understanding  of  each  satire  as 
a  whole,  the  introductions  have  been  made  somewhat  fuller 

than  is  usual. 

E.   P.   MORRIS. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  events  in  the  life  of  Horace  are  known  to  us  from  two 
sources  :  first,  from  an  extract  from  Suetonius,  preserved  in  the 
manuscripts  of  Horace  and  printed  below  ;  and,  second,  from  the 
many  personal  allusions  in  his  works. 

Quintus  Horatius  Flaccus  was  born  in  Venusia,  a  Roman 
colony  in  the  borderland  between  Lucania  and  Apulia,  on  the 
8th  of  December,  65  B.C.  His  father  was  a  freed  man,  that  is, 
he  had  been  a  slave,  but  had  bought  his  freedom  or  had  been 
manumitted,  and  was  engaged  in  some  small  business  in  or 
near  Venusia.  He  was  apparently  of  Italian  stock,  and  in 
character  and  circumstances  he  was  a  man  of  the  older  Roman 
type,  energetic,  prudent,  ambitious.  The  ambition  took,  in 
particular,  the  form  of  a  determination  to  give  to  his  son  the 
best  possible  education  and  opportunities,  —  one  of  many  modern 
touches  in  the  life  of  Horace,  —  and  in  furtherance  of  this  de- 
termination he  brought  the  son  to  Rome  and  placed  him  in  one 
of  the  best  schools  of  the  city.  Somewhere  about  45  B.C. 
Horace  went  to  Athens  —  as  young  men  now  go  to  a  university 
—  to  carry  on  studies  and  hear  lectures  on  rhetoric,  philosophy, 
and  mathematics  ;  this  was  the  ordinary  culmination  of  a  Roman 
higher  education,  and  Horace  at  this  time,  as  probably  also  in 
the  school  in  Rome,  formed  associations  and  friendships  with 
young  men  of  intellectual  tastes  and  of  social  position  somewhat 
higher  than  his  own.  While  he  was  still  a  student  at  Athens, 
not  yet  quite  twenty-one,  the  death  of  Caesar  in  March,  44, 
divided  the  Roman  world  into  two  hostile  camps,  and  when 

7 


INTRODUCTION 

Brutus  came  to  Athens  in  the  late  summer  of  44,  on  his  way  to 
assume  the  governorship  of  Macedonia  and  Asia  Minor,  Horace 
abandoned  his  studies  and  accompanied  him  with  the  nominal 
title  of  tribunus  militum.  Of  the  two  years  that  intervened  be- 
tween the  death  of  Caesar  and  the  battle  of  Philippi,  in  42,  there 
is  no  record  except  the  rather  juvenile  seventh  satire  of  the 
First  Book.  It  is  probable  that  his  father  had  died  and  that  the 
property  had  been  lost,  perhaps  confiscated  ;  for  when  Horace 
returned  to  Rome  in  41,  he  was  obliged  to  support  himself  by 
taking  a  clerkship  in  the  treasury  department ;  here  he  began 
his  career  as  a  writer. 

Behind  these  bare  facts  of  his  early  life  the  temperament  and 
character  of  Horace  were  taking  shape.  The  story  has  in  it 
so  much  that  is  modern  that  we  are  perhaps  in  danger  of  forcing 
the  analogies,  yet  the  outlines  of  the  process  are  clear.  Horace 
was  a  country  boy,  trained  in  the  prudent  traditions  of  a  quiet 
life  ;  his  father  desired  for  him  the  rise  in  station  which  he  had 
himself  only  partially  achieved,  and  sought  it  by  means  of  a 
higher  education  and  more  stimulating  associations  than  a  re- 
mote village  could  afford.  From  the  studies  of  the  university 
the  young  man  was  plunged  into  the  floods  of  civil  war,  following 
the  leadership  of  the  half-mystical  and  wholly  romantic  Brutus. 
He  returned  to  Rome  a  pardoned  rebel ;  the  cause  which  he 
still  believed  to  have  been  the  cause  of  liberty  was  lost;  his  hopes 
of  advancement  in  public  life  were  at  an  end ;  his  father  was 
dead,  his  friends  scattered,  his  property  gone.  Obscure,  disap- 
pointed, perhaps  a  little  embittered,  he  was  to  begin  life  over 
again.  If  this  young  man  seems  a  different  person  from  the  Hor- 
ace whom  we  associate  with  graceful  love  poems  and  the  doctrine 
of  the  golden  mean,  it  is  only  because  we  accept  the  result 
without  following  the  process  which  led  to  it.  For  the  two 
are  identical ;  there  is  no  break  in  the  development ;  indeed, 
it  is  out  of  precisely  such  material  that  the  mellow  and  penetrat- 
ing commentator  upon  life  is  made,  when  success  and  recogni- 

8 


INTRODUCTION 

tion,  as  well  as  disenchantment  and  difficulty,  have  done  their 
part  in  shaping  his  character. 

It  was  in  the  decade  between  41,  when  he  returned  after 
Philippi,  and  30,  when  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  he  published  the 
Epodes  and  the  Second  Book  of  Satires,  that  his  character  and 
his  life  philosophy  were  matured.  Few  events  are  known  to  us 
out  of  these  years.  In  39  or  38  he  was  introduced  by  Vorgil 
and  Varius  to  Maecenas,  and  in  33  he  received  from  Maecenas 
the  gift  of  the  Sabine  farm,  which  was  in  a  special  sense  his 
home  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  But  the  intimacy  with  the  circle 
of  poets  and  critics  who  were  gathered  about  Maecenas,  greatly 
as  it  stimulated  him,  and  the  lasting  friendship  with  Maecenas 
himself,  with  all  the  resulting  benefits,  were  only  important  in- 
cidents in  his  development;  his  real  life  was  in  his  writings. 
He  began  with  a  group  of  three  satires,  2,  7,  and  8  of  Book  I, 
and  it  was  these  which,  with  some  of  the  Epodes,  brought  him 
to  the  notice  of  Vergil,  and  ultimately  of  Maecenas.  They  are 
plainly  the  work  of  a  young  writer.  The  seventh,  though  it  is 
well  written,  is  trivial ;  the  eighth  is  a  kind  of  burlesque  Priapus- 
poem,  without  wit  or  real  humor,  unpleasantly  personal  and  with 
no  marked  attractiveness  of  style.  Of  the  second  it  must  be 
said  plainly  that  it  is  an  attempt  to  draw  attention  by  jesting 
indecency  ;  there  is  no  other  possible  interpretation  of  the  choice 
of  subject.  On  the  other  hand,  the  style  of  the  seventh  is  good, 
the  eighth  is  better  than  most  poems  of  its  kind,  and  the  second, 
except  in  the  choice  of  subject,  is  the  real  Horace,  easy  in  style 
and  handling,  humorous  and  yet  in  a  certain  way  serious.  There 
is  enough  of  sharpness  and  even  of  bitterness  in  it  to  explain  the 
criticisms  that  it  brought  upon  the  writer,  and  the  tone  of  the 
next  satire,  4  of  Book  I,  shows  that  Horace  was  himself  aware 
that  the  earlier  satires  needed  defense,  if  not  apclogy.  But  a 
clear-sighted  critic,  on  the  lookout,  as  the  members  of  the  circle 
of  Maecenas  were,  for  young  men  of  promise,  would  certainly 
have  seen  that  the  writer  of  these  poems  was  a  man  not  to  be 


INTRODUCTION 

neglected.  The  satires  which  followed  the  admission  of  Horace 
to  the  friendship  of  Vergil  and  Varius  and  Maecenas  need  no 
specific  comment  beyond  that  which  will  be  found  in  the  special 
introductions ;  they  are  not  the  work  of  an  obscure  beginner, 
but  of  a  man  tempered  by  association  with  men  of  taste,  mel- 
lowed by  friendly  recognition,  and  already  master  of  an  easy 
style  and  a  sane  and  humorous  philosophy  of  life. 

His  choice  of  satire  as  a  means  of  expression  is  explained  by 
Horace  in  Sat.  i,  10,  40-47  ;  he  says  that  other  fields  — comedy, 
tragedy,  the  epic,  the  bucolic  —  were  already  occupied,  and  that 
satire  alone  seemed  open  to  him.  But  this  explanation  is  not  to 
be  taken  seriously  ;  the  causes  which  determined  his  choice  were 
deeper,  partly  in  his  own  temperament,  partly  in  the  conditions 
of  his  time.  He  was  by  nature  an  observer  of  men  ;  he  found  in 
the  interplay  of  character  and  circumstance  a  spectacle  of  con- 
stant interest,  and  the  account  which  he  gives  (Sat.  1,4,  105-143) 
of  the  teachings  of  his  father  and  of  his  own  habitual  attitude, 
however  humorous  the  application  which  he  makes  of  it,  is 
essentially  true.  To  a  man  of  such  a  habit  of  mind  satire,  in 
the  sense  which  Horace  gave  to  the  word,  as  a  good-natured 
commentary,  that  is,  upon  the  follies  and  upon  the  virtues,  too, 
of  the  men  with  whom  he  lived,  was  the  most  natural  vehicle  of 
expression.  In  so  far  as  he  was  inclined  toward  more  serious 
and  emotional  expression,  he  used  at  first  the  half-lyrical  form 
of  the  Epodes,  and  the  absence  of  the  more  profound  feelings 
from  the  Satires  is  to  be  explained  in  part  by  the  fact  that  they 
found  another  outlet  in  such  poems  as  Kpodes  4,  7,  9,  and  16. 
But  these  strongly  emotional  verses  look  backward  to  the  tem- 
pestuous past ;  they  express  the  attitude  of  the  obscure  and 
defeated  republican,  struggling  with  circumstances  and  not  yet 
in  harmony  with  himself,  and  their  subjects  belong  rather  to 
the  period  of  strife  than  to  the  new  era  upon  which  Rome  was 
entering.  The  Augustan  Age,  precisely  because  it  checked  the 
vigorous  public  activities  of  the  preceding  period  and  turned 

10 


INTRODUCTION 

men  back  upon  science  and  philosophy  and  law  and  literature, 
was  of  all  periods  in  Roman  history  the  one  which  offered  the 
most  inviting  material  for  humorous  commentary.  As  on  the 
crowded  streets  of  the  city  men  of  every  country  and  of  all 
stations  met  and  passed  on,  —  a  peasant  from  the  mountains,  a 
deposed  Eastern  king,  a  Greek  philosopher,  a  Roman  noble,  — 
so  in  the  complex  social  structure  motives  of  every  possible 
form  and  color  were  at  work.  Though  public  activities  were 
checked,  the  office-holding  and  office-seeking  politician  flourished 
as  he  always  flourishes  under  a  one-man  power,  and  his  ambi- 
tions, selfish  enough,  yet  not  wholly  unworthy,  were  an  open 
invitation  to  discriminating  satire.  The  immense  business 
interests,  too,  which  centered  at  Rome,  presented  then,  as  now, 
their  puzzling  mixture  of  motives  and  of  influences,  and  it  was  to 
the  man  of  business  that  Horace  addressed  the  satire  which  was 
the  preface  to  his  first  collected  publication,  as  if  the  business 
man  was  to  him  the  most  marked  figure  of  the  age.  Inter- 
mingled with  these  ambitions  as  a  kind  of  common  reward  for 
every  form  of  success  was  the  prize  of  social  recognition  and 
prominence,  which  seems  to  have  had  for  a  Roman,  with  his 
outspoken  personal  conceits  and  vanities,  an  attractiveness  even 
greater  and  more  general  than  it  has  in  modern  societies  ;  and 
certainly  no  spectacle  offers  itself  more  invitingly  to  the  genial 
satirist  than  the  spectacle  of  the  social  struggle.  Horace  played 
his  part  in  society,  as  Thackeray  did,  and  gathered  material  for 
his  Book  of  Snobs.  Somewhat  apart  from  all  these  rivalries, 
but  with  rivalries  no  less  keen  in  their  own  sphere,  were  the  two 
schools  of  philosophy,  the  Epicurean  and  the  Stoic.  Horace  is 
often,  in  a  vague  way,  regarded  as  an  Epicurean,  but  he  was,  in 
fact,  of  no  school  or  of  a  school  of  his  own,  and  it  is  not  as  an 
Epicurean  that  he  occasionally  strikes  a  sudden  blow  at  a  Stoic, 
or,  more  often,  burlesques  the  paradoxes  of  the  school  with 
ironical  solemnity.  He  recognized  the  underlying  truth  of  the 
Stoics ;  he  was  by  no  means  unconscious  of  the  seriousness  of 

ii 


INTRODUCTION 

life;  he  was,  indeed,  himself  a  preacher;  but  he  was  also  a 
discriminating  humorist,  and  the  formal  Stoic,  apparently  more 
concerned  about  the  growth  of  his  beard  than  about  his  growth 
in  grace,  and  more  insistent  upon  the  phraseology  of  his  doctrines 
than  upon  their  intelligibility,  appealed  to  both  sides  of  his 
mind.  In  the  long  picture  gallery  of  the  Satires  no  figure  is 
more  frequently  recurrent.  Nor  did  Horace  neglect  the  men  of 
his  own  craft.  The  Augustan  Age,  which  is  often  called  the 
golden  age  of  Latin  literature,  was,  at  any  rate,  a  period  most 
prolific  in  skillful  writers.  Through  chance  allusions,  serious  or 
satirical,  we  are  able  to  see,  behind  the  figures  of  the  greater 
poets  whose  writings  have  survived  to  our  times,  a  long  array  of 
men  of  lesser  rank,  not  undistinguished  among  their  contempo- 
raries, and  undoubtedly  writers  of  merit.  And  below  them  was 
the  crowd  of  poets  and  historians  and  critics  and  essayists  whose 
names  even  have  been  lost.  Here  was  rich  material  for  the  satirist, 
and  material  especially  for  such  a  satirist  as  Horace,  who  was 
always  as  much  critic  as  poet  and  interested  alike  in  the  practice 
and  in  the  theory  of  his  art.  Somewhat  less  prominent  in  the 
life  of  the  city,  yet  marked  enough  to  give  occasional  color  to 
the  scene,  were  various  minor  caprices  or  eccentricities,  each 
with  its  little  circle  of  devotees.  There  were  the  collectors  of 
old  bronzes  and  tableware,  indifferent  to  the  artistic  imperfec- 
tions of  their  rare  pieces,  but  credulous  of  their  antiquity.  The 
professional  musicians  formed,  then  as  now,  a  class  by  them- 
selves, with  their  own  standards  and  judgments.  Petty  officials 
rejoiced  in  opportunities  to  display  themselves  in  elaborate 
costume.  It  is  in  part  the  notice  which  Horace  has  bestowed 
upon  them  that  makes  the  so-called  legacy  hunters  seem  to  have 
been  so  numerous  in  Rome,  but  the  brilliant  satire  in  which 
their  arts  are  burlesqued  was  the  product  of  observation,  not  of 
invention.  The  proper  arrangement  of  a  menu  and  the  doctrines 
of  gastronomy  were  quite  certainly  matters  of  serious  concern  to 
many  persons  in  Roman  society,  though  it  is  possible  that  the 


INTRODUCTION 

humorously  detailed  descriptions  and  travesties  in  the  Second 
Hook  make  the  followers  of  this  particular  mania  more  promi- 
nent than  they  actually  were  in  Roman  life.  But  certainly  the 
society  to  which  Horace's  friendship  with  Maecenas  gave  him 
access  was  a  highly  complex  society,  one  which  brought  before 
his  observant  eye  a  most  interesting  variety  of  types  and  of  in- 
dividuals, and  invited  good-humored  comment  and  even  caustic 
remark.  The  Satires  are  not  the  result  of  so  mechanical  a 
choice  as  Horace  jokingly  implies,  but  the  inevitable  expression 
of  the  reflections  of  such  a  man  as  Horace  was  upon  such  a 
society  as  that  of  the  Augustan  Age. 

The  form  which  Horace's  commentary  on  life  was  to  take 
was  already  determined  for  him.  In  this  respect  ancient 
literature  was  to  a  high  degree  conventional  and  traditional ; 
when  once  the  type  was  fixed  by  the  influence  of  some  great 
originator,  the  range  of  subsequent  deviation  from  the  type  was 
small.  Didactic  poetry  was  written  in  hexameters  from  Hesiod 
to  Ovid  ;  innovator  as  Euripides  was,  his  variations  from  the 
norm  of  tragedy  are  in  reality  slight.  Form  and  content  are 
identified  under  one  name  in  the  iambi  of  Archilochus.  The 
form  of  Roman  satire,  or  at  least  the  prevalent  form,  was  fixed 
by  C.  Lucilius.  He  was  an  eques  of  the  period  of  the  Gracchi 
and  the  younger  Scipio  Africanus,  a  man  of  education  and  rank, 
a  conservative  in  politics,  and  a  writer  of  force  and  courage. 
His  range  of  subjects  was  not  very  different  from  that  of  Horace, 
—  literary  criticism,  ethical  discussion,  social  comment,  —  but 
a  large  place  was  occupied  by  political  satire,  which  was  almost 
inevitable  in  that  stormy  period  and  in  the  writings  of  a  friend 
of  Scipio.  In  tone  he  was,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  from  the 
extant  fragments  and  from  the  statements  of  his  successors, 
extremely  personal  and  harsh.  The  fact  that  the  fragments  of 
his  writings  have  come  down  largely  in  quotations  by  the  gram- 
marians, who  were  interested  chiefly  in  unusual  words  or 
phrases,  makes  it  difficult  to  form  an  independent  judgment 


INTRODUCTION 

of  his  style.  The  longest  quotation,  a  definition  of  virtus  in 
thirteen  verses,  is  not  without  dignity  of  thought  and  expres- 
sion, but  in  general  the  criticism  of  Horace,  that  Lucilius 
wrote  too  freely  and  with  too  little  attention  to  finish  of  style, 
seems  to  be  justified.  The  loss  of  his  writings  is  a  loss  to  lin- 
guistic and  literary  history,  rather  than  to  literature  itself.  But 
he  performed  the  great  service  of  determining  both  the  tone  and 
the  form  of  satire.  He  gave  to  it  for  all  time  that  critical  and 
censorious  tone  which  is  still  associated  with  the  name  and, 
after  considerable  experiment  with  other  verse  forms  which  had 
been  used  by  Ennius,  he  settled  upon  the  hexameter  as  the 
most  suitable  meter.  In  selecting  satire  as  his  field,  Horace 
therefore  felt  himself  bound  by  all  the  force  of  strong  tradition 
to  a  certain  tone  and  a  certain  verse. 

But  the  force  of  tradition  and  convention  in  ancient  literature, 
strong  as  it  was,  did  not  preclude  originality  ;  it  merely  set  the 
bounds  within  which  originality  might  work.  Of  imitation,  in 
any  proper  sense  of  the  word,  that  is,  of  attempt  to  copy  as 
closely  as  possible  the  work  of  an  older  writer,  there  is  very 
little  evidence  in  Greek  or  Latin  literature,  and  Horace,  setting 
himself  to  write  Lucili  ritu,  as  he  says,  accepting  as  his  starting 
point  the  definition  which  Lucilius  had  given  to  satire,  was 
also  acutely  conscious  of  the  imperfections  of  his  predecessor, 
and  fully  determined  to  avoid  them  in  his  own  work.  The 
most  evident  of  these  imperfections  was  in  the  matter  of  style. 
The  fragments  of  the  satires  of  Lucilius  are  bold  and  crude  in 
expression  ;  they  say  what  was  to  be  said,  but  they  say  it  with- 
out charm.  There  is  no  evidence  of  care  for  workmanship, 
of  pleasure  in  attractive  expression.  But  between  Lucilius 
and  Horace  was  the  great  Ciceronian  period,  in  which  the  whole 
subject  of  Latin  style  in  prose  and  in  verse  was  most  warmly 
debated  by  men  who  were  daily  practicing  the  art  of  writing. 
Two  generations  had  contributed  to  raise  the  standard  of  good 
style,  and  Horace  and  the  friends  with  whom  he  lived  were 


INTRODUCTION 

desirous  of  raising  it  still  further.  Horace  was,  besides,  by 
nature  a  literary  artist,  to  whom  the  shaping  of  phrases  into 
effective  and  pleasing  form  was  an  end  in  itself.  It  is,  indeed, 
surprising  to  a  modern  reader  that  the  justice  of  his  guarded 
and  moderate  criticisms  of  the  style  of  Lucilius  should  have 
been  questioned  by  any  intelligent  student  of  Latin  literature 
in  the  Augustan  Age.  That  he  was  entirely  successful  in  his 
attempt  to  improve  in  respect  to  style  upon  the  work  of  his 
predecessor  has  never  been  doubted. 

The  other  direction  in  which  Horace  endeavored  to  sur- 
pass Lucilius,  without  deviating  too  widely  from  the  type,  led 
him  into  greater  difficulties.  The  satire  of  Lucilius  was  un- 
doubtedly pungent  and  bitter  in  its  attacks  upon  persons  and 
upon  parties,  and  this  savageness  of  tone,  which  in  various 
forms  was  familiar  and  agreeable  to  the  Romans,  was,  in  fact, 
an  essential  element  in  satire  of  the  Lucilian  type.  But  it 
was  in  every  way  impossible  in  the  Augustan  Age  ;  the  polit- 
ical situation  between  42  and  31  B.C.  would  not  have  borne 
rough  handling,  and  the  softening  of  manners  had  put  a  check 
upon  personalities.  The  problem,  therefore,  which  presented 
itself  to  Horace  was  to  retain  the  pungency  of  individual 
criticism  without  violation  of  the  canons  of  good  taste  and  with- 
out offense  to  public  men.  A  part  of  the  problem  he  made  no 
attempt  to  solve;  he  left  politics  out  of  his  satire  entirely, 
even  at  the  time  when  his  patriotic  feeling  was  expressing 
itself  in  the  Epode  quo,  quo  scclesti  ruitis?  and  in  Epode  16. 
But  to  the  problem  of  giving  to  his  satire  the  appearance 
without  the  reality  of  personal  attack,  he  addressed  himself 
with  much  ingenuity.  The  Satires  seem  to  bristle  with  proper 
names,  but  examination  shows  that  only  a  very  few  of  the 
allusions  are  in  fact  personal  attacks.  Many  of  the  names 
are  taken  from  Lucilius  and  had  long  since  ceased  to  be 
anything  but  types  in  literature.  Others  are  from  the  Cice- 
ronian period,  the  names  of  men  who  were  then  notorious. 

15 


INTRODUCTION 

Still  others,  men  of  Horace's  day,  were  in  their  lifetime  al- 
ready so  much  the  subject  of  open  gossip  and  comment  that 
an  allusion  to  them  was  no  more  properly  offensive  or,  indeed, 
personal,  than  an  allusion  in  a  modern  newspaper  to  the  men 
whose  names  are  upon  everybody's  lips.  Many  names  are 
fictitious,  some  pure  inventions  like  the  names  in  a  novel, 
others  disguising  an  allusion  to  a  real  person.  The  residuum 
of  actual  personality,  such  as  would  be  offensive  to  modern 
feeling,  is  extremely  small:  Direct  attack  upon  an  individual 
was,  in  fact,  as  little  to  Horace's  taste  as  to  our  own,  and 
was  incompatible  with  the  lightness  of  touch  which  he  was 
endeavoring  to  attain.  Even  the  semblance  of  seve.rity,  which 
the  Lucilian  tradition  obliged  him  to  maintain  in  his  earlier 
work,  grows  less  distinct  as  he  becomes  conscious  of  his  pe- 
culiar powers.  The  Second  Book  has  less  of  it  than  the  First ; 
indeed,  the  first  satire  of  that  book  is  a  kind  of  travesty  of 
the  severely  personal  satire  and,  by  implication,  a  renuncia- 
tion of  it.  The  place  of  Horace  in  the  history  of  Roman 
satire  is,  it  is  true,  in  the  line  of  succession  from  Lucilius, 
but  his  own  contribution  to  that  history  amounts  almost  to 
the  creation  of  a  new  literary  genre,  a  new  variety  of  satire. 

The  events  in  the  life  of  Horace  after  the  publication  of  the 
Epodes  and  the  Second  Book  in  30  B.C.  are  of  interest  to  the 
reader  of  the  Satires  only  in  so  far  as  they  interpret  his  earlier 
period.  He  turned  at  once  from  satire  to  lyric  poetry,  following 
still  further  the  path  upon  which  he  had  entered  in  the  Epodes, 
and  published  in  23  B.C.  the  first  three  books  of  the  Odes,  to 
which  he  gave  the  best  of  his  powers  and  the  best  years  of  his 
life.  Aside  from  other  and  more  determining  motives,  —  the 
inner  impulse  and  the  fact  that  the  lyric  is  a  higher  form  of  art 
than  satire, — the  choice  doubtless  indicates  also  a  feeling  that 
he  had  for  the  time  exhausted  the  field  of  satire,  that  he  had 
carried  his  modifications  of  the  Lucilian  type  as  far  as  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  carry  them.  But  the  habit  of  observation 

16 


INTRODUCTION 

was  still  strong  in  him,  and  after  the  publication  of  the  Odes 
he  resumed  his  commentary  on  life  and  society  in  the  form 
of  epistles  in  hexameter.  By  the  choice  of  a  new  and  different 
form  he  freed  himself  from  the  limitations  of  satire ;  at  the 
same  time,  as  the  tradition  of  the  epistle  in  verse  was  less 
definitely  fixed,  the  new  form  did  not  hamper  him.  The  in- 
terval that  separates  such  a  satire  as  2,  6  from  such  an  epistle 
as  i ,  7  is  very  slight ;  by  addressing  the  satire  to  Maecenas,  he 
could  easily  have  made  it  an  epistle  in  form,  and  with  a  few 
modifications  the  epistle  might  have  been  published  with  the 
Satires.  It  might  be  said  that  the  three  collections  of  hexame- 
ter poetry  represent  three  steps  in  a  continuous  process  ;  the 
First  Book  of  the  Satires  is,  in  the  main,  satire  after  the  man- 
ner of  Lucilius,  the  Second  Book  is  an  experiment  with  the 
dialogue  form,  and  the  First  Book  of  the  Epistles  marks  the 
complete  breaking  away  from  the  Lucilian  tradition.  They  are 
three  stages  in  the  working  out  of  a  literary  form  within  which 
the  temperament  of  Horace  could  express  itself  with  the  least 
possible  sense  of  restriction. 

Before  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  2;th  of  November, 
8  B.C.,  Horace  was  already  recognized  as  the  greatest  of  Ro- 
man lyric  poets  and  as  the  most  conspicuous  figure,  next  to 
Vergil,  in  the  literature  of  his  time.  This  position  his  poems 
retained  after  his  death ;  they  were  universally  read  and  were 
used  as  text-books  in  schools.  Critical  and  learned  commen- 
tary began  to  gather  about  them  in  the  first  century  of  the  Em- 
pire, and,  before  the  fall  of  Roman  power  in  the  West,  copies 
of  his  works  were  in  wide  circulation,  often  prefaced  by  the 
account  of  his  life  from  Suetonius  and  annotated  with  scholia. 
During  the  Middle  Ages,  when  knowledge  of  the  ancient  world 
was  at  its  lowest,  his  poems  were  still  read  in  schools  and  fre- 
quently copied  in  the  monastery  libraries,  and  with  the  Revival 
of  Learning  many  editions  were  issued  from  the  early  printing 
presses.  In  modern  times  they  have  formed  a  part  of  the 

HOR.  SAT.  —  2  17 


INTRODUCTION 

school  or  university  curriculum  in  all  countries ;  they  have  been 
translated  more  often  than  the  works  of  any  other  ancient 
writer,  and  have  deeply  influenced  modern  literature.  All  this 
is  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  poetry  has  been 
held  by  scholars  and  men  of  letters ;  the  estimate  of  men  of 
affairs,  of  men  outside  of  academic  life,  is  somewhat  similar. 
For  it  is  probably  true  that  of  all  the  writers  of  Greek  and  Latin 
poetry  —  many  of  them  greater  than  Horace  —  no  one  has  so 
frequently  been  carried  away  from  the  university  life  and  be- 
come a  part  of  the  familiar  intellectual  furniture  of  educated 
men  in  active  life.  The  explanation  of  an  interest  so  wide- 
spread and  so  long-continued  is  not,  of  course,  to  be  sought  in 
those  qualities  or  characteristics  which  Horace  shares  with 
other  writers.  He  reflects,  it  is  true,  a  highly  interesting  period 
in  history,  but  the  letters  of  Cicero  are  an  even  more  vivid  re- 
flection of  a  more  critical  period.  His  poetic  form,  as  it  is 
worked  out  in  the  lyrics,  is  most  admirable,  and  poetic  form  is 
one  of  the  main  reasons  for  our  continued  study  of  the  two 
classic  literatures,  but  the  range  of  its  attractive  power  is 
limited.  That  which  has  differentiated  Horace  from  other 
writers  and  made  him  permanently  attractive  to  men  of  widely 
varied  taste  is  independent  of  his  circumstances  and,  to  a  con- 
siderable degree,  of  his  artistic  form ;  it  lies  partly  in  the 
personal  character  which  his  writings  disclose  and  partly  in  the 
permanent  worth  of  his  comments  upon  life. 

The  character  of  a  writer  or  an  artist  as  it  shows  itself  in  his 
work  must  be  learned  by  indirection,  by  impressions  repeated 
and  deepened  into  familiarity.  For  this  kind  of  personal  ac- 
quaintance Horace  gives  abundant  material.  Enough  has  been 
said  above  to  correct  the  notion  that  he  was  a  dilettante,  playing 
with  life.  He  was,  it  is  true,  fundamentally  an  observer  rather 
than  an  actor,  and  he  was  by  temperament  genial  and  tolerant ; 
these  are  the  qualities  upon  which  the  charm  of  his  personality 
rests  ;  but  a  merely  temperamental  tolerance  is,  like  tempera- 

18 


INTRODUCTION 

mental  optimism,  a  very  superficial  and  uninteresting  quality. 
Horace  was  a  man  of  warm  feeling  and  of  strong  convictions, 
though  his  convictions  are  in  part  alien  to  our  thought,  and  the 
lightness  with  which  he  sometimes  touches  serious  things  is  not 
the  lightness  of  carelessness.  He  had  learned  early,  not  with- 
out struggle  and  pain,  the  lesson  of  adjustment  to  the  limita- 
tions of  life,  had  learned  that  the  secret  of  a  composed  and 
dignified  life  lies  in  the  acceptance  of  the  inevitable.  Even  in 
his  less  cheerful  moods  he  faced  his  heaviest  losses  with  steadi- 
ness :  — 

durum  :  sed  levius  fit  patientia, 

quidquid  corrigere  est  nefas. 

But  his  ordinary  mood  was  not  tragic ;  he  preferred  to  meet 
life  with  a  smile,  not  underestimating  the  possibilities  of  loss 
and  trouble,  but  also  not  overestimating  them.  And  it  is  the 
fact  that  his  genial  acceptance  of  life  rests  upon  a  foundation  of 
cool  judgment  and  shrewd  comprehension  that  gives  it  mean- 
ing. It  is  this  combination  that  makes  him  the  philosopher  for 
men  of  the  world.  For  the  man  of  affairs,  if  he  is  conscious  of 
life  at  all,  is  seeking  for  a  formula  which  will  include  all  the 
follies  and  weaknesses  of  men  and  will  teach  him  how  to  accept 
them  with  a  smile.  The  real  meaning  of  Horace's  philosophy 
is  poorly  expressed  by  ////  admirari,  as  the  words  are  commonly 
understood,  and  not  very  well  by  aurea  mediocritas ;  it  is  a  phi- 
losophy of  comprehension  and  tolerance,  and  the  charm  of  his 
personality  is  that  he  so  perfectly  embodies  his  own  doctrine. 

The  value  of  his  comments  upon  men  and  society  lies  partly 
in  the  application  of  his  philosophy  to  life,  partly  in  the  peculiar 
forms  in  which  he  expresses  it.  His  satires,  and,  to  a  less 
degree,  his  epistles,  are  a  picture  gallery.  He  does  not  describe 
individuals  or,  if  he  does,  it  is  in  terms  so  general  as  to  make 
them  types  ;  his  little  pictures  are  done  in  few  lines,  but  in  lines 
so  expressive  that  they  tell  the  essential  truth  about  a  man. 
Such  a  characterization  as  that  of  Tigellius  in  Sat.  i ,  3  or  that 

19 


INTRODUCTION 

of  Damasippus  in  Sat.  2,  3,  or  the  longer  description  by  sugges- 
tion in  Sat.  i,  9,  is  as  true  and  as  recognizable  now  as  it  was 
when  it  was  written,  because  it  presents  the  essential  qualities 
which  are  of  no  single  period  or  race.  The  power  to  draw 
such  pictures  is  not,  it  is  true,  the  highest  kind  of  artistic  power, 
and  it  does  not  necessarily  carry  with  it  either  a  profound  phi- 
losophy or  great  breadth  of  view.  Great  artists  have  lacked  it, 
and  some  caricaturists  have  had  it.  The  most  obvious  modern 
illustrations  are  in  fiction ;  George  Eliot  had  not  a  trace  of  it ; 
Anthony  Trollope  had  it  in  a  high  degree.  Such  little  pictures 
do  not  teach  us  the  meaning  of  life,  in  its  larger  aspects  and 
relations.  They  teach  us  in  a  nearer  way  about  people  ;  they 
show  us  how  to  analyze  and  classify  ;  they  stimulate  our  in- 
telligent comprehension  of  the  men  we  meet.  The  reader  of 
Horace,  if  he  gets  his  lesson  truly,  understands  better  the  man 
who  sits  in  the  seat  next  to  him,  and,  if  he  becomes  a  true 
disciple,  he  understands  himself  better,  too. 


<o 


^  INTRODUCTION 

VITA   HORATII  . 
FROM  SUETONIUS,  De  Viris  Illustribus 

Q.  Horatius  Flaccus  Venusinus,  patre,  ut  ipse  tradit,  libertine 
et  exactionum  coactore,  ut  vero  creditum  est,  salsamentario,  cum 
illi  quidam  in  altercatione  exprobrasset :  '  quotiens  ego  vidi  pa- 
trem  tuum  brachio  se  emungentem  ! '  Bello  Philippensi  excitus 
a  M.  Bruto  imperatore  tribunus  militum  meruit,  victisque  parti- 
bus  venia  impetrata  scriptum  quaestorium  comparavit.  Ac  prinio 
Maecenati,  mox  Augusto  insinuatus  non  mediocrem  in  amborum 
amicitia  locum  tenuit.  Maecenas  quantopere  eum  dilexerit  satis 
testatur  illo  epigrammate  :  — 

ni  te  visceribus  meis,  Horati, 
plus  iam  cliligo,  tu  tuum  sodalem 
Ninnio  videas  strigosiorem ; 

sed  multo  magis  extremis  iudiciis  tali  ad  Augustum  elogio: 
'  Horati  Flacci  ut  mei  esto  memor.'  Augustus  epistularum 
quoque  ei  officium  obtulit,  ut  hoc  ad  Maecenatem  scripto  sig- 
nificat :  '  ante  ipse  sufficiebam  scribendis  epistulis  amicorum, 
nunc  occupatissimus  et  infirmus  Horatium  nostrum  a  te  cupio 
abducere.  Veniet  ergo  ab  ista  parasitica  mensa  ad  hanc  regiam 
et  nos  in  epistulis  scribendis  adiuvabit.'  Ac  ne  recusanti  qui- 
dem  aut  succensuit  quicquam  aut  amicitiam  suam  ingerere  desiit. 
Extant  epistulae,  e  quibus  argumenti  gratia  pauca  subieci :  '  sume 
tibi  aliquid  iuris  apud  me,  tamquam  si  convictor  mihi  fueris ; 
recte  enim  et  non  temere  feceris,  quoniam  id  usus  mihi  tecum 
esse  volui,  si  per  valitudinem  tuam  fieri  possit.'  Et  rursus  :  '  tui 
qualem  habeam  memoriam  poteris  ex  Septimio  quoque  nostro 
audire  ;  nam  incidit  ut  illo  coram  fieret  a  me  tui  mentio.  Neque 
enim  si  tu  superbus  amicitiam  nostram  sprevisti,  ideo  nos  quoque 
d^uTrepr/^avou/xev.'  Praeterea  saepe  eum  inter  alios  iocos  puris- 
simum  penem  et  homuncionem  lepidissimum  appellat  unaque  et 
altera  liberalitate  locupletavit.  Scripta  quidem  eius  usque  adeo 

21 


INTRODUCTION 

probavit  mansuraque  perpetuo  opinatus  est,  ut  non  modo  Saecu- 
lare  carmen  componendum  iniunxerit,  scd  et  Vindelicam  victo- 
riam  Tiberii  Drusique  privignorum  suorum,  eumque  coegerit 
propter  hoc  tribus  carminum  libris  ex  longo  intervallo  quartum 
addere  ;  post  sermones  vero  quosdam  lectos  nullam  sui  mentio- 
nem  habitam  ita  sit  questus :  '  irasci  me  tibi  scito,  quod  non  in 
plerisque  eius  modi  scriptis  mecum  potissimum  loquaris.  An 
vereris  ne  apud  posteros  infame  tibi  sit,  quod  videaris  familiaris 
nobis  esse  ? '  expresseritque  eclogam  ad  se  cuius  initium  est :  — 

cum  tot  sustineas  et  tanta  negotia  solus, 
res  Italas  armis  tuteris,  moribus  ornes, 
legibus  ememles,  in  publica  commoda  peccem, 
si  longo  sermone  morer  tua  tempora,  Caesar. 

Habitu  corporis  fuit  brevis  atque  obesus,  qualis  et  a  semet  ipso 
in  satiris  describitur  et  ab  Augusto  hac  epistula :  '  pertulit  ad 
me  Oniscus  libellum  tuum,  quern  ego,  ut  excusantem,  quantulus- 
cumque  est,  boni  consulo.  Vereri  autem  mihi  videris  ne  maiores 
libelli  tui  sint  quam  ipse  es,_sed  tibi  statura  deest,  corpusculum 
non  deest.  Itaque  licebit  in  sextariolo  scribas,  quo  circuitus 
voluminis  tui  sit  oy/cwSarruTos,  sicut  est  ventriculi  tui.'  Vixit 
plurimum  in  secessu  ruris  sui  Sabini  aut  Tiburtini  domusque 
eius  ostenditur  circa  Tiburni  luculum.  Venerunt  in  manus  meas 
et  elegi  sub  titulo  eius  et  epistula  prosa  oratione  quasi  commen- 
dantis  se  Maecenati,  sed  utraque  falsa  puto;  nam  elegi  vulgares, 
epistula  etiam  obscura,  quo  vitio  minime  tenebatur.  Xatus  est 
vi.  Idus  Decembris  L.  Cotta  et  L.  Torquato  consulibus,  deces- 
sit  v.  kal.  Decembris  C.  Marcio  Censorino  et  C.  Asinio  Gallo 
consulibus  septimo  et  quinquagesimo  anno,  herede  Augusto 
palam  nuncupate,  cum  urgente  vi  valetudinis  non  sufficeret  ad 
obsignandas  testament!  tabulas.  Humatus  etconditus  est  extre- 
mis Esquiliis  iuxta  Maecenatis  tumulum. 


'  Q.    HORATI    FLACCI 

-          S  E  R  M  O  N  E  S 

LIBER    PRIMVS 

I 

There  is  no  reference  to  current  events  sufficiently  definite  to  fix  the 
date  of  this  Satire  by  internal  evidence.  It  was  written  after  Horace's 
introduction  to  Maecenas  in  38,  and  the  maturity  of  style  and  treatment 
show  a  great  advance  upon  the  early  Satires  of  this  book,  2,  7,  and  8. 
Obviously,  it  is  introductory  to  the  whole  book,  published  in  35,  and  it 
was  probably  written  shortly  before  that  date. 

'  What  is  the  source  of  the  social  discontent  of  our  times?  Not,  cer- 
tainly, as  is  sometimes  said,  in  the  peculiar  hardships  of  this  or  that 
occupation.  The  very  men  who  offer  this  explanation  disprove  it  by 
their  conduct.  Nor  can  the  persistent  devotion  of  men  to  business  be 
justified,  as  some  of  them  appear  to  think,  by  the  praiseworthy  desire 
to  provide  against  future  needs.  It  is  something  deeper  than  this  and 
less  worthy  —  the  mere  desire  to  get  rich,  to  be  richer  than  others. 

'  A  life  given  up  to  this  pursuit  is  no  better  than  the  life  of  the  miser 
of  fiction.  Such  a  man  dares  not  spend  anything,  lest  he  spend  all, 
and  does  not  see  that,  to  one  who  lives  a  natural  life,  the  possession 
of  what  is  never  to  be  used  is  not  a  gain,  but  a  burden. 

'  To  say  that  social  standing  depends  upon  money  is  to  say  what  is 
perhaps  true,  but  is  not  to  the  point.  For  the  result  is  the  same ; 
the  man  with  such  an  ambition  merely  gathers  wealth  to  tantalize  him- 
self, purchasing  only  terrors  and  unhappiness  with  it.  He  kills  the 
natural  affections,  and  spends  his  life  in  providing  against  contingen- 
cies that  will,  in  all  probability,  never  arise.  I  am  not  arguing  that  one 
should  waste  his  money  ;  that  is  only  another  extreme  of  folly ;  between 
the  two  lies  the  safe  middle  course. 

'  The  source  of  our  unhappiness,  to  answer  the  question  with  which 
I  began,  is  the  desire  to  be  rich,  to  be  a  little  richer.  We  forget  the 
many  who  are  poorer  than  we,  and  see  only  the  few  who  are  ahead  of 

23 


1,  I,  i]  IIORATI 

us.  We  spend  our  lives  in  an  ignoble  struggle,  and  we  come  still 
unsatisfied  to  the  end. 

'Enough  of  sermonizing.     I'm  no  Crispinus.' 

The  subject  of  this  introductory  satire  is  the  race  for  wealth.  In  the 
universal  peace  which  followed  the  civil  wars,  the  financial  affairs  of  the 
world  centered  at  Rome  as  an  imperial  clearing  house,  and  great  for- 
tunes were  rapidly  made  by  men  of  the  capitalist  class.  In  general,  the 
old  nobility  and  the  philosophers  and  writers  kept  aloof  from  business, 
which  consequently  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  equites,  who  had  had  only 
a  slight  part  in  public  affairs,  or  of  the  freedmen,  who  were  ill-fitted  by 
character  and  experience  to  make  a  large-minded  or  even  a  rational  use 
of  their  money.  Some  of  them  burst  out  into  ridiculous  display,  and 
furnished  easy  material  for  the  satirist ;  others,  with  less  obvious  folly, 
knew  no  better  use  of  their  acquired  wealth  than  to  make  it  the  means 
of  acquiring  still  more.  It  is  to  men  of  the  latter  class  that  this  dis- 
course is  addressed.  For  this  is  not  pure  satire,  holding  up  the  pecul- 
iarities of  certain  men  to  the  scorn  of  others ;  it  is,  in  part,  a  discourse, 
a  sermon,  addressed  directly  to  the  over-eager  man  of  business,  and 
intended  to  show  to  him,  for  his  possible  betterment,  the  intrinsic  little- 
ness of  the  occupation  to  which  he  was  so  ardently  devoting  himself. 

Horace  frequently  employs  in  other  places  the  thoughts  And  some- 
times the  figures  and  expressions  of  this  satire.  Compare  especially 
the  end  of  Epode  i,  the  main  thought  of  Epode  2,  and  the  whole  of 
Epode  4.  The  similarity  between  the  social  structure  of  the  Augustan 
Age  and  our  own  times  could  scarcely  be  made  more  vivid  than  it  is  by 
the  fact  that  the  satirist  of  that  society  chose  for  the  theme  of  his  open- 
ing satire  the  race  for  wealth. 

Qui  fit,  Maecenas,  ut  nemo,  quam  sibi  sortem 
seu  ratio  dederit  seu  fors  obiecerit,  ilia 

i.  Qui  fit:   how  does  it  hap-  with   the    subject    of   the    poem. 

pen?    But  the  interrogative  form  The  address  to  Maecenas  in  the 

is  merely  a  rhetorical  way  of  in-  first  Epode  is   more    natural  and 

troducing  the  general    subject —  graceful.  —  quam  sortem  .  .  .  ilia: 

the  discontent  of  men  —  by  begin-  =  ilia  sorte  .  .  .  quam.    The  word 

ning  with  its  source.  —  Maecenas :  sors  is  used  without  thought  of  its 

the  direct  address  serves  to  dedi-  original  sense,  as  Mot  'is  in  English, 

cate  the  first  book  of  Satires  to  a.   ratio  and  fors  are  often  used 

Horace's  patron  and  friend.     The  together  to  cover  the  whole  field 

dedication  of  the  Odes  is  like  this,  of  human  life  :   everything  is  due 

a  little   formal    and   unconnected  either  to  deliberate  choice  or  to 

24 


SKRMnNKS 


C't  i,  7 


contentus  vivat,  laudet  diversa  sequentis? 

'  O  fortunati  mercatores  ! '  gravis  annis 

miles  ait,  multo  iam  fractus  membra  labore. 

Contra  mercator,  navem  iactantibus  Austris, 

'  Militia  est  potior.     Quidenim?     Concurritur;  horae 


mere  chance.  The  same  contrast 
is  implied  in  Sat.  i,  6,  54,  though 
ratio  is  not  actually  used.  The 
two  verbs,  dederit,  obiecerit,  carry 
on  the  contrast  between  the  de- 
liberate and  the  accidental. 

3.  laudet :  the  full  expression 
of  the  thought  would  seem  to  re- 
quire sed  units  quisqite  laudet,  but 
the  negative  of  nemo  goes  only 
with  contentus,  not  with  vivat,  so 
that  the  thought  is  'every  one  is 
discontented  with  his  own  life  and 
envious  of  the  lives  of  others.' 
Cf.  vs.  109,  where  the  phrases 
nemo  se  probet  (  =  content  us  vivat) 
and  laudet  are  connected  by  ac 
potius.  The  meaning  of  landare 
is  not  precisely  to  praise,  but  •  to 
speak  of  with  admiration,'  as  in 
Plaut.  Rud.  523,  laudo  fortnnas 
ttias,  and  in  combination  with 
diversa  sequentis  it  suggests  the 
idea  of  envy. 

4-12.  The  two  pairs  of  con- 
trasted examples  —  soldier  and 
sailor,  lawyer  and  farmer  —  and 
indeed  the  whole  scene  which  is 
half  described,  half  suggested  in 
vss.  15-22,  come  from  the  con- 
ventional popular  philosophy,  per- 
haps from  some  Greek  burlesque 
drama.  Horace  uses  them  fre- 
quently with  slight  variations. 


4-5.  The  first  illustration  is 
barely  suggested,  without  specific 
details,  gravis  annis  means,  in 
ordinary  usage,  -weighed down  with 
years,  not  distinguishing  between 
years  of  life  and  years  of  service, 
and  the  thought  is  repeated  and 
amplified  in  the  next  phrase.  — 
fractus  membra:  broken  in  health. 
The  soldier,  feeling  old  and  worn, 
says,  '  I  wish  I  had  gone  into 
business.' 

6-8.  mercator :  a  merchant  who 
sails  his  own  vessel  on  a  business 
venture,  as  the  merchants  in  the 
China  trade  did  a  hundred  years 
ago.  He  is  therefore  called,  in- 
differently, either  mercator  or 
nanta  (vs.  29),  and  the  following 
lines  deal  only  with  the  hardships 
of  the  sailor's  life. — iactantibus: 
the  tense  is  important;  he  is 
in  the  midst  of  a  gale.  —  Austris  : 
the  southerly  winds  are  heavy  and 
squally  in  the  Mediterranean,  and 
Horace  generally  uses  Aitstcr  with 
an  implication  of  storm,  as  '  north- 
easter' is  used  in  English.  —  Quid 
enim?  simply  why  f  or  why  then  ? 
enim  was  originally  a  strengthen- 
ing particle,  and  before  it  had 
acquired  the  meaning  /#/-,  it  formed 
compound  phrases  with  conjunc- 
tions and  particles  (at  enim,  non 


HORATI 


momento  cita  mors  venit  aut  victoria  laeta.' 
Agricolam  laudat  iuris  legumque  peritus, 
sub  galli  cantum  consultor  ubi  ostia  pulsat. 
Ille,  datis  vadibus  qui  rure  extractus  in  urbem  est, 
solos  felices  viventis  clamat  in  urbe. 


enim,  guia  enim)  in  which  the 
earlier  meaning  is  preserved. 
There  is  no  ellipsis  here.  —  Con- 
curritur :  impersonal,  expressing 
the  brevity  of  the  crisis  in  a 
soldier's  life.  —  horae  momento  : 
the  Romans  did  not  measure 
short  spaces  of  time  with  pre- 
cision, and  there  is  no  Latin  word 
for  'minute 'or  'second/  hora 
is  therefore  somewhat  vague,  like 
the  English  '  the  hour  of  victory ' ; 
cf.  puncto  mobilis  horae,  Epist. 
2,  2,  172.  —  The  second  illustra- 
tion is  more  detailed  than  the 
first,  and  the  folly  of  the  momen- 
tary desire  to  exchange  occupa- 
tions is  more  clearly  suggested. 
The  sailor's  endurance  is  broken 
down  by  the  long-continued  storm, 
and  he  wishes  for  the  short  crisis 
of  the  soldier's  life,  forgetting 
alike  the  greater  profits  of  a  busi- 
ness career  and  the  wearisome 
routine  of  garrison  life. 

9-10.  Agricolam  laudat:  scarcely 
more  than '  wishes  he  were  a  farm- 
er.'—  ius  and  leges  are  sometimes 
contrasted,  —  e.g.,  as  the  general 
body  of  law  and  the  special  legis- 
lative enactments,  —  but  here  the 
two  contrasting  terms  are  used 
together  to  express  one  general 
idea.  —  peritus :  the  pah-onus,  to 


whom  friends  and  clients  came  at 
the  early  morning  salutatio  to  ask 
advice  on  business  and  legal  mat- 
ters. There  is  a  personal  touch 
in  this  illustration,  for  Horace  did 
not  like  to  get  up  early  (ad  quar- 
tam  iaceo,  Sal.  I,  6,  122). 

n-12.  Ille  :  the  other,  the  farm- 
er, of  the  class  whose  unembar- 
rassed life  the  lawyer  has  just  been 
praising.  He  is  not  quite  identi- 
fied with  the  consultor.  —  datis 
vadibus :  not  necessarily  bail  in 
a  criminal  action,  but  surety  for 
his  appearance  as  defendant  in  any 
legal  case.  In  this  second  pair 
of  illustrations  Horace  allows  the 
absurdity  of  the  discontent  to  ap- 
pear plainly  and  comically.  The 
lawyer,  in  his  momentary  annoy- 
ance at  being  called  early  in  the 
morning,  wishes  ho  were  a  farmer,  i 
forgetting  that  the  farmer  is  habit- 
ually an  early  riser.  The  lack  of 
serious  consideration  on  the  part 
of  the  countryman  is  shown  by 
the  suddenness  of  his  conversion  ; 
he  has  been  dragged  (extractus) 
against  his  will  into  the  city,  but 
once  there  he  loudly  proclaims 
(clamat)  not  only  that  the  city  is 
better  than  the  country,  but  even 
that  city  people  are  the  only  per- 
sons who  arc  happy. 


26 


SEKMONES 


[i,  i,  20 


Cetera  de  genere  hoc,  adeo  sunt  multa,  loquacem 
delassare  valent  Fabium.     Ne  te  morer,  audi 
quo  rem  deducam.     Si  quis  deus,  '  En  ego/  dicat, 
'iam  faciam  quod  voltis  :  eris  tu,-qui  modo  miles, 
mercator ;  tu,  consultus  modo,  rusticus  :  hinc  vos, 
vos  hinc  mutatis  discedite  partibus.  —  Heia! 
quid  statis  ? '  —  nolint.     Atqui  licet  esse  beatis. 
Quid  causae  est,  merito  quin  illis  luppiter  ambas 


13.  Cetera  de  genere  hoc  :  Hor- 
ace  was   familiar   with    Lucretius 
(see  notes   on  23,   117-119)   and 
uses  this  common  Lucretian  phrase 
to  give  to  the  passage  a  burlesque 
air  of  philosophizing. 

14.  Fabium:  the  scholiast  says 
that  he  was  a  man  in  public  life 
who  had  written  some  volumes  on 
Stoic  philosophy.     It  is  character- 
istic of  Horace  to  put  his  personal 
satire,  which  is  not  very  frequent 
or    very   severe,   into   such    light 
touches  as  this,  given  in  passing 
and  merely  by  way  of  illustration. 
Cf.  the  allusion  to   Crispinus  be- 
low, vs.  120.      And  these  humor- 
ous attentions  are  often  bestowed 
upon  the  Stoics,  whose  formalism 
and  austerity  were  repugnant  to  a 
man  of  Horace's  temperament. and 
led   him   to   overlook   their   good 
qualities.     With   all  their  superfi- 
cial  defects,   they  were  the  most 
serious  religious  teachers   in   Ro- 
man  life.  —  Ne  te  morer :    not  to 
delay  you,   '  not   to  be   too    long 
about  it ' ;   a  parenthetic  clause  of 
purpose. 


15  f.  quo  rem  deducam :  '  what 
my  point  is  going  to  be,'  'what 
conclusion  I  am  going  to  reach.1 
—  Si  quis  deus  .  .  .  dicat :  the 
apodosis  is  in  nolint,  19.  The  god 
is  at  this  point  indefinite,  but,  as 
the  scene  becomes  clearer,  he  is 
definitely  named,  vs.  20.  — En  ego : 
here  I  am  ;  to  be  taken  closely 
with  faciam. '  Both  ego  and  iam 
are  emphatic ;  *  here  I  am,  /  will 
do  your  business  for  you  on  the 
spot.' 

1 8.  mutatis  .  .  .  partibus  :    ex- 
actly like  the  English  parts  in  a 
drama;    cf.  paries  of  a   political 
party. — Heia:  a  colloquial  excla- 
mation of  surprise  and  dissatisfac- 
tion, as  if  the  god  was  annoyed 
that  his  friendly  offices  were  not 
acceptable. 

19.  beatis:    dat.  after  esse.  as 
if  eis   had    been    expressed    after 
licet. 

20.  causae  :       partitive      gen. 
with   a  neut.    pron. ;     very    com- 
mon in  colloquial    Latin,  Plautus, 
Terence,   Cicero's   Letters,  Catul- 
lus. 


27 


I,  I,  21] 


I1ORATI 


iratus  buccas  inflet,  neque  se  fore  posthac 
tarn  f  acilem  dicat,  votis  ut  praebeat  aurem  ? 
Praeterea,  ne  sic,  ut  qui  iocularia,  ridens 
percurram,  (quamquam  ridentem  dicere  verum 
25      quid  vetat  ?  ut  pueris  olim  dant  crustula  blandi 
doctores,  elementa  velint  ut  discere  prima ; 
sed  tamen  amoto  quaeramus  seria  ludo;) 
ille  gravem  duro  terram  qui  vertit  aratro, 
perfidus  hie  caupo,  miles,  nautaeque  per  omne 


21.  buccas  inflet:  cf.  Plaut. 
Stichus,  767,  age,  iam  infla  buccas, 
addressed  to  a  flute  player,  bucca 
is  a  Low  Latin  word  (French 
bouche),  and  the  phrase  is  an  in- 
tentional vulgarism  to  depict  the 
burlesque  expression  of  anger. — 
illis :  dat.  of  disadvantage.  The 
whole  passage,  15-22,  reads  like 
a  description  of  a  mimus,  in  which 
a  god  suddenly  appears  upon  the 
stage  between  the  pairs  of  discon- 
tented men  and,  with  bustling 
good  nature,  grants  their  wishes ; 
then,  as  it  appears  at  once  from 
their  looks  that  they  do  not  really 
desire  the  change,  his  good  nature 
changes  to  comic  anger.  From 
vss.  4  f.,  which  are  serious  in  ex- 
pression and  thought,  to  the  final 
burlesque  there  is  a  gradual  and 
skillful  uncovering  of  the  under- 
lying absurdity  of  ascribing  the 
discontent  of  men  to  their  occu- 
pations or  their  lot  in  life. 

23.  Praeterea  :  a  Lucretian  word 
for  passing  to  a  new  point.  —  ut 
qui  iocularia:  supply  perciirrit; 
-  like  a  writer  for  the  comic  papers.1 


24.  quamquam:  and  yet ;  cor- 
rective, not  subordinating. 

25.  The  kindergarten  method 
of  teaching  children  their  letters 
by  turning  the  work  into  play  is 
alluded  to  by  Quintilian  (i.  I,  26), 
and  Jerome  advises  a  father  to 
reward    his   daughter's   efforts  to 
learn  to  read  by  giving  her  crus- 
tula,  cookies,   and    mulsa,    sweet 
drinks.  —  olim  :  sometimes ;  a  not 
uncommon  meaning. 

27.  sed  tamen :  not  exactly 
correlative  to  quamquam.  The 
thought  is  twice  reversed  :  '•  I  will 
treat  this  matter  seriously,  not 
jokingly ;  and  yet  I  might  prop- 
erly treat  it  jokingly,  for  a  joke 
may  sugar-coat  a  serious  purpose, 
like  the  candies  that  teachers 
sometimes  give  to  children  ;  but, 
all  the  same  (tameti),  I  prefer 
now  to  keep  to  my  original  plan 
and  treat  the  matter  seriously." 

a8.  ille:  demonstrative,  to  pair 
with  hie  below.  —  gravem  duro  : 
by  way  of  emphasizing  the  severity 
of  the  labor. 

29.    perfidus  .  .  .  caupo :   from 


28 


SERMONES 


35 


30      audaces  mare  qui  currant,  hac  mente  laborem 
sese  ferre,  senes  ut  in  otia  tuta  recedant, 
aiunt,  cum  sibi  sint  congesta  cibaria  :  sicut 
parvola  (nam  exemplo  est)  magni  formica  laboris 
ore  trahit  quodcumque  potest  atque  addit  acervo, 

35      quem  struit,  hand  ignara  ac  non  incauta  futuri. 


this  point  the  thought  turns  more 
directly  toward  the  main  subject 
of  the  satire  —  money-making  — 
and,  in  the  review  of  the  four  types 
of  discontented  men  from  this 
point  of  view,  the  inn's  consultits, 
who  serves  for  honor  rather  than 
fees,  is  omitted,  and  the  canpo, 
huckster,  innkeeper,  is  substi- 
tuted ;  as  a  man  of  the  town,  he 
makes  a  good  contrast  to  the 
farmer.  For  variety,  the  order 
also  is  changed.  —  perfidus  :  peo- 
ple of  the  better  classes  seldom 
used  inns  in  traveling  (compare 
Sat.  i,  5),  and  the  poor  taverns 
frequented  by  slaves  and  laborers 
had  a  bad  reputation  for  cheating 
and  robbery. 

30.  currunt :  this  verb  is  used 
of  sailing  also  in  Epist.  I,  i,  45  ; 
i,  u,  27  and  perhaps  in  Carm. 
i,  28,  36.  Cf.  'run  before  the 
wind.1  —  hac  mente  •  this  is  their 
object,  emphatic  by  position  and 
explained  in  the  clause  ut  .  .  • 
recedant. 

31-35.  These  lines  contain  the 
explanation  which  men  give  of 
their  apparent  inconsistency  in 
continuing  in  occupations  which 
they  themselves  complain  of  as 


dangerous  or  wearisome,  and  the 
words  are  carefully  selected : 
senes,  '  only  when  they  are  old  ' ; 
otia  tuta,  '  freedom  from  labor  and 
danger ' ;  recedant,  '  retire ' ;  con- 
gesta, '  scraped  together ' ;  cibaria, 
rations,  'just  enough  to  live  on.' 
It  is  a  reminder  of  the  modern- 
ness  of  the  Augustan  Age  that 
all  these  expressions  find  easy 
counterparts  in  the  talk  of  men 
who  are  carrying  the  loads  of  life 
in  our  time. 

32.  cum  .  .  .  sint :   subjunctive 
because  it  was  a  part  of  the  indi- 
rectly quoted  speech. 

33.  parvola :  colloquial  diminu- 
tive of  parvus,  to   contrast  with 
magni.  —  exemplo  :      dat. ;      '  for 
this    is   the   pattern    which    they 
choose    to   follow.'  —  magni  .  .  . 
laboris :  hard-working.    This  gen- 
itive usually  has  a  noun  of  general 
meaning  with  it  {animal,  vtr).  but 
the  omission    is   not    infrequent. 
The  ant  is  occasionally  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  Latin  literature  as  a 
model    of    industry      (e.g.     Verg. 
Georg.  i,  1 86),  but  the  frequency 
of  the  comparison  in  modern  lit- 
erature is  doubtless  due  to  Prav- 
erbs  6,  6. 


1, 1, 36] 


HO  k  ATI 


40 


Quae,  simul  inversum  contristat  Aquarius  annum, 
non  usquam  prorepit  et  illis  utitur  ante 
quaesitis  sapiens;  cum  te  neque  fervidus  aestus 
demoveat  lucro,  neque  hiems,  ignis,  mare,  ferrum,^ 
nil  obstet  tibi,  dum  ne  sit  te  ditior  alter. 

Quid  iuvat  immensum  te  argenti  pondus  et  auri 
furtim  defossa  timidum  deponere  terra  ? 


36.  Quae  :  not  exactly  =  at  ea. 
The  reply  rather  accepts  the  ant 
as  a  model,  and   criticises   those 
who  have   chosen  it  as  a  model 
for    not    following    their    pattern 
closely  enough.     '  Yes,  the  ant  is 
a    good    model,    for    it    provides 
against  a  time  of  want  and,  when 
the  time   of  want  comes,  it  uses 
.  .  . '    sapiens,  38,  is  thus  an  em- 
phatic repetition  of  hand  ignara 
.  .  .  fttturi.  —  inversum :  the  year 
is  thought  of  as  a   circle,  which 
turns   back   into   itself,    and    this 
figure   finds   expression    in    many 
forms,      TrepiTtAAo/zei'os,     vert  ens, 
volvitur.  —  Aquarius  :  the  sign  of 
the  Zodiac  which  the  sun  enters  in 
January,   the  severest  part  of  the 
Italian  winter. 

37.  utitur :  the  important  word  ; 
it  not  merely  gathers,  but  also  uses. 

38.  sapiens:    emphatic   by    its 
position  at  the   end,  where   it   is 
placed  to  make  a  strong  contrast 
with   te  at   the  beginning   of  the 
next  clause ;  '  like  the  philosopher 
it  is;  while  you  haven't  even  ordi- 
nary sense.1 

39.  hiems  .  .  .  ferrum :  conven- 
tional obstacles.     Cf.  the  variation 


in  Sat.  2,  3.  54  ff.,  and  the  English 
'  to  go  through  fire  and  water.' 

40.  dum  .  .  .  alter:  'as  long 
as  any  other  man  is  richer  than 
you  are.'  Lit.,  provided  that  no 
other.  With  these  words  the  true 
subject  of  the  satire  is  reached, 
the  foolish  complaints  and  false 
pleas  of  discontented  men  having 
been  pushed  aside.  At  this  point, 
too,  the  dialogue  form  and  the 
direct  address  (te,  tibi,  te)  become 
more  distinct.  Vss.  28-35,  which 
contain  the  plea  in  defence,  begin 
descriptively,  then  fall  into  infor- 
mal indirect  quotation,  and  close 
(sicut  parvola)  with  what  is  in 
effect  a  direct  quotation.  And 
the  reply,  36-40,  in  which  the  plea 
is  shown  to  be  false,  continues 
and  accentuates  the  directness  of 
dialogue,  and  thus  emphasizes  the 
point  toward  which  the  discussion 
has  been  tending.  The  whole  in- 
troduction, 1-40.  is  a  good  ex- 
ample of  the  manner  of  Horace. 

41-42.  These  lines  depict,  with 
a  heaping-up  of  epithets  (immen- 
sum, fiirtim,  defossa,  titnidum), 
the  conventional  figure  of  the 
miser,  already  familiar  to  Latin  lit- 


3° 


SER MONKS 


[l.  '.45 


45 


'  Quod  si  comminuas,  vilem  redigatur  ad  assem.' 
At  ni  id  fit,  quid  habet  pulchri  constructus  acervus  ? 
Milia  frumenti  tua  triverit  area  centum, 


erature  in  the  Anliilaria  of  Plautus. 
The  man  of  business  in  the 
Augustan  Age  had  his  investments 
and  his  varied  money  interests 
and  no  more  buried  his  coin  in  a 
hole  in  the  ground  than  the  cau- 
tious investor  of  our  time  keeps 
his  money  in  an  old  stocking. 
The  verses  really  constitute  an  ar- 
gument in  the  form  of  a  suggested 
comparison:  'What  is  the  good 
of  it  all  to  you  ?  You're  no  better 
than  a  regular  miser.' 

43.  Quod:  usually  taken  to  be 
the  pron.,  =  at  id,  as  quae,  36,  is 
taken.  But  it  is,  I  think,  the 
ordinary  adversative  quod  si,  which 
is  freely  used  by  Horace  ;  cf.  Epist. 
i,  3,  25,  Epod.  2,  39,  and  see  ex- 
amples in  Kiihner,  II,  872.  In  this 
usage  quod  con},  has  diverged  only 
slightly  from  quod  pron.,  and  when 
a  possible  antecedent  can  be  found 
before  it  (here  pondus),  it  may 
easily  be  mistaken  for  the  pron. 
But  the  thought  is  really  general : 
'but  if  you  once  begin  the 
breaking-up  process,  your  money 
is  soon  gone.1  These  words  are 
not  the  reply  of  a  real  miser,  but  a 
perfectly  sound  maxim  of  prudence 
— '  if  you  once  begin  to  dip  into  your 
capital,  it  will  soon  be  gone' ;  but 
it  is  misused  by  the  man  of  acquis- 
itive temperament  to  disguise  to 
himself  and  to  others  his  innate 


love  of  money.  In  answering  (44 
-51)  Horace  does  not  stop  to  dis- 
criminate between  the  truth  and 
the  error,  but  strikes  at  the  heart 
of  the  matter  :  '  the  ultimate 
value  of  money  is  in  its  use,  not 
in  its  acquisition.' 

44.  At  ni  id  fit :  but  if  you  doift 
do  it,  that  is,  begin  to  use  it.  — 
quid  .  .  .  pulchri :  the  neut.  gen. 
of  the  adj.  with  a  neut.  pron.  in- 
stead of  the  abstract  noun.  Very 
common  in  colloquial  Latin. —  acer- 
vus :  with  a  reminiscence  of  the 
ant,  34. 

45-46.  The  figure  is  from  Lucil- 
ius,  555  f.  (Marx)  :  — 

milia  ducentum  frumenti  tollis  me- 

dimnum, 
vini  mille  cadum. 

—  triverit :  this  should  be  called 
a  fut.  perf.,  to  correspond  to  the 
fut.  capiet,  but  in  many  uses  of 
these  forms  the  Latin  did  not  make 
the  sharp  distinction  between  in- 
die, and  subj.  which  we  make  in 
our  systematic  grammar.  The 
phrase  is  in  paratactic  relation  to 
capiet,  expressing  a  hypothetical 
concession;  cf.  i,  3,  15;  i,  10, 
64 ;  2,6,48,  and  many  places  in  the 
Satires  and  Epistles.  —  area  :  so 
teret  area,  Verg.  Georg.  i,  192, 
with  a  slight  personification  of  the 
threshing  floor. 


1, 1, 46] 


HO  R  ATI 


non  tuus  hoc  capiet  venter  plus  ac  meus ;  ut  si 

reticulum  panis  venalis  inter  onusto 

forte  vehas  umero,  nihilo  plus  accipias  quam 

qui  nil  portarit.     Vel  die,  quid  referat  intra 

naturae  finis  viventi,  iugera  centum  an 

mille  aret  ?     '  At  suave  est  ex  magno  tollere  acervo.' 

Dum  ex  parvo  nobis  tantundem  haurire  relinquas, 

cur  tua  plus  laudes  cumeris  granaria  nostris  ? 


46.  hoc :    on  this  account ;    so 
I,  3,  93;  I,  6,  no,  and  often,  es- 
pecially  with    comparatives.  —  ut, 
si :    to  be  taken  separately ;  just 
as,  if  you  should  carry  .  .  .  you 
would  receive.  .  .  . 

47.  inter:  prepositions   of  two 
syllables  are  often  placed  after  the 
noun  in  Horace. 

48.  accipias:    pres. ;  when  the 
train  of  slaves  halts  for  the  noon- 
day lunch. — portavit :   perf.  ;  on 
the  march,  now  past. 

49.  intra    naturae    finis:    this 
limitation,  a  doctrine  of  Stoic  phi- 
losophy, is   necessary  to  the  ar- 
gument,  which    is    directed,   not 
against  great   fortunes   in    them- 
selves, but  against  the  accumula- 
tion of  unused  wealth. 

50.  viventi:     with    refert    the 
person  interested  is  expressed  by 
the  gen.  and  no  good  parallel  to 
this  dat.  is  known.    Yet  the  gen- 
eral sense  is   such  that   the  dat. 
is  perfectly  intelligible. 

51.  At  suave  .  .  .  acervo:  the 
reply  is  not  very  effective  and  it 
is,  in  fact,  scarcely  more  than  an 
interjected  remark :  '  it's  rather 


nice  to  have  a  large  bank  account 
to  draw  upon.'  The  argument  in 
52  ff.  continues  the  thought  of 
intra  naturae  finis  viventi,  with  a 
side  reference  to  ex  magno  acervo. 

52.  tantundem:    <as   much   as 
one  would  take   from   the  great 
heap.'  —  haurire :      properly    of 
drawing  off  a   liquid,   used   here 
in  anticipation  of  the  next  illus- 
tration.—  relinquas  contains  both 
the  suggestion  of  'leave  to  me  in 
spite  of  your  desire  to  get  every- 
thing' and  the  meaning  concede, 
permit,  and   in   the   latter  sense 
takes  the  infin.  haurire. 

53.  cumeris  granaria :  ciimerae 
are  described  by  the  scholiast  as 
small  bins  of  wickerwork  or  large 
earthenware  jars,  used  for  storing 
small   quantities   of  grain.      The 
word   is    somewhat    rare,    but   is 
used  again  by  Horace  (Epist.  i,  7, 
30)   and  was  perhaps   familiar  to 
him  from  the  management  of  his 
own  small  farm.     It  is,  of  course, 
set  in  contrast  to  the  granaria  of 
the  large  estate,  and  the  sentence 
really  repeats  the  idea  of  45  46 
and  of  49-5 1 . 


SEKMONES 


[I,  1,61 


ut  tibi  si  sit  opus  liquid!  non  amplius  urna, 
55      vel  cyatho,  et  dicas,  '  Magno  de  flumine  mallem 

quam  ex  hoc  fonticulo  tantundem  sumere.'     Eo  fit, 

plenior  ut  si  quos  delectet  copia  iusto, 

cum  ripa  simul  avolsos  ferat  Aufidus  acer; 

at  qui  tantuli  eget  quanto  est  opus,  is  neque  limo 
60      turbatam  haurit  aquam,  neque  vitam  amittit  in  undis. 
At  bona  pars  hominum,  decepta  cupidine  falso, 


54.  ut  .  .  .  si :  just  as  if, '  that 
is  as  if ;  to  be  taken  together,  not 
like  nt  si,  46,  where   ut  has   its 
own  verb. — liquid!:   here,  as  in 
so    many    cases,    Horace   begins 
with  the  general  and  advances  to 
the  specific ;     Kg  nidi,  instead   of 
aquae,  gives  a  sense  like  'some- 
thing  to  drink.1      So   tnagno  de 
flumine   is    general,  Aufidus,  58, 
is    specific.  —  urna :     a   pitcher, 
cyatho,  a  glass,  the  precise  meas- 
urements not  being  in  mind  here. 

55.  mallem:      /   should   have 
preferred.     The  man  is  thought 
of    as    standing    near    the    little 
spring  (notice  hoc)  and  wishing, 
contrary  to  the  fact,  that  he  were 
near  a  river. 

56.  fonticulo:     diminutive    of 
contempt,  to  contrast  with  tnagno. 

57.  plenior  .  .  .  iusto :     more 
than  he  ought  to  have',  the  whole 
sentence  must  be  rendered  freely. 
—  ut:  \\'\\\\ ferat. 

58.  cum  ripa  simul :  bank  and 
all.     The   Aufidus,  a   rapid  river 
in  Horace's  native  Apulia,  would 
undermine  its  banks  in  flood  time 
and  be  turbid  with  mud. 

HOR.  SAT.  —  3  33 


59.  The  distinction  here  made 
between  eget,  wants,  desires,  and 
opus  est,  needs,  is  fundamental  to 
the  whole    argument ;    it  repeats 
intra  naturae  finis,   49  f.,  and  is 
the   opposite    of  plenior  si  quos 
delectet,  57. 

60.  turbatam,    vitam    amittit : 
these     ideas     merely    carry    the 
thought    on    into     vivid    details 
which  make  the  folly  of  the  de- 
vice   more    evident,    as,    in    the 
triumph    of   using    a     successful 
comparison   in  argument,   one   is 
easily   tempted    to    carry    it    be- 
yond the  likeness.      Horace  does 
not    mean    that    the    money    of 
the    rich    man    was    muddy    or 
'  tainted ' ;    that  thought  was  not 
Roman ;   nor  is  he  at  this  point 
thinking    of    the     loss     of    real 
life    in    over-absorption    in    busi- 
ness. 

61.  At :  to  introduce  the  reply 
or    counter -argument    contained 
in     vs.     62.  —  bona     pars:      like 
the    English    '  a    good    many.'  — 
cupidine:     masc.,    as    always    in 
Horace  and  sometimes   in   other 
writers. 


If  1, 62] 


HOKATI 


4  Nil  satis  est,'  inquit,  '  quia  tanti  quantum  habeas  sis.' 
Quid  facias  illi  ?     lubeas  miser um  esse,  libenter 
quatenus  id  facit ;  ut  quidam  memoratur  Athenis 

65      sordidus  ac  dives,  populi  contemnere  voces 

sic  solitus :  '  Populus  me  sibilat,  at  mihi  plaudo 
ipse  domi,  simul  ac  nummos  contemplor  in  area.' 
Tantalus  a  labris  sitiens  fugientia  captat 
flumina.  .  .  .     Quid  rides  ?     Mutato  nomine,  de  te 

70      fabula  narratur  ;  congestis  undique  saccis 


62.  From  Lucilius,  1119  f. 
(Marx)  :  - 

aurum  atque  ambitio   specimen   vir- 

tutis  utrique  est : 
tantum    habeas,    tantum     ipse    sies 

tantique  habearis. 

—  Nil  satis  est :  '  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  the  enough  of  which  you 
speak.'     This   is  a   denial  of  the 
foundation  of  the  preceding  argu- 
ment as  expressed  in  vss.  49-51 
and    59  f.  —  sis :    subjv.    of  the 
indef.  2d  pers. 

63  f .  illi :  for  such  a  man, 
individualizing  the  subject  of  in- 
quit.  —  lubeas  miserum  esse  :  iubeo 
is  used  to  represent  the  impv. 
of  the  direct  miser  esto  ;  so  iubeo 
valere  for  the  direct  vale.  — 
quatenus  :  always  since  in  Horace. 

—  'The   only  thing  one   can    do 
for  a  man  so  wrong-headed  is  to 
let  him  go  his  own  way,  since  he 
will    have     it     so     (libenter  .  .  . 
facit),   though    one    may    know 
that  it  leads   to   misery.     He  is 
as  fixed  in  his  error  as  the  man 
in   the    Greek   story,   who,    when 


he  looked  at  his  money  bags,  was 
indifferent  to  public  opinion.' 

65-66.  voces,  sibilat :  the  peo- 
ple on  the  streets  hooted  at  him 
and  hissed  him.  —  plaudo :  for  the 
contrast  with  sibilat. 

68.  Tantalus:  Horace  follows 
here  the  Homeric  version  of  the 
Tantalus  story. 

69  ff.  Quid  rides  ?  he  laughed 
because  he  did  not  think  the  old 
story  had  any  bearing  upon  his 
own  case.  The  reply  is  that  the 
picture  tallies  exactly,  that,  with 
a  change  of  name,  it  corresponds 
even  in  details.  —  undique:  with 
congestis ;  '  which  you  have  got 
together  by  raking  and  scraping 
everywhere.'  —  indormis  :  sleep 
upon ;  because  he  cannot  be 
parted  from  them.  Cf.  Lucilius, 
243-246  (Marx)  :  — 

cui  neque  iumenturn  est  nee  servus 

nee  comes  ullus : 
bulgam,  et  quiclquid  habet  nummo- 

rum,  secum  habet  ipse, 
cum  bulga  cenat,  dormit,  lavit,  omnia 

in  una 
sunt  homini   bulga:  bulga  hnec  de- 

vincta  lacerto  est. 


34 


SEKMONES 


79 


indormis  inhians,  et  tamquam  parcere  sacris 
cogeris,  aut  pictis  tamquam  gaudere  tabellis. 
Nescis  quo  valeat  nummus,  quern  praebeat  usum  ? 
Panis  ematur,  holus,  vini  sextarius,  adde 
75      quis  humana  sibi  doleat  natura  negatis. 

An  vigilare  metu  exanimem,  noctesque  diesque 
formidare  malos  fures,  incendia,  servos, 
ne  te  compilent  f ugientes,  hoc  iuvat  ?     Horum 
semper  ego  optarem  pauperrimus  esse  bonorum. 


—  inhians :  the  involuntary  physi- 
cal sign  of  ardent  desire.  Such  ex- 
pressions sound  exaggerated  to  us 
because  in  modern  life  we  repress 
the  signs  of  strong  emotion.  — 
tamquam  .  .  .  sacris :  he  can  make 
no  more  use  of  them  than  if  they 
were  put  out  of  his  reach  by  being 
consecrated  to  the  gods.  —  pictis 
.  .  .  tabellis :  '  the  only  pleasure 
you  get  from  them  is  the  pleasure 
of  looking  at  them,'  and  that 
pleasure  could  be  just  as  well  en- 
joyed by  looking  at  a  picture  of  a 
pile  of  money  as  by  looking  at  the 
money  itself.  These  details,  like 
those  above,  41  f.,  must  not  be 
supposed  to  be  descriptive ;  they 
are  intended  to  make  the  complete 
devotion  to  business  contemptible 
by  dwelling  upon  the  inherent  like- 
ness between  the  money-maker 
and  the  conventional  figure  of  the 
miser. 

73  ff .  quo  valeat :  what  money 
is  good  for  ;  repeated  in  another 
form  in  quern  praebeat  it  sum. 
In  harmony  with  the  preceding 
thought  the  question  here  implied 


is  answered  both  positively  and 
negatively :  •  money  will  buy  the 
simple  necessities  of  life  (74-75), 
but  you,  by  making  it  an  object 
of  pursuit  in  itself,  are  buying  for 
yourself  a  life  of  constant  anxiety 
and  trouble '  (76-78).  —  quis :  qui- 
bns ;  with  ttegatis.  The  comment 
of  Porphyrio  gives  the  sense  cor- 
rectly :  '  non  autem  ea  vult  in- 
tellegi,  quae  ad  delicias  vitae 
pertinent,  sed  quae  ad  utilitatem, 
ut  quae  frigori  aut  fami  repellendae 
et  commodiori  mansion!  sunt  ne- 
cessaria  aliaque  similia.1 

76  ff.  The  dangers  of  life  in 
Rome  are  often  alluded  to ;  cf., 
eg.,  Epist.  2,  i,  121  f.  and  Catul- 
lus, 23,  8-10,  on  the  freedom  of 
the  poor  man  from  such  terrors  :  — 

nihil  timetis, 

non  incendia,  non  graves  ruinas, 
non  furta  inpia,  non  dolos  veneni. 

—  compilent  fugientes :  plunder 
you  and  run  away.  "\\itfugitivus 
is  a  frequent  figure  in  the  pictures 
of  ancient  society,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  recovering  a  runaway 


35 


it  i,  So] 


HO  K  ATI 


80        At  si  condoluit  temptatimi  frigorc  corpus, 
aut  alius  casus  lecto  te  adflixit,  habes  qui 
adsideat,  fomenta  paret,  medicum  roget,  ut  te 
suscitet  ac  gnatis  reddat  carisque  propinquis. 
Non  uxor  salvum  te  volt,  non  filius ;  omnes 

85    vicini  oderunt,  noti,  pueri  atque  puellae. 
Miraris,  cum  tu  argento  post  omnia  ponas, 


slave,  in  a  population  so  miscel- 
laneous, was  very  great.  —  Horum : 
emphatic,  with  bonontm ;  'if  these 
are  what  you  call  the  good  things 
of  life,  I  wish  I  might  always 
remain  a  poor  man.1 

80  ff.  These  lines  are  all  ad- 
dressed by  Horace  to  his  imagined 
interlocutor,  the  over-anxious  man 
of  business,  the  direct  dialogue 
form  being  resumed  only  in  vs. 
101.  But  vss.  80-83  (beginning 
with  at,  the  usual  introduction  to 
a  counter-argument)  contain  in 
substance  a  reply  to  vss.  76-78. 
The  thought  is,  '  You  are  dwelling 
too  much  upon  the  anxieties  which 
my  money  brings  and  are  forget- 
ting its  real  benefits  ;  for  instance* 
its  value  in  a  time  of  illness.'  — 
temptatum :  almost  a  technical 
term  of  the  attack  of  illness ; 
Epist.  1, 6,  28.  —  frigore :  the  chill 
of  malaria.  —  corpus :  not  body, 
but  health,  strength.  Cf.  fractus 
membra,  vs.  5.  —  adflixit:  has 
dirahed  one  down  upon  Ins  bed. 
—  adsideat,  roget :  sit  by  your  bed- 
side, cull  in ;  ordinary,  almost 
technical  terms. 

84  ff.   The  defence  closes  with 


a  note  of  false  pathos,  —  'My 
money  protects  my  life,  which  is 
precious  to  my  family.'  The  reply 
of  Horace,  vss.  84-91,  takes  up  this 
suggested  point,  passing  by  vss. 
80-83  as>  i°  reality,  unimportant. 
'  Your  life  precious  to  your  family  ! 
On  the  contrary,  you  are  an  object 
of  universal  dislike.  Your  pursuit 
of  money  not  only  makes  no 
friends  for  you,  but  even  checks 
the  natural  affections  of  your 
relatives.'  —  non  uxor:  the  reply 
begins  without  an  adversative  par- 
ticle ;  cf.  36,  52,  and  below,  102. 

85.  vicini,  noti  (acquaintances), 
pueri  atque  puellae :    specific  ex- 
pansions    of    the     general    term 
omnes.     Cf.,  on  the  last,  Sat.  2, 
3,   130,  insanum  te  omnes  pueri 
clawentque     puellae.       '  Without 
distinction  of  age  or  sex '  (Green- 
ough). 

86.  post  .  .  .  ponas:  cf.  Sat.  i, 
3,  92,  posit 'urn  ante;    I,  6,  58.  cir- 
ciini  .   .   .  vector  i.  —  omnia:  obj. 
of  ponas.  —  ponas.  praestet,  mere- 
aris:  the  subj.  all  hang  together. 
They  are    not    dependent    upon 
.v/,  for  tniror  si  takes  the  indie., 
but    are     more     vaguely     hypo- 


SEKMONES 


['»  '.  94 


si  nemo  praestet,  quern  non  merearis,  amorein  ? 
At  si  cognates,  nullo  natura  labore 
quos  tibi  dat,  retinere  velis  servareque  amicos, 
90    infelix  operam  perdas,  ut  si  quis  asellum 
in  campo  doceat  parentem  currere  frenis. 

Denique  sit  finis  quaerendi,  cumque  habeas  plus, 
pauperiem  metuas  minus,  et  finire  laborem 
incipias,  parto  quod  avebas,  ne  facias  quod 


thetical,  — '  do  you  wonder  that  no 
one  should  wish  to  give  you  .  .  .  ? 
—  merearis  :  not  exactly  deserve, 
but  earn^  buy  (by  giving  love 
in  return),  an  old  sense  of 
mertor. 

88-91.  Vss.  84-85  contain  a 
bare  statement  of  fact,  without  ar- 
gument, and  vss.  86-87  are  an  'n~ 
terjected  remark  ('  it  is  quite  just 
and  natural ')  ;  the  essence  of  the 
reply  is  in  vss.  88-91,  and  «/,  the 
particle  of  retort,  is  therefore  post- 
poned to  this  point.  The  reply 
is,  'Why.  on  the  contrary,  in- 
stead of  winning  affection,  you 
have  so  distorted  your  character 
that  you  would  be  incapable  of 
retaining  the  love  of  your  nearest 
relatives,  if  you  should  now  choose 
to  attempt  it.  You  have  made 
yourself  a  beast  of  burden,  unfitted 
for  the  finer  uses  of  life.'  [A 
good  summary  of  the  arguments 
on  this  disputed  passage  may  be 
found  in  Palmer's  edition.  The 
decisive  reason,  in  my  judgment, 
for  rejecting  an  is  that  it  is  incom- 
patible with  the  emphasis  laid 


upon  operam  perdas  by  the  com- 
parison which  follows.] 

89.  retinere  velis :  an  expan- 
sion of  retineas,  to  express  more 
clearly  the  idea  of  choice.  So 
ponas,  86,  might  have  been  ponere 
velis.  —  amicos :  predicate. 

91.  in  campo:  in  the  Campus 
Martius,  on  the  race  track.  —  pa- 
rentem .  .  .  frenis :  the  heavier 
draught  animals  were  driven  with 
a  goad ;  bits  and  reins  were  used 
only  for  racing  or  in  driving  for 
pleasure. 

92  ff.  A  conclusion,  driving 
home  the  lesson  of  the  preceding 
arguments.  —  plus:  the  standard 
of  comparison  is  left  vague  (•  more 
than  you  once  had,1  '  more  than 
most  people ')  to  balance  M/'HUS, 
to  which  a  standard  ('  less  than 
you  have  done ')  is  easily  sup- 
plied. 

94.  incipias :  ironically  under- 
stating the  case :  ' take  just  one 
step  toward  reasonable  modera- 
tion.'—  parto:  abl.  abs.  with  the 
antecedent  of  quod.  —  facias  :  neu- 
tral, fare. 


37 


95] 


HORATI 


95    Vmmidius  quidam.     Non  longa  est  f abula :  dives, 
ut  metiretur  nummos,  ita  sordidus,  ut  se 
non  umquam  servo  melius  vestiret,  ad  usque 
supremum  tempus,  ne  se  penuria  victus 
opprimeret,  metuebat.     At  hunc  liberta  securi 

oo     divisit  medium,  fortissima  Tyndaridarum. 

'  Quid  mi  igitur  suades  ?  ut  vivam  Naevius  ?  aut  sic 


95.  Vmmidius:  the  name  does 
not  occur  in  the  extant  fragments 
of  Lucilius,  but  the  story  may  well 
have  been  Lucilian.  —  Non  longa: 
the  details  are  therefore  given  with 
an  appearance  of  haste ;  this  mo- 
tive leads  also  to  the  use  of  dives 
with  an  ///-clause  of  degree  without 
tarn    (or  rta,   as   with    sordidus). 
Other  instances  occur  in  Horace, 
Sat.  i,  5,  33;    i,  7,  13;   2,  7,  10, 
etc. 

96.  metiretur :  instead  of  count- 
ing   them ;     proverbial    of    great 
wealth. 

98.  supremum  tempus :    to  the 
•very  last,  to  the  end  of  his  life.  — 
victus:  gen. 

99.  At :  but  matters  turned  out 
very  differently ;  after  spending  his 
life  in  providing  against  one  danger, 
he  met  with  a  wholly  unexpected 
end  and  had,  as  it  were,  wasted  his 
life  in  misdirected  prudence. 

100.  divisit  medium :    chopped 
him  in  hv<\  an  intentionally  short 
and  brutal  way  of  putting  it,  fol- 
lowed, in   order  to    brighten   the 
sordid  ness  of  the  story,  by  a  bur- 
lesque allusion   to   a  great    tragic 
legend.  —  fortissima     Tyndarida- 


rum :  i.e.  as  brave  as  any  of  the 
line  of  Tyndareus ;  with  special 
reference  to  Clytemnestra,  who 
killed  Agamemnon  with  an  ax. 

101  f.  The  man  of  business  has 
still  one  line  of  defence  left,  — 
*  Your  reasoning,  carried  to  its 
legimate  conclusion,  leads  to  sheer 
waste  and  the  dissipation  of  prop- 
erty.' To  which  the  answer  is 
obvious,  — '  Do  not  carry  it  so 
far ;  do  not  rush  from  one  extreme 
to  the  other,  but  keep  the  wise 
middle  course.1 — Naevius,  Nomen- 
tanus :  these  names  are  used  as 
well-known  representatives  of  a 
class  —  the  spendthrifts.  A  Nae- 
vius is  mentioned  in  Sat.  2,  2,  68 
as  a 'man  who  was  too  easy-going 
in  his  housekeeping,  and  this  char- 
acteristic would  fit  well  enough  with 
carelessness  in  money  matters. 
Of  a  L.  Cassius  Nomentanus,  a 
contemporary  of  Sallust  and  no- 
torious for  his  prodigality.  Porphy- 
rio  gives  a  circumstantial  account. 
Nomentanus  is  also  a  Lucilian 
character,  and  a  Nomentanus,  ap- 
parently a  different  one,  is  men- 
tioned in  Sat.  2,  8,  23,  25,  60. 
Precise  identification  is  impossible. 


SERMONES 


[i,  I,  108 


ut  Nomentanus  ? '     Pergis  pugnantia  secum 
frontibus  adversis  componere  ?    Non  ego,  avarum 
cum  veto  te  fieri,  vappam  iubeo  ac.nebulonem. 
105  Est  inter  Tanain  quiddam  socerumque  Viselli. 
Est  modus  in  rebus,  sunt  certi  denique  fines, 
quos  ultra  citraque  nequit  consistere  rectum. 
Illuc,  unde  abii,  redeo,  qui  nemo  ut  avarus 


102-104.  Pergis :  often  used 
without  an  interrogative  particle 
in  half-exclamatory  sentences. — 
pugnantia  secum,  frontibus  adver- 
sis, componere:  these  three  ex- 
pressions combine  to  suggest  from 
different  sides  the  figure  of  two 
gladiators,  matched  (componere 
is  the  technical  word)  against  one 
another.  So  the  argument  of  vss. 
101  f.  sets  up  the  figure  of  the 
vappa  ac  nebnlo  to  destroy  the 
effect  of  the  figure  of  the  avarus, 
as  described  in  the  body  of  the 
satire. 

105.  The  reference  is  probably 
to  some  Greek  saying,  then  well 
enough  known  to  make  a  mere 
allusion  intelligible ;  at  any  rate, 
the  names  represent  two  widely 
separated  extremes. 

107.  ultra  citraque :  the  safe 
*  middle  ground  '  is  the  only  place 
where  the  right  (opQov)  can  find 
a  sure  standing  place. 

108  f .  Illuc,  unde  abii,  redeo  : 
this  is  not  perfectly  accurate.  To 
return  precisely  to  the  opening 
question,  ;  What  is  the  source 
of  our  discontent  ? '  would  be  ab- 
surd, since  the  whole  satire  has 


been  spent  in  setting  forth  the 
answer  to  that  question.  But  a 
repetition  of  the  text  is  a  very  suit- 
able way  of  bringing  the  sermon 
to  its  conclusion.  Horace  there- 
fore repeats  the  opening  words 
(qui  nemo  se  probet  —  qui  fit  ut 
nemo  contenttts  vivaf),  attaching 
them  somewhat  forcedly  to  the 
leading  clause  illuc  redeo  and  in- 
serting the  substance  of  the  answer 
in  the  brief  phrase  ut  avarus,  which 
is  taken  up  more  fully  in  vss.  1 10  ff. 
The  obscurity  produced  by  using 
qui  nemo  instead  of  qui  fit  nt  nemo 
and  by  making  it  depend  upon 
illuc  redeo  is  increased  by  the  use 
of  ut  avarus  ( =  '  because  of  the 
love  of  money ' ;  cf.  ut  male  sanos, 
Epist.  I,  19,  3;  ut  capitis  minor. 
Odes  3, 5,  42),  which  is  easily  mis- 
taken for  a  repetition  of  the  nt  in 
qui  fit  ut.  The  obscurity  of  the 
passage  has  led  copyists  into  mak- 
ing various  changes  in  the  text, 
nemo  ut,  nemon  ut.  The  true 
reading  was  found  only  in  a  single 
manuscript.  '  I  come  back  to  my 
starting  point,  the  discontent  of 
men,  which  comes  from  their  love 
of  money  and  their  envy.' 


39 


1, 1, 109] 


HORATI 


se  probet  ac  potius  laudet  diversa  sequentis, 
no    quodque  aliena  capella  gerat  distentius  uber, 
tabescat,  neque  se  maiori  pauperiorum 
turbae  comparet,  hunc  atque  hunc  superare  laboret. 
Sic  festinanti  semper  locupletior  obstat, 
ut,  cum  carceribus  missos  rapit  ungula  currus, 
115    instat  equis  auriga  suos  vincentibus,  ilium 
praeteritum  temnens  extremes  inter  euntem. 
Inde  fit,  ut  raro,  qui  se  vixisse  beatum 
dicat,  et,  exacto  contentus  tempore,  vita 
cedat  uti  conviva  satur,  reperire  queamus. 


no.  A  mean  and  petty  illustra- 
tion is  chosen  intentionally. 

112.  hunc   atque    hunc:    'first 
one  and  then  another.1     The  ad- 
versative idea,  as  often  in  Latin, 
is  left  unexpressed. 

113.  Sic  :      with     festinanti] 
'one  who  is  in  such  haste  to  be 
rich.' 

1 14  ff.  The  figure  of  the  chariot 
race  is  used  with  a  serious  effect 
which  suits  the  tone  of  vss.  in- 
1 19.  It  is  a  natural  comparison, 
often  used  in  Latin  literature,  and 
it  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that 
this  passage  is  either  copied  from 
or  imitated  in  Vergil.  Georg.  i, 
512  ff. :  - 

Vt  cum  carceribus  sese  effudere  quad- 
rigae, 

addunt  in  spatia  et  frustra  retinacula 
tendens 

fertur  equis  auriga,  neque  audit  cur- 
rus  habenas. 

The  only  similarity  is  in  the  use 


of  technical  terms.  —  carceribus : 
the  stalls  in  which  the  chariots 
stood  ready  to  be  started  (MISSOS) 
by  the  raising  of  the  barrier.  — 
rapit  ungula :  so  quatit  ungnla, 
Ennius,  Ann.  224  Vahl.,  Verg. 
Aen.  8,  596,  in  the  same  place  in 
the  verse.  —  ilium :  the  one,  —  ex- 
tremos  inter :  cf.  venalis  inter, 
47,  n. 

117-119.  Inde  fit:  this  also,  like 
vs.  108,  is  a  return  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  satire,  qui  Jit,  but 
with  a  more  sober  restraint  (raro 
instead  of  nemo}  and  with  an 
effective  use  of  the  figure  of  the 
satisfied  feaster.  This  is  another 
reminiscence  of  Lucretius,  3, 

938:  — 

Cur    non    ut    plenus   vitae    conviva 

recedis, 
aequo  animoque  capis  securam.stulte, 

quietem? 

Compare  also  the  closing  lines  of 
Bryant's  Thanatopsis. 


40 


SERMONES  [ i,  i,  121 

120        lam  satis  est.     Ne  me  Crispini  scrinia  lippi 
compilasse  putes,  verbum  non  amplius  addam. 

iao-iai.    It  is  thoroughly  char-  Porphyrio  to  be  Plotius  Crispinus, 

acteristic  of  Horace  to  turn  abruptly  a  writer  of  much  verse  (cf.  Sat.  i, 

from  grave  to  gay,  —  ridentem  di-  4,  14)  and  a  teacher  of  Stoic  doc- 

cereverum,  —  and  the  very  abrupt-  trines  {Sat.  i,  3,  139;  2,7,45).— 

ness  of  the   change   is   often   an  scrinia :  cylindrical  boxes  in  which 

effective  enforcement  of  the  moral.  the   papyrus    rolls    were   kept.  — 

Several    of  the   Satires    will    be  lippi :     personal    peculiarities    or 

found  to  close  with  a  jest.    Cf.  also  defects,  of  which  we  should  think 

the  close  of  some  of  the  Odes ;  i,  it  discourteous  to  speak,  were  fre- 

6 ;  2.  i  ;  and  especially  3,  3,  quo,  quently  matter  for  ridicule  to  the 

Mtesa,  tendis.  —  Crispini:  said  by  ancients. 


This  satire  was  written  before  3,  since  the  death  of  Tigellius,  which 
is  there  (vs.  3  ff.)  referred  to  as  having  occurred  some  time  before,  is 
here  spoken  of  as  a  quite  recent  event,  and  before  4,  where  (in  vs.  91) 
a  line  of  this  satire  (vs.  27)  is  quoted.  It  is  therefore  to  be  placed  in 
the  group  of  early  satires,  with  7  and  8,  written  before  the  introduction 
to  Maecenas  in  39  or  38  B.C. 

The  announced  subject  of  the  satire  is  the  tendency  of  men  to  run  to 
extremes,  their  inability  to  keep  to  the  golden  mean.  Of  this  tendency 
the  first  part,  down  to  vs.  28,  gives  various  illustrations,  not  lacking  in 
humor  and  unobjectionable  in  tone.  But  the  particular  illustration 
which  is  treated  in  detail,  and  which  occupies  the  rest  of  the  satire,  is 
excess  in  sensual  indulgence,  and  especially  the  vice  of  adultery,  which 
had  become  rife  in  the  Ciceronian  period  and  was  still  increasing  in 
Roman  society. 

The  satire  betrays  in  various  ways  the  immaturity  of  the  writer.  It 
is  the  most  personal  of  Horace's  writings ;  it  is  coarse  in  expression, 
and  it  is  intentionally  sensational  in  manner.  These  characteristics  are 
in  part  the  result  of  a  too  close  adherence  to  the  manner  of  Lucilius,  in 
part  of  a  desire  to  attract  attention,  in  part  of  the  bitter  and  rebellious 
feeling  of  the  writer.  Yet  it  is  not  difficult  to  find  in  it,  as  undoubtedly 
Vergil  and  Varius  did,  the  indications  of  what  the  writer  was  later  to 
become. 


•wo 


HORATI 


Ambubaiarum  conlegia,  pharmacopolae, 
mendici,  mimae,  balatrones,  hoc  genus  omne 
maestum  ac  sollicitum  est  cantoris  morte  Tigelli : 
quippe  benignus  erat.     Contra  hie,  ne  prodigus  esse 
dicatur  metuens,  inopi  dare  nolit  amico, 
frigus  quo  duramque  famem  propellere  possit. 
Hunc  si  perconteris,  avi  cur  atque  parentis 
praeclaram  ingrata  stringat  mains  ingluvie  rem, 
omnia  conductis  coemens  obsonia  nummis, 
sordidus  atque  animi  quod  parvi  nolit  haberi, 
respondet.     Laudatur  ab  his,  culpatur  ab  illis. 
Fufidius  vappae  famam  timet  ac  nebulonis, 


1.  Ambubaiarum:     flute-girls, 
like  the  copa  Syrisca  of  Vergil's 
poem,  whose  associations  are  called 
conlegia,  guilds,  with  a   touch   of 
derision. 

2.  mendici:    the  organizations 
of     begging      priests.  —  mimae  : 
women  were  not  allowed  to  act  in 
the  more  respectable  dramas,  but 
only  in  the  farces  called  minii. — 
balatrones :    cf.   the   use    of   this 
name  for  a  parasite  as   a  proper 
name  in  Sat.  2,  8,  21  and  40. 

3.  Tigelli:  see  note  on  Sat.  I, 

3<4- 

4.  benignus:    kind,  generous ; 
the  word  is  used  as  if  in  quotation. 
—  hie  :  this  other  man,  the  mean- 
ing being  made  plainer  by  contra. 

7.  Hunc :  a  third  person,  not 
the  same  as  hie,  4.  Whatever 
slight  confusion  is  caused  by  the 
use-of  the  same  pronoun  is  dis- 
pelled by  the  next  line,  which 


shows  that  this  man  was  a  spend- 
thrift. 

8.  ingrata:    unprofitable,   that 
gives  no  adequate  return   for  the 
money  spent  upon  it.  —  stringat : 
strips,  as  leaves  from  a  tree. 

9.  omnia  .  .  .  obsonia  :  all  kinds 
of  dainties,   everything   that    his 
appetite    suggested.  —  conductis  : 
hired,  i.e.  borrowed at  interest. 

10.  animi  .  .   .  parvi :    mean ; 
the  opposite  of  benignus,  4. 

n.  his,  illis  :  one  side,  the  other 
side,  people  who  are  of  the  same 
or  of  the  opposite  opinion. 

12.  Fufidius  :  a  well-known  fam- 
ily name,  but  the  individual  here 
referred  to  is  unknown.  He  is  a 
money-lender  who  combines  in 
himself  the  extreme  of  great  wealth 
—  which  he  gets  by  discreditable 
methods  —  with  the  extreme  of 
stinginess  in  the  spending  of 
money  upon  himself. 


42 


SERMONES 


[1,2,23 


[dives  agris,  dives  positis  in  faenore  nummis]; 
quinas  hie  capiti  mercedes  exsecat,  atque 

15      quanto  perdition  quisque  est,  tanto  acrius  urget ; 
nomina  sectatur  modo  sumpta  veste  virili 
sub  patribus  duris  tironum.     '  Maxime  '  quis  non 
'  luppiter !  '  exclamat,  simul  atque  audivit  ?     '  At  in  se 
pro  quaestu  sumptum  facit  hie.'     Vix  credere  possis 

-o      quam  sibi  non  sit  amicus,  ita  ut  pater  ille,  Terenti 
fabula  quern  miserum  gnato  vixisse  fugato 
inducit,  non  se  peius  cruciaverit  atque  hie. 

Si  quis  nunc  quaerat,  '  Quo  res  haec  pertinet? '  illuc : 


14.  quinas  ....  mercedes :  the 
usual  rate  of  interest  was  one  per 
cent  a  month,  but  Fufidius  collected 
five  times  this  rate.  — capiti :  from 
the  principal.  —  exsecat :  the  verb 
is  chosen  to  express  the  severity  of 
the  demand ;  cuts  off  beforehand, 
as  in   discounting.      In   all   such 
matters   the   methods   of  Roman 
business    were    less    systematized 
than  the  banking  of  modern  times. 

15.  perditior:  nearer  to  ruin. 

1 6  f.  nomina  :  names,  but  with 
a  suggestion  of  ;  accounts,'  as  in 
English.  —  tironum :  young  men 
who  had  just  put  on  the  toga  iriri- 
lis  and  whose  fathers  still  kept 
them  on  small  allowances  would 
be  the  natural  prey  of  the  unscru- 
pulous money-lender. 

19.  pro  quaestu :  in  proportion 
to  his  gains  ;  the  supposed  excla- 
mation of  some  one  who  hears  of 
his  great  income.  This  suggests 
at  once  the  strangeness  of  the  con- 
trast between  his  wealth  and  his 


meanness,  which  is  carried  out  in 
the  next  phrase,  vix credere  possis. 
20.  quam  .  .  .  non  .  .  .  amicus : 
not  exactly  the  same  as  quam  ini- 
miCHs,  but  '  how  far  he  is  from 
being  kind  to  himself.1  —  pater 
ille :  a  father  in  the  play  of  Ter- 
ence, the  Heautontimornmenos 
(Self-tormentor),  who,  because 
he  thinks  that  his  harshness  has 
driven  his  son  away  from  home, 
refuses  himself  all  comforts  until 
the  son  returns. 

22.  inducit :     '  brings    on    the 
stage,'   but   used   like  a   verb  of 
saying  with  the  infin.  vixisse ;  rep- 
resents as  having  lived.  —  crucia- 
verit :    a   repetition   of  the  word 
timorumenos,  in  the  title  of  the 
play. 

23.  Quo . . .  pertinet :  whaCsthe 
point  of  all  this?     Cf.  Sat.   i,  i, 
15  f.,  quo  rem  dedncam,  and  Sat. 
2.  7,  21.  —  illuc  :  the  answer  to  the 
question,  which  is  then  explained 
in  the  next  line. 


43 


I,  2,  24] 


HORATI 


dum  vitant  stulti  vitia,  in  contraria  currunt. 
25      Malthinus  tunicis  demissis  ambulat ;  est  qui 

inguen  ad  obscenum  subductis  usque  facetus. 

Pastilles  Rufillus  olet,  Gargonius  hircum. 

Nil  medium  est.     Sunt  qui  nolint  tetigisse  nisi  illas, 

quarum  subsuta  talos  tegat  instita  veste  ; 
30      contra  alius  nullam  nisi  olenti  in  fornice  stantem. 

Quidam  notus  homo  cum  exiret  fornice,  '  Macte 

virtute  esto,'  inquit  sententia  dia  Catonis. 

'  Nam  simul  ac  venas  inflavit  taetra  libido, 

hue  iuvenes  aequum  est  descendere,  non  alienas 
35      permolere  uxores.'     '  Nolim  laudarier,'  inquit, 

'  sic  me/  mirator  cunni  Cupiennius  albi. 

Audire  est  operae  pretium,  procedere  recte 

qui  moechos  non  voltis,  ut  omni  parte  laborent; 

utque  illis  multo  corrupta  dolore  voluptas 


25-27.  Two  illustrations  of  ex- 
cess, each  described  in  a  line, 
followed  by  two  other  extremes 
condensed  into  a  single  line.  Vs. 
27  is  quoted  in  Sat.  I,  4,  92  as  an 
example  of  jesting  that  is  really 
harmless  and  in  fact  it  is  not  likely 
that  any  of  the  names  was  meant 
to  designate  an  individual. 

29.  instita :  a  border  sewed  on 
to  the  stola  of  the  married  woman, 
so  that  the  garment  came  down 
to  the  ankles. 

30.  contra  alius :  cf.  contra  7ttc,  4. 

31  f.  Macte  virtute  esto  :  a  col- 
loquial phrase  of  approval ;  well 
done !  that's  right.  —  sententia  dia 
Catonis :  formal  and  epic :  Lucil- 
ius,  1316  (Marx),  has  Valeri  sen- 
tentia dia,  and  Horace  frequently 


uses  this  kind  of  periphrasis  in 
parody  of  the  heroic  style,  e.g. 
Sat.  2,  I,  72. 

35.  laudarier:  the  old  form  of 
the  infin.  pass.,  used  also  in  78 
and  104  with  intentional  archaism. 

36.  Cupiennius :    identified   by 
the    scholiast    with   a   certain    C. 
Cupiennius  Libo,  a  friend  of  Au- 
gustus.    But    it    is    much    more 
likely  that  the  name  is  selected 
for  its  suggestion  of  cupio.  —  albi : 
of    the    white    dress    of   married 
women,   in  contrast   to  the  dark 
toga  worn  by  prostitutes. 

37  f .  A  parody  of  a  line  of  En- 
nius  (454  Vahl.),  attdire  est  operae 
pretiitni*  procedere  recte  \  qui  rein 
Rotnanam  .  .  .  vo/tis,  with  em- 
phatic insertion  of  non. 


44 


SERMON ES  [i.  2,  55 

40      atque  haec  rara  cadat  dura  inter  saepe  pericla. 
Hie  se  praecipitem  tecto  dedit ;  ille  flagellis 
ad  mortem  caesus ;  fugiens  hie  decidit  acrem 
praedonum  in  turbam  ;  dedit  hie  pro  corpore  nummos  ; 
hunc  perminxerunt  calones ;  quin  etiam  illud 

45      accidit,  ut  quidam  testes  caudamque  salacem 

demeteret  ferro.     '  lure,'  omnes ;  Galba  negabat. 
Tutior  at  quanto  merx  est  in  classe  secunda, 
libertinarum  dico,  Sallustius  in  quas 
non  minus  insanit,  quam  qui  moechatur.     At  hie  si, 

50      qua  res,  qua  ratio  suaderet  quaque  modeste 

munifico  esse  licet,  vellet  bonus  atque  benignus 
esse,  daret  quantum  satis  esset  nee  sibi  damno 
dedecorique  foret.     Verum  hoc  se  amplectitur  uno, 
hoc  amat  et  laudat,  '  Matronam  nullam  ego  tango." 

55      Vt  quondam  Marsaeus,  amator  Originis  ille, 

40.   rara :  with  haec  (voltiptas)  that  Horace  addressed  a  friendly 

in    a    predicate    use,    contrasting  ode  (Cartn.  2,  2)  to  him. 
with  saepe.  —  dura:  with  pericla.  50.   res,  ratio:  the  two  leading 

43.   pro  corpore  :  paid  a  ransom  motives  for  self-restraint,  care  for 

to  save  himself  from  the  penalty  his   property  and  good  sense, 
which  might  have  been  inflicted          51.   licet:     the   verb   itself   ex- 

on  him.  presses  by  its  meaning  the  shading 

46.    Galba:  this  may  be  a  ref-  which  in  suaderet  is  expressed  by 

erence  to  a  known  person,  a  jurist  the  mode.  — bonus  atque  benignus  : 

who  is  said   by  the  scholiast   to  as  if  quoted  from  those  who  would 

have  been  himself  caught  in  adul-  receive  the  money.     Cf.  benignus, 

tery.    This  would  explain  the  point  vs.  4. 

oi negabat:  as  a  jurist  he  dissented  53.    hoc  .  .  .  uno:  explained  in 

from  the  general  judgment.     But  the  words  Matronam  .  .  .  tango. 
the  story  of  the  scholiast  may  have  55.   Originis :  said  by  the  scho- 

started  with  negabat.  liast  to  have  been  a  mima  (cf.  vs. 

48.   Sallustius :     not     the     his-  2)  of  Cicero's  time.     Marsaeus  is 

torian.     It    may    have    been    his  unknown  and  this  is  therefore  an 

nephew  and  heir,  but  this  is  not  apparent  personality,  which  in  re- 

easily    reconciled    with    the    fact  ality  refers  to  a  long-past  scandal. 

45 


i?  2,  56]  HORATI 

qui  patrium  mimae  donat  fundumque  laremque, 
4  Nil  fuerit  mi,'  inquit,  'cum  uxoribus  unquam  alienis.' 
Verum  est  cum  mimis,  est  cum  meretricibus,  unde 
fama  malum  gravius  quam  res  trahit.     An  tibi  abunde 

60      personam  satis  est,  non  illud,  quidquid  ubique 
officit,  evitare?     Bonam  deperdere  famam, 
rem  patris  oblimare,  malum  est  ubicunque.    Quid  inter- 
est in  matrona,  ancilla  peccesne  togata  ? 
Villius  in  Fausta  Sullae  gener,  hoc  miser  uno 

65      nomine  deceptus,  poenas  dedit  usque  superque 
quam  satis  est,  pugnis  caesus  ferroque  petitus, 
exclusus  fore,  cum  Longarenus  foret  intus. 
Huic  si  mutonis  verbis  mala  tanta  videntis 
diceret  haec  animus  '  Quid  vis  tibi  ?    Numquid  ego  a  te 

70      magno  prognatum  deposco  consule  cunnum 
velatumque  stola,  mea  cum  conferbuit  ira  ? ' 
quid  responderet?     '  Magno  patre  nata  puella  est.' 
At  quanto  meliora  monet  pugnantiaque  istis 

59.  fama,  res:  the  same  com-  Fausta  was  the  daughter  of  Sulla 
bination  (in  reversed  order)  that  and  the  wife  of  Milo.     Villius  was 
is  used  in  damno  dedecorique,  vs.  one  of  her  lovers,  called  Snllae 
52  f.,  to  express  from  both  sides  gener  in  derision,  and  Longarenus 
the  consequences  of  excess.  was   another   lover.  —  in  Fausta: 

60.  personam :    the    character,  in  the  case  of  Fausta,  with  the 
the  r61e,  of  a  moechus,  contrasted  verbal  phrase  poenas  dedit.  — hoc 
with  illud  .  .  .  officit,  the  results  .  .  .  uno  :  abl.  with  miser  decep- 
of  excess,  which  come  in  any  case  tus,  with   nomine  (i.e.  the   noble 
(itbique).  name    Fausta)    in  apposition.  — 

62.  ubicunque:    repeating  ubi-      fore:  abl.  with  exclusus. 

que\  ' whatever  persona  you  may  68-72.     si   ...    diceret:    the 

assume.'  conclusion  is  responderet,  72. 

63.  togata :    cf.  note  on   albi,  73.   meliora   .    .    .    pugnantia : 
36.                                                            after  monet,  the  subject  of  which 

64-67.    This  is  also  a  reference      is  natnra.    -  pugnantia  istis  :  '  op- 
to    a   scandal   of    Cicero's    time.       posite  to  what  you  have  said,'  i.e. 

46 


SERMONES  [1,2,89 

dives  opis  natura  suae,  tu  si  modo  recte 
75      dispensare  velis  ac  non  fugienda  petendis 
immiscere.     Tuo  vitio  rerumne  labores, 
nil  referre  putas  ?     Quare,  ne  paeniteat  te, 
desine  matronas  sectarier,  unde  laboris 
plus  haurire  mali  est  quam  ex  re  decerpere  fructus. 
80      Nee  magis  huic  inter  niveos  viridisque  lapillos, 

sit  licet  hoc,  Cerinthe,  tuum,  tenerum  est  femur  aut 

crus 

rectius,  atque  etiam  melius  persaepe  togatae  est. 
Adde  hue,  quod  mercem  sine  f  ucis  gestat,  aperte 
quod  venale  habet  ostendit,  nee,  si  quid  honesti  est, 
85      iactat  habetque  palam,  quaerit  quo  turpia  celet. 

Regibus  hie  mos  est :  ubi  equos  mercantur,  opertos 
inspiciunt,  ne,  si  facies,  ut  saepe,  decora 
molli  fulta  pede  est,  emptorem  inducat  hiantem, 
quod  pulchrae  clunes,  breve  quod  caput,  ardua  cervix. 

to   magno  patre   .    .    .  est.      Cf.  sit  ...  tuum :  although  this  may 

pugnantia  secum,  Sat.  I,  I,  102.  be  your  judgment,   i.e.   that   the 

74.  dives  opis  natura  suae  :  a  adornment  of  the  married  woman 
doctrine  of  Epicurean  philosophy,  adds  to  her  attractions.    Cerinthus 
stated  by  Cicero,  de  Fin.  i,  13,  45  is  unknown. 

.  .  .  'ipsa  natura  divitias,  quibus  84.   honesti:    used   of  physical 

contenta  sit,  et   parabiles  et  ter-  charms    for     the     contrast    with 

minatas    habet.1      The  figure    is  turpia. 

carried  on  in  dispensare,  '  to  deal  86-89.   opertos:  i.e.  they  cover 

out '  like  a  careful  steward.  those  parts  of  the  horse  which  by 

75.  fugienda    petendis :      used  their  beauty  might  attract  the  pur- 
again  in  Sat.  I,  3,  114,  as  equiva-  chaser  —  emptorem  inducat  —  the 
lent  to  bona  diversis.  parts  specified  in  vs.  89,  in  order 

76.  Tuo  vitio  rerumne :  cf.  Sat.  to  examine  with  the  more  coolness 
I,  10,  57  t..  mini  illius,  nuin  rerum  of  judgment  the  parts  which  might 
.  .  .  tiatitra.  be  unsound,  molli  .   .  .  pede.   The 

80-82.   huic:      the     matrona;      custom,  if  there  ever  was  such  a 
contrasted    with    togatae,    82. —      custom,  is  not  elsewhere  alluded  to. 

47 


1,2,90]  HORATI 

90      Hoc  illi  recte  :  ne  corporis  optima  Lyncei 
contemplere  oculis,  Hypsaea  caecior  ilia, 
quae  mala  sunt,  species.     O  crus  !  O  brachia  !  Verum 
depygis,  nasuta,  brevi  latere  ac  pede  longo  est. 
Matronae  praeter  faciem  nil  cernere  possis, 

95      cetera,  ni  Catia  est,  demissa  veste  tegentis. 
Si  interdicta  petes,  vallo  circumdata,  nam  te 
hoc  facit  insanum,  multae  tibi  turn  efficient  res, 
custodes,  lectica,  ciniflones,  parasitae, 
ad  talos  stola  demissa  et  circumdata  palla, 

ioo    plurima,  quae  invideant  pure  apparere  tibi  rem. 
Altera,  nil  obstat :  Cois  tibi  paene  videre  est 
ut  nudam,  ne  crure  malo,  ne  sit  pede  turpi ; 
metiri  possis  oculo  latus.     An  tibi  mavis 
insidias  fieri  pretiumque  avellier  ante 

105    quam  mercem  ostendi  ?     '  Leporem  venator  ut  alta 
in  nive  sectetur,  positum  sic  tangere  nolit,' 

90  f.   Lyncei :    famous   for    his  her  house  (ciniflones,  hairdressers, 

power    of    sight;     cf.    Epist.    i,  parasitae,   at    the    table),    which 

I,  28,  non  pcs  is  oculo  quantum  made  it  difficult  to  find  her  alone. 
contendere    Lynceus.  —  ne    .    .    .  too.    invideant   .  .  .    apparere : 

contemplere  :  a  parenthetic  clause  the  construction  is  unusual,  but  it 

of  purpose. —  Hypsaea:  unknown  is   found  in    Plautus,  e.g.   Bacc/t. 

except  by  a  note   in  the  scholia,  543.    Cf.  the  infin.  after  prohibere. 
which  does  not  really  explain  the.          101.   Altera:  without  a  verb,  to 

allusion.  give   a   conversational   tone ;    the 

96  f.    vallo  circumdata :    figiira-  thought   is  easily  filled  out   from 

tive,  as  an  amplification  of  inter-  pure  apparere  and  from  the  rest 

dicta,  and  itself  further  amplified  in  of  vs.  101.  —  Cois:  abl.  neuter.    A 

vs.  98-100. — facit  insanum:  the  transparent    kind    of    silk    made 

fact  that  there  are   difficulties  in  originally  in  the  island  of  Cos. 
the  way.  105-108    ut :  hou'\  the  clause  dc- 

98.    The  attendants  of  a  great  pends  upon  lantat.    These  verses 

lady,  either  in  the  streets  (<7/.v/wfc.f,  give  the  substance  of  an  epigram 

lectica  —  \\ith  the  bearers)  or  in  of  Callimachus    (_.ln//i.  Pal.,  xii. 

48 


SERMON  ES  £1,2,122 

cantat  et  apponit :  '  Meus  est  amor  huic  similis  ;  nam 
transvolat  in  medio  posita  et  fugientia  captat.' 
Hiscine  versiculis  speras  tibi  posse  dolores 

no    atque  aestus  curasque  gravis  e  pectore  pelli  ? 

Nonne,  cupidinibus  statuat  natura  modum  quern, 
quid  latura  sibi,  quid  sit  dolitura  negatum, 
quaerere  plus  prodest  et  inane  abscindere  soldo  ? 
Num,  tibi  cum  fauces  urit  sitis,  aurea  quaeris 

115    pocula  ?     Num  esuriens  fastidis  omnia  praeter 

pavonem  rhombumque  ?     Tument   tibi   cum  inguina, 

num,  si 

ancilla  aut  verna  est  praesto  puer,  impetus  in  quern 
continue  fiat,  malis  tentigine  rumpi? 
Non  ego :  namque  parabilem  amo  venerem  facilemque. 

120    Illam,  '  Post  paulo,'  '  Sed  pluris,'  '  Si  exierit  vir,' 
Gallis,  hanc  Philodemus  ait  sibi,  quae  neque  magno 
stet  pretio  neque  cunctetur,  cum  est  iussa  venire. 

102)   in  which   the  lover  is  com-  112.   dolitura  negatum :  cf.  Sat. 

pared  to  a  hunter;    the  game  that  I,  I,  75. 

he  prefers  is  that  which  costs  him  113.   inane:  the  void  or  space 

trouble  in  the  pursuit  and  capture.  of  Epicurean  physics,  in  which  the 

—  apponit  :  the  point  of  the  epi-  atoms  or  matter  (soliduni)  moved, 

gram    is    here    added    in    direct  But     here    figuratively,    like    the 

quotation    and    in    a    very    close  English    substance   and    shadmv, 

paraphrase,   almost   a  translation  '  to  distinguish  the  mere  appear- 

of  the  original.     The  comparison  ance  from  the  reality.' 

was    probably    common    enough.  116.  pavonem  rhombumque:  the 

Ovid    {Anwr.  2,  9,  9)    has   com-  fashion  which  dictated  the  use  of 

pressed  the  whole  into  a  single  line.  certain  fish  or  fowls  as  a  part  of 

109-110.    versiculis:     'do    you  every   formal    dinner    is    directly 

think  that  such  verses  are  a  heal-  ridiculed  in  other  satires,  esp.  Sat. 

ing  charm    which  will  cure   your  2,  2,  23  ff.,  and  48  ff. 

troubles? '  120-122.    A  reference  to  an  epi- 

iii.    natura  modum  :  the  same  gram  of  Philodemus,  an  Epicurean 

thought  is  in  Sat.  \.  1,49  f.,  59,  73.  of  Cicero's  time.     This  particular 
HOR.  SAT.  —  4                   49 


i,  2,  123]  HORATI 

Candida  rectaque  sit,  munda  hactenus,  ut  neque  longa 
nee  magis  alba  velit,  quam  dat  natura,  videri. 

125    Haec  ubi  supposuit  dextro  corpus  mihi  laevuni, 
Ilia  et  Egeria  est :  do  nomen  quodlibet  illi, 
nee  vereor,  ne,  dum  futuo,  vir  rure  recurrat, 
ianua  frangatur,  latret  canis,  undique  magno 
pulsa  domus  strepitu  resonet,  vepallida  lecto 

130    desiliat  mulier,  miseram  se  conscia  clamet, 

cruribus  haec  metuat,  doti  deprensa,  egomet  mi. 
Discincta  tunica  fugiendum  est  ac  pede  nudo, 
ne  nummi  pereant  aut  puga  aut  denique  fama. 
Deprendi  miserum  est ;  Fabio  vel  iudice  vincam. 

epigram    is   not   ejctant,  but    the  130.   conscia :  the  slave-woman 

construction  reflects  the  colloquial  who  was  the  accomplice, 

tone  ;  ' "  that  one  (the  matrona)  134.  Fabio:  probably  the  Stoic 

for  the  Galli,  this  one  (the  liber-  philosopher  referred  to  in  Sat.  I, 

tina)  for  me,"  says  Philodemus.'  I,    14.     The   Stoic   doctrine   was 

123.   munda :     neat,   but    with  that  no  evil  could  befall  the  true 

the    suggestion    that    adornment  philosopher.     The  point  therefore 

may   be    carried    too   far.  —  hac-  is   that   the   misfortune   of  being 

tenus :  only  so  far.  caught  is  so  great  that  not  even 

129.  vepallida :    the    prefix    is  a  Stoic,  in  spite  of  his  doctrine, 

here  intensive,  very  pale ;   else-  could  deny  that  it  was  miserum. 
where     it     is     negative,     as     in 
vesanim  =•  insanus. 


The  only  indication  of  the  date  of  this  satire  is  the  allusion  in  vs. 
64,  which  implies  a  considerable  degree  of  intimacy  with  Maecenas,  to 
whom  Horace  was  introduced  in  the  year  38.  In  style  and  thought  it 
is  one  of  the  more  mature  satires  of  the  First  Book. 

'  Musical  people  are  odd.  Look  at  Tigellius.  ;i  bundle  of  inconsistent 
absurdities.  "Very  fine,'1  says  some  one,  "but  how  about  you,  who 
critici/.e  others  with  so  much  penetration  ?  Are  you  faultless  your- 
self ?''  "Not  at  all,"  answers  the  critic,  "but,  frankly,  I  don't  think 

5° 


SERMONES  [i,  3 

my  faults  are  as  bad  as  his."  No,  you  do  not,  and  your  self-satisfied 
attitude  is  a  proper  subject  for  a  satire. 

1  Your  habit  of  criticism  brings  its  natural  result,  that  others  criticize 
you,  and  both  you  and  they,  seizing  upon  some  trifling  fault,  fail  to  see 
the  finer  and  nobler  qualities  and,  still  worse,  make  no  effort  to  correct 
your  own  faults. 

'  I  wish  that  we  might  rather  be  as  blind  to  the  faults  of  a  friend  as 
a  lover  is  to  the  defects  in  the  face  of  his  mistress  or,  if  see  them  we 
must,  might  treat  them  with  the  indulgent  tenderness  of  a  father  toward 
his  child,  interpreting  bluntness  as  frankness  and  a  hot  temper  as  only 
an  excess  of  high  spirit. 

'But  we  follow  just  the  opposite  course  and  turn  good  qualities  into 
faults,  modesty  into  stupidity,  prudence  into  trickiness.  A  fairer  judg- 
ment would  show  us  that  virtues  are  more  common  than  vices  and 
would  teach  us  to  exchange  pardon  rather  than  censure. 

'  A  reasonable  philosophy  for  a  world  of  faulty  men  should  not  be 
over-strict.  To  break  a  friendship  for  some  trifling  breach  of  good 
manners  is  to  lose  all  sense  of  proportion  between  crime  and  penalty. 

'The  Stoics,  to  be  sure,  teach  in  their  paradoxical  way  that  all  faults 
are  sins  and  deserve  the  heaviest  penalty.  But  this  doctrine  is  repug- 
nant to  our  best  feelings  and  opposed  to  all  that  we  know  of  the  gradual 
evolution  of  the  moral  code.  A  real  understanding  of  the  source  of  our 
moral  sense  makes  it  unreasonable  to  punish  the  slightest  error  with 
death,  as  the  Stoic  says  he  would  do,  if  he  were  king.  "  And  how 
now,  my  Stoic  friend  ?  Wishing  that  you  were  king?  I  thought 
another  of  ytfur  Paradoxes  proved  that  you  are  a  king  already."  "  No, 
no,  you  don't  understand.  That  means  a  potential  king,  not  a  king 
de  facto."  "Potential?  What's  that?"  "Why,  like  Hermogenes, 
who  doesn't  need  to  be  singing  all  the  time  to  prove  that  he's  a  singer. 
Even  when  he  isn't  singing,  he's  a  potential  singer.  In  the  same 
way  I'm  a  king,  potentially."  "Very  well,  I  won't  argue  with  you,  but 
I  don't  think  much  of  Your  Majesty,  hustled  by  street  boys  on  your 
way  to  the  cheap  baths.  I  will  remain  a  private  citizen  and  forgive  as 
I  hope  to  be  forgiven." ' 

It  is  not  probable  that  the  subject  of  this  satire  was  suggested  by 
any  particular  set  of  circumstances.  Roman  society  was  censorious, 
and  Horace  was  himself  an  object  of  criticism,  but  this  is  neither  a 
satire,  in  the  proper  sense,  nor  an  argument  in  self-defence.  It  is  a 
broadly  human  plea  for  generosity  toward  one's  friends.  The  treat- 
ment of  the  Stoics  is  not  to  be  taken  seriously,  and  it  would  not  be  fair 
to  press  too  far  the  obvious  modern  analogies. 


i.  3.  i] 


110KATI 


Thackeray's  Roundabout  Paper  called  On  a  Chalk-mark  on  the 
Door  is  an  excellent  companion  piece  to  this  satire  in  its  general  tone 
and  especially  in  the  manner  in  which  the  subject  is  introduced. 

Omnibus  hoc  vitium  est  cantoribus,  inter  amicos 
ut  numquam  inducant  animum  cantare  rogati, 
iniussi  numquam  desistant.     Sardus  habebat 
ille  Tigellius  hoc.     Caesar,  qui  cogere  posset, 
5       si  peteret  per  amicitiam  patris  atque  suam,  non 
quicquam  proficeret ;  si  collibuisset,  ab  ovo 


1-2.  vitium:  not  -vice,  but  de- 
fect, fault.  —  rogati  :  contrasted 
\\\th-itiiussij  both  predicate. 

3.  Sardus  :  with  contemptuous 
emphasis.     The  Sardinians    were 
in  bad  repute  at  Rome ;    cf.   the 
saying,  Sardi  venales,  alter  altero 
nequior. 

4.  Tigellius  :  a  musician  of  the 
Ciceronian   period,   several    times 
alluded  to  in  Cicero's  letters  and 
in  the  scholiasts.     Cicero  speaks 
of  him  always  as  Sardus  Tigellius, 
but    his   name   was    Hermogenes 
Tigellius,  and   it  is  unlikely  that 
Sardus  was  accepted  by  him  as  a 
cognomen.     He  was  an  acquaint- 
ance of  many   persons  of  promi- 
nence,  Julius    Caesar.    Cleopatra, 
Cicero,  and   the  younger   Caesar, 
but  not,  apparently,  on    terms  of 
equality.      He    had    died   shortly 
before  the  second  satire  was  writ- 
ten.    He  is    to   be   distinguished 
from   another  Hermogenes  Tigel- 
lius, still  alive,  also  a  musician  and 
probably  a    freedman  or  adopted 
-in  of  the  former.     The  tune  of 


Horace  toward  the  elder  Tigellius 
is  not  hostile,  though  not  respect- 
ful ;  toward  the  younger  he  is  dis- 
tinctly hostile  (Sat.  1,4.72  ;  i.  10, 
1 8,  80, 90).  There  are  two  places 
where  the  reference  might  be  to 
either  (1,3, 129;  1,9,25).  —  habe- 
bat .  .  .  hoc :  had  this  way.  habit ; 
hoc  does  not  refer  grammatically 
to  vitium.  —  Caesar :  the  young 
Octavius  took  this  name  immedi- 
ately after  the  death  of  his  great- 
uncle,  in  44.  The  title  Augustus 
was  not  given  to  him  till  27.  He 
is  always  referred  to  by  Horace 
as  Caesar,  never  as  Octavianus, 
which  could  not  be  used  in  hex- 
ameter. —  qui  cogere  posset  :  the 
words  are  not  meant  literally, 
but  as  a  complimentary  recogni- 
tion of  his  position  and  influ- 
ence. 

5.  patris  :    Julius  Caesar,   his 
adoptive   father.  —  si   peteret  :    a 
future    condition,    put    into    past 
time. 

6.  collibuisset  :     an    impf.    in 
force. 


SERMONES 


3.  »4 


10 


usque  ad  mala  citaret  '  lo  Bacche !  '  modo  summa 
voce,  modo  hac  resonat  quae  chordis  quattuor  ima. 
Nil  aequale  homini  fuit  illi ;  saepe  velut  qui 
currebat  fugiens  hostem,  persaepe  velut  qui 
lunonis  sacra  ferret ;  habebat  saepe  ducentos, 
saepe  decem  servos ;  modo  reges  atque  tetrarchas, 
omnia  magna  loquens,  modo,  '  Sit  mihi  mensa  tripes  et 
concha  salis  puri  et  toga,  quae  defendere  frigus, 


6-7.  ab  ovo  usque  ad  mala  : 
eggs  were  a  usual  part  of  the  pre- 
liminary gustatio  (cf.  Sat.  2,  4, 
12),  and  fruit  was  served  as  a 
dessert  at  the  end  of  the  dinner. 

7-8.  lo  Bacche :  the  opening 
words  or  the  refrain  of  a  drinking 
song.  The  final  e  should  be  short, 
but  may  be  explained  as  having 
been  lengthened  in  the  song  by 
its  position  at  the  end  of  a  musical 
phrase.  —  summa,  ima  :  the  ac- 
companying reference  to  the  lyre 
shows  that  these  words  are  used 
of  the  position  of  the  strings,  not 
of  the  tone.  As  the  lyre  was  held, 
the  bass  string  was  uppermost. 
The  Romans  used  summits  and 
imiis  also  of  the  tones  of  the  voice 
in  the  same  sense  as  the  English 
high  and  low. 

9.  aequale :  consistent. 

10.  The   expression    is   some- 
what condensed ;  in  full  it  would 
be  saepe  currebat  velut  qui  fugiens 
hostem  (curreret},  persaepe  (ince- 
debat  or  some  similar  verb)  velut 
qui  .  .   .  ferret. 

11.  lunonis  sacra:  the  KUI/T/^O- 
pot,  who  in  religious   processions 


carried  the  offerings  and  sacred 
vessels  in  baskets  on  their  heads 
and  would  naturally  walk  with 
dignity. 

11-12.  ducentos  .  .  .  decem  : 
one  number  suggests  domestic  pro- 
fusion, the  other  a  quiet  dignity : 
neither  is  to  be  interpreted  literally. 
Horace  himself,  in  speaking  of  the 
easy  simplicity  of  his  own  life,  says 
that  he  was  waited  on  at  supper  by 
three  slaves  (Sat.  i,  6,  116). 

12.  reges  atque  tetrarchas  :  that 
is,  at  one  time  he  talked  of  court 
life  and  Oriental  monarchs,  at  an- 
other time  his  attitude  was  that 
of  a  true  philosopher  who  had 
reduced  his  desires  to  the  bare 
necessities. 

13-14.  tripes,  concha :  the  Ro- 
man gentleman  regarded  a  hand- 
some dining  table,  supported  upon 
a  central  pedestal,  as  necessary  to 
a  properly  furnished  dining  room, 
and  even  poor  people  had  a  silver 
saltcellar;  cf.  Carm.  2,  16,  13  f., 
Vivitur  parvo  bene  cui  pater- 
mtm  |  s pie ndel  in  mensa  tenui 
xalinum.  —  puri :  salt  was  some- 
times perfumed  or  flavored. 


53 


'5J 


HORATI 


quamvis  crassa,  queat.'     Deciens  centena  dedisses 
huic  parco,  paucis  contento,  quinque  diebus 
nil  erat  in  loculis.     Noctes  vigilabat  ad  ipsum 
mane,  diem  totum  stertebat.     Nil  fuit  umquam 
sic  impar  sibi.  —  Nunc  aliquis  dicat  mihi  :  '  Quid  tu  ? 
nullane  habes  vitia?'     Immo  alia  et  fortasse  minora. 
Maenius  absentem  Novium  cum  carperet,  '  Heus  tu,' 
quidam  ait,  '  ignoras  te,  an  ut  ignotum  dare  nobis 
verba  putas  ?'     '*Egomet  mi  ignosco,'  Maenius  inquit. 


15.  Deciens  centena :  sc.  millia 
sestertium,  a  million  sesterces.  — 
dedisses  :      a     paratactic     condi- 
tion,  without  st.     Cf.  Sat.   i,    I, 

45- 

1 6.  parco,     paucis      contento : 
these  words   summarize   the   pro- 
fessions   of    Tigellius    in    13-15. 
The    substance    of    the    passage 
therefore    is :    '  But    if    you    had 
taken     this     ascetic     philosopher 
at    his    word   and    given    him   a 
million       or      two,      he      would 
have     turned     spendthrift     in     a 
week.' 

17.  erat :  the  whole  passage  is 
•  description  of  a  man  who  had 
been  dead  some  years,  and  all  the 
tenses  are  past,  impf.,  perf.,  plupf. ; 
in  present  time  it  would  have  been 
dederis  .  .  .  erit:    'Suppose   you 
gave  him  a  million ;  a  week  after- 
ward you  look  in  his  pocketbook 
—  nothing  there! ' 

18.  Nil :  the  neuter  is  colloquial 
and  more  sweeping  than  the  more 
exact  masculine.     Cf.  Catullus,  9, 
11,  quid    me  laetius  eat   bent  ins- 
vet 


ig.  impar  sibi:  =  (iti)aequale, 
9.  — Nunc :  at  this  point  in  the  talk. 
—  aliquis,  mihi :  merely  the  two 
conventional  figures  that  Horac^ 
often  employs  to  enliven  his  Sat- 
ires with  bits  of  dialogue.  —  Quid 
tu  ?  how  about  yourself? 

21-23.  These  verses  repeat  in 
brief,  with  the  added  point  of  a 
double  pun,  the  essence  of  1-20. 
Maenius  corresponds  to  the  critic, 
Novius  to  Tigellius,  heits  tu  to 
quid  tu  ?  ignoras  .  .  .  putas  /  is 
a  slight  expansion  of  nullane  ha- 
bes vitia  /  and  ego  met  mi  ignosco 
is  a  neater  variation  upon  imino 
.  .  .  minora.  The  pun  upon  ig- 
notas,  ignotiim^  ignosco  gains  force 
from  the  double  question :  '  Which 
is  it,  Maenius,  igno-ras  or  igno- 
tum f  '  Neither,' says  Maenius; 
'it's  igno-sco.''  The  scholiast 
gives  a  long  account  of  a  Maenius, 
but  it  has  no  point  here,  nor  is  it 
important  to  identify  Novius  with 
one  of  the  persons  mentioned  in 
Sitt.  I,  6,  121  ;  the  names  are  only 
more  vivid  substitutes  for  tilit/ni.\ 
and  mi  My  vs.  19. 


54 


SERMONES 


[».  3.  27 


Stultus  et  improbus  hie  amor  est,  dignusque  notari. 
25          Cum  tua  pcrvideas  oculis  mala  lippus  inunctis, 
cur  in  amicorum  vitiis  tarn  cernis  acutum 
quam  aut  aquila  aut  serpens  Epidaurius?   At  tibi  contra 


24.  hie  amor  :  such  satisfaction 
as  this,  that  is,  as  has  been  ex- 
hibited in  the  preceding  verses. — 
dignusque  notari :  '  a  proper  sub- 
ject for  a  satire.' 

Verses  1-24  introduce  the  sub- 
ject of  the  satire  with  an  easy  skill 
which  Horace  has  nowhere  sur- 
passed. The  passage  reads  like 
the  talk  of  a  group  of  men  sitting 
about  the  fire  at  a  club.  There 
is  no  attempt  to  reproduce  the 
exact  form  of  dialogue,  and  the 
suggestion  of  dialogue  in  the  in- 
troduction is  intended  only  as 
an  interpretation  of  the  spirit  of 
the  passage.  Some  chance  has 
brought  up  the  oddities  of  musi- 
cal people,  of  which  Tigellius 
affords  an  excellent  illustration. 
The  mention  of  his  name  leads 
easily  to  the  amusing  and  not  ill- 
natured  analysis  of  the  character 
of  this  much-flattered  and  ex- 
travagant musical  artist.  But  the 
characterization,  though  not  really 
ill-natured,  illustrates  the  incon- 
sistency of  censuring  others  for 
failings  which  we  excuse  in  our- 
selves, an  inconsistency  which  is 
even  more  clearly  apparent  in 
the  Maenius-Novius  anecdote,  and 
which  furnishes  a  subject  for  the 
satirist. 

25-27.    mala :     stronger    than 


•vitiis,  in  the  next  line.  —  lippus, 
inunctis :  there  are  frequent  refer- 
ences to  this  inflammation  of  the 
eyelids  and  to  the  use  of  eye-salve 
(Sat.  I,  5,  30;  Epist.  I,  I,  29); 
both  the  disease  and  the  remedy 
obscured  for  the  time  the  power 
of  vision.  —  aquila,  serpens  :  the 
eagle  is  still  used  in  literature  as  a 
symbol  of  acuteness  of  sight ;  the 
attributing  of  the  same  quality  to 
the  serpent,  common  in  Greek 
literature,  was  due  to  a  supposed 
connection  between  8paKw  and 
the  stem  of  BepKo/wn,  to  see. — 
Epidaurius  refers  to  the  story  of 
the  bringing  of  a  sacred  serpent 
from  the  temple  of  Aesculapius  in 
Epidaurus  to  Rome.  This  is  the 
use,  frequent  in  Horace,  of  the 
definite  and  particular  for  the  gen- 
eral. —  pervideas  :  taken  by  many 
editors  to  mean  examine  sharply, 
making  an  intentional  oxymoron 
with  lippus.  But  pervidere  usu- 
ally means  only  to  look  at,  and  is 
here  contrasted  with  cernis  acu- 
ti(in,  as  mala  is  with  vitiis  and 
lippus  inunctis  with  aquila  and 
serpens. 

27-28.  contra, rursus :  i.e.  when 
their  turn  comes.  —  illi :  not  re- 
ferring precisely  to  amicorum,  but 
more  general,  —  '  when  the  criti- 
cized turn  critics.1 


55 


i,  3,  28] 


HORATI 


evenit,  inquirant  vitia  ut  tua  rursus  et  illi. 
'Iracundior  est  paulo,  minus  aptus  acutis 

30      naribus  horum  hominum  ;  rideri  possit  eo,  quod 
rusticius  tonso  toga  defluit,  et  male  laxus 
in  pede  calceus  haeret.'     At  est  bonus,  ut  melior  vir 
non  alias  quisquam,  at  tibi  amicus,  at  ingenium  ingens 
inculto  latet  hoc  sub  corpore.     Denique  te  ipsum 

35      concute,  num  qua  tibi  vitiorum  inseverit  olim 
natura  aut  etiam  consuetude  mala ;  namque 
neglectis  urenda  filix  innascitur  agris. 


39-30.  A  single  fault  in  two 
forms,  iracundior,  quick-tempered, 
and  minus  aptus  .  .  .,  impatient 
of  criticism,  the  general  followed 
by  the  particular.  —  acutis  nari- 
bus :  from  the  instinctive  turning 
up  of  the  nostrils  at  a  disagree- 
able odor.  The  phrase  is  a 
slightly  inaccurate  combination  of 
the  descriptive  (acutis)  with  the 
figurative  (naribus).  —  horum: 
nowadays,  with  a  side-reference 
to  literary  criticism ;  cf.  Sat.  i, 
10,  67-71. 

30-32.  rideri  possit:  'people 
may  laugh  at  him,'  i.e.  he  exposes 
himself  to  possible  ridicule. — 
tonso :  dat. ;  sc.  ei.  The  two  dis- 
tinct criticisms  are  better  ex- 
pressed in  English  by  two  verbs: 
4  because  his  hair  is  cut  by  a  coun- 
try barber  and  his  toga  isn't  prop- 
erly creased.'  —  defluit  :  hangs 
loose,  instead  of  being  creased  in 
folds  across  the  chest,  -male: 
with  both  /rt-tv/jand  haeret ;  /*  loose 
and  ill-fitting.  On  these  lines  cf. 


Epist.  i,  i,  94  ff.,  and  Quint,  n, 
3,  137,  'et  toga  et  calceus  et  capil- 
lus  tarn  nimia  cura  quam  negle- 
gentia  sunt  reprendenda.' 

34.  inculto  .  .  .  corpore :  is  kid- 
den  beneath  this  careless  exterior. 

35.  concute:  from  shaking  the 
loose  folds  of  the  garments  to  see 
whether  anything  was  concealed 
in  them.     Cf.  Plaut.  Aid.  646  f., 
agedum,  excutedum  pallium  .  .   . 
ne  inter  tunicas  habeas.     The  im- 
plied notion  of  searching  governs 
the  indirect  question,  num  .  .  .  in- 
severit. —  olim :  once,  i.e.  at  your 
birth,   with    reference   to   natura 
only. 

36-37.  consuetude :  added  as 
an  after-thought,  to  remind  the 
overcritical  censor  that  he  has 
not  only  faults  which  were  in- 
born, but  also  faults  which  are 
due  to  his  own  carelessness.  — 
neglectis  :  almost  '  for  if  you  are 
careless.' —  filix:  a  common  pest 
to  the  Italian  farmer,  which  he  got 
rid  of  by  burning  over  the  fields. 


SKRN'IONES 


['.  3.  44 


Illuc  praevertamur :  amatorem  quod  amicae 
turpia  decipiunt  caecum  vitia,  aut  etiam  ipsa  haec 
40      delectant,  veluti  Balbinum  polypus  Hagnae : 
vellem  in  amicitia  sic  erraremus,  et  isti 
errori  nomen  virtus  posuisset  honestum. 
At  pater  ut  gnati,  sic  nos  debemus*  amici 
si  quod  sit  vitium  non  fastidire ;  strabonem 


38-54.  '  As  the  lover  finds  in 
the  defects  of  his  mistress  only 
added  beauties,  and  as  the  father 
calls  his  boy  by  a  pet  name  which 
minimizes  his  physical  weaknesses, 
so  we  should  try  to  see  the  better 
side  of  our  friends1  qualities.' 

Horace  is  here  strengthening 
his  argument  by  appealing  to  two 
well-recognized  traits.  The  blind- 
ness of  the  lover  was  a  common- 
place of  philosophy  (Plato,  Rep. 
5, 474  d ;  Lucretius,  4,  1 160-1 169 ; 
Ovid,  Ars  Am.  2,  657  ff.)  and  the 
giving  of  nicknames  based  upon 
physical  peculiarities  was  so  com- 
mon among  the  Romans  that 
most  of  their  family  names,  in- 
cluding those  used  in  this  passage 
{Paetus,  Pull  its,  Varns,  Scaur  us), 
are  derived  from  this  custom. 

38.  Illuc    praevertamur,    quod : 
let  us  turn  rather  to  this  fact,  that 
.  .  . ;  i.e.  '  let  us  prefer  to  imitate 
the  lover's  blindness.' 

39 .  dec  ipiunt :  are  unnoticed  by. 
Cf.  fallerc.  latere,  with  ace.  of  the 
person. 

40.  Balbinum:  unknown. — Hag- 
nae :  ("Ayv?/)  a  common  liber  Una 
name. 


41.  vellem  .  .  .  erraremus:    / 
wish  that  we  made  the  same  mis- 
take ;  the  unfulfilled  form  of  velim 
.  .  .  er remits;  there  is  no  implied 
condition. 

42.  virtus :    ethics,  ethical  phi- 
losophy.    Cf.    Car  in.   2,  2,   17  ff., 
Phraaten  .  .  .  numero  beat  or  um 
eximit  virtus.  —  honestum :    cred- 
itable,   honorable.     Though    such 
blindness  to  obvious  facts  may  be 
an  error,  yet  it  is  so  generous  an 
error  that  philosophers,  especially 
the  Stoics,  should  have  given  it  a 
name  which  would   recognize  its 
nobler  side. 

43-48.  This  passage  cannot  be 
exactly  translated ;  modern  Eng- 
lish, in  which  physical  deformities 
are  ignored  or  relegated  to  the 
scientific  vocabulary  of  surgeons, 
has  no  equivalents  for  paetiis, 
pullus,  varus,  scaurus.  Each  of 
these  words  designates  in  an  ex- 
tenuating way  deformities  which 
are  more  broadly  described  by  the 
corresponding  words  strabo,  male 
parvus  and  abortions,  distortis 
cruribus,  pravis  .  .  .  talis. 

43.  At:  adversative  to  the  main 
thought  of  29  ff.,  not  exclusively 


57 


i.  3,  45] 


HORATI 


45      appellat  paetum  'pater,  et  pullum,  male  parvus 
si  cui  films  est,  ut  abortivus  fuit  olim 
Sisyphus ;  hunc  varum  distortis  cruribus ;  ilium 
balbutit  scaurum  pravis  fultum  male  talis. 
Parcius  hie  vivit:  f rugi  dicatur.     Ineptus 

50      et  iactantior  hie*  paulo  est :  concinnus  amicis 
postulat  ut  videatur.     At  est  truculentior  atque 
plus  aequo  liber  :  simplex  fortisque  habeatur. 
Caldior  est :  acris  inter  numeretur.     Opinor 
haec  res  et  iungit,  iunctos  et  servat  amicos. 


to  what  immediately  precedes. 
The  expression  is  somewhat  con- 
densed, for  ut  pater  gnati  viliitm 
nonfastidit,  sic  nos  debemus  amid 
vitium  non  fastidire. 

47.  Sisyphus :  a  dwarf  kept  by 
Antony. 

48.  balbutit :  properly  lisps,  i.e. 
the  father  speaks  the  word  scaurus 
in  gentle  tones,  in  a  kind  of  baby 
talk,  so  that  it  is  a  pleasant  nick- 
name to  the  child. 

49-54.  These  lines  contain  the 
application  of  the  foregoing  illus- 
trations. Each  of  the  four  quali- 
ties mentioned  may  be  regarded 
as  a  fault,  but  each  has  its  good 
side,  so  that  it  may,  upon  a  gen- 
erous interpretation,  be  considered 
a  virtue.  The  words  which  express 
the  overcritical  inteqjretation  are 
in  the  comparative  degree,  as  if  to 
suggest  that  the  faults  are  only 
exaggerations  of  good  qualities. 

49.  Parcius  :  too  stingy,  f  rugi : 
economical, '  careful  in  money  mat- 
ters.' 

49-51.    'He  sometimes  thrusts 


himself  forward  too  much  (iactan- 
tior} and  really  makes  an  ass  of 
himself  (ineptus),  but  it  is  in  the 
effort  (postulat)  to  be  entertain- 
ing.' The  best  commentary  on 
these  qualities  is  in  Cicero,  de 
Orat.  2,  4,  17,  'qui  aut  tempus 
quid  postulet  non  videt  aut  plura 
(too  much)  loquitur  aut  se  ostentat 
(=  iactantior)  .  .  .  aut  denique  in 
aliquo  genere  aut  inconcinnus  aut 
multus  est,  is  ineptus  dicitur.' 
This  sense  of  postulare,  to  expect, 
desire,  almost  =  velle,  is  common 
in  Plautus  and  should  have  fuller 
treatment  in  the  Lexicons. 

51-52.  'Too  much  inclined  to 
be  overbearing,  and  more  free  in 
speech  than  he  ought  to  be.'  On 
its  good  side  this  quality  should 
be  regarded  as  merely  frankness 
and  fearlessness. 

53.  Caldior :  =  calidior ;  cf.  sol- 
diim,  Sat.  2.  5.  65  ;   hot-tempered. 
—  acris:  high-spirited. 

54.  haec   res  :•  i.e.  this  way  of 
treating  the  qualities  of  our  friends, 
this  generous  interpretation. 


5» 


SERMONES 


['.  3.  64 


55          At  nos  virtutes  ipsas  invertimus,  atque 

sincerum  cupimus  vas  incrustare.     Probus  quis 
nobiscum  vivit,  multum  demissus  homo:  illi 
tardo  cognomen,  pingui  damus.     Hie  fugit  omnis 
insidias  nullique  malo  latus  obdit  apertum, 

60      cum  genus  hoc  inter  vitae  versetur,  ubi  acris 
invidia  atque  vigent  ubi  crimina:  pro  bene  sano 
ac  non  incauto,  fictum  astutumque  vocamus. 
Simplicior  quis  et  est,  qualem  me  saepe  libenter 
obtulerim  tibi,  Maecenas,  ut  forte  legentem 


55-56.  '  But  we  follow  a  course 
exactly  the  opposite  of  this ;  in- 
stead of  looking  for  the  virtues 
which  underlie  faults,  we  seek  for 
the  faults  that  accompany  virtues.' 
Of  the  two  figures  by  which  this 
is  expressed,  the  first,  invertimus, 
is  quite  general ;  the  second  is 
derived  from  the  soiling  of  a  clean 
(sincerum}  jar  by  the  incrustation 
deposited  from  sour  wine.  —  cupi- 
mus :  i.e.  we  find  pleasure  in  it. 

56-58.  The  opposed  interpre- 
tations are  expressed  by  pairs  of 
adjectives,  put  together  without  a 
connective.  —  Probus:  honest]  de- 
missus  :  modest,  quiet.  Cicero  uses 
the  two  words  together  (de  Orat. 
2,  43,  182),  contrasting  them  with 
acres,  per  tinaces.  —  pingui :  some- 
what stronger  than  tardo. 

58-62.  The  virtus  of  these  lines 
is  less  obvious  than  the  preceding, 
and  is  therefore  described  more  at 
length,  before  the  point  is  reached 
in  the  pairs  of  contrasting  adjec- 
tives. —  nulli  malo  :  masc.  —  latus : 
flank,  the  figure  being  from  the 


military  vocabulary.  —  inter:  see 
note  on  1,1,47. — invidia,  crimina : 
many  allusions  in  the  Satires  show 
that  Horace  was  himself  exposed 
to  envy  and  criticism  by  reason 
of  his  friendship  with  Maecenas. 

—  sano,  non  incauto:    a  man  of 
sense  and  not  u'ithout  prudence. 

—  fictum :  insincere ;  cf.  Cic.  Lael. 
8,  26,  where  simulatus  is  used  as 
a  parallel. 

63-66.  The  quality  here  de- 
scribed, perhaps  suggested  by 
contrast  with  the  '  prudence '  of 
58-62,  is  that  single-mindedness 
and  absence  of  self-consciousness 
which  is  at  times  a  most  engaging 
characteristic,  but  at  other  times 
may  become  annoying  thoughtless- 
ness.—  et:  connecting  simplicior 
with  talis,  implied  by  qualem.  — 
libenter:  in  my  eagerness ;  it  is 
essentially  the  same  as  simplicior •, 
'with  my  thoughts  fixed  too  in- 
tently upon  some  one  idea.'  — 
quovis  sermone  :  with  some  unim- 
portant remark,  not  referring  to 
moUstus . . .  caret.  —  Molestus  :  he's 


59 


1,3,65] 


IIORATI 


65      aut  taciturn  impellat  quovis  sermone  :  '  Molestus  ; 
communi  sensu  plane  caret,'  inquimus.     Eheu, 
quam  temere  in  nosmet  legem  sancimus  iniquam  ! 
Nam  vitiis  nemo  sine  nascitur ;  optimus  ille  est 
qui  minimis  urgetur.     Amicus  dulcis,  ut  aequum  est, 

70      cum  mea  compenset  vitiis  bona  ;  pluribus  hisce 
(si  modo  plura  mihi  bona  sunt)  inclinet,  amari 
si  volet ;  hac  lege  in  trutina  ponetur  eadem. 
Qui  ne  tuberibus  propriis  offendat  amicum 
postulat,  ignoscet  verrucis  illius ;  aequum  est 

75      peccatis  veniam  poscentem  reddere  rursus. 

Denique,  quatenus  excidi  penitus  vitium  irae, 


a  nuisance.  —  communi  sensu :  not 
'  common  sense,'  but  ordinary  tact, 
almost  common  politeness ;  cf. 
Seneca,  de  Ben.  i,  12,  3,  sit  in' 
beneficio  sensus  communis ;  tem- 
PUS,  locum  observet. 

67.  temere :  hastily,  thought- 
lessly, not  seeing  that  the  law 
condemns  ourselves  also  (in  nos- 
tuel)  and  is  unjust  besides. 

69.  urgetur :  i.e.  has  the  small- 
est load  of  faults  to  carry.     The 
thought    suggests    the    figure   of 
weights    balanced    in    the   scales, 
which  is  more  elaborately  worked 
out    in    the    following    lines ;    so 
inseverit,  35,  suggests  vs.  37. 

70.  cum :      prep,      governing 
vitiis ;  will  set  my  good  qualities 
over  against  my  faults.     Cf.  Cic. 
ilc  /•»/.  2,  30,  97,  compensabatur 
i  n  in  sit  in  mis  dolor  ibus  laetitia.  — 
hisce :  i.e.  the  bona. 

71.  inclinet:  as  if  he  were  him- 
self the  scales. 


72.    hac  lege :  on  this  condition. 

73-74.  tuberibus :  wens  ;  larger 
than  "verrucae,  warts.  On  the 
Roman  freedom  of  speech  about 
such  defects,  cf.  44  ff.  and  notes. 
—  postulat :  as  in  vs.  51. 

75.  poscentem :  with  the  subj. 
of  reddere.  —  veniam:  obi.  of pos- 
centem,  but  to  be  supplied  also  with 
reddere. 

76  ff.  'In  short,  since  we  are 
born  with  faults  (68)  which  no 
philosophy  can  wholly  eradicate, 
it  is  reasonable  that  we  should 
recognize  the  difference  between 
the  lighter  and  the  heavier,  and 
should  not  condemn  all  with  an 
equal  severity.' 

The  figure  of  the  scales  (70- 
72),  in  which  faults  may  be 
weighed  against  virtues,  suggests 
the  weighing  of  one  fault  against 
another,  and  this  recalls  the  Stoic 
doctrine  that  all  faults  are  alike  in 
heinousness.  Against  this  doc 


60 


SERMONES 


LI,  3. 


cetera  item  nequeuut  stultis  haerentia,  cur  non 
ponderibus  modulisque  suis  ratio  utitur,  ac  res 
ut  quaequc  est,  ita  suppliciis  delicta  coercet  ? 
80      Si  quis  eum  servum,  patinam  qui  tollere  iussus 
semesos  piscis  tepidumque  ligurrierit  ius 
in  cruce  suffigat,  Labeone  insanior  inter 
sanos  dicatur.     Quanto  hoc  furiosius  atque 
maius  peccatum  est :  paulum  deliquit  amicus, 


trine  the  rest  of  the  satire  is  di- 
rected, at  first  with  an  assumed 
humility  and  an  ironical  serious- 
ness, but  finally  with  open  parody 
and  humor. 

76.  vitium :     subj .    of   neqtiit, 
to  be  supplied  from  the  next  line. 

—  irae :    this    particular  fault,   al- 
ready mentioned   in  vss.  29  and 
53,  is  singled  out  because  Horace 
was  conscious  of  the  failings  of  his 
own  temper. 

77.  item :     this     supplies    the 
place    of   a    connective    between 
vitium  irae  and  cetera  (vitia).  — 
stultis:    the  technical  Stoic  word 
for    all    men     except     the     ideal 
sapiens',  its  use  at  this  point  gives 
a  double   meaning   to   ratio  (78) 

—  either  -the  logical  deductions  of 
the  Stoics '  or  '  the  common  sense 
of  mankind'  —  and  prepares  the 
way  for  the  more  open  attack  in 
96  ff. 

79.  ut  .  .  .  ita :  do  not  try  to 
render  literally  ;  '  make  the  penalty 
fit  the  crime.' 

80 -8 1.  tollere:  remove  from  the 
table  at  the  end  of  the  course.  — 
semesos  :  the  fragments  left  on  the 


platter.  —  tepidum  :  already  grow- 
ing cold  and  unpalatable.  These 
details  are  added  to  lighten  the 
offense. 

82.  in  cruce :  the  extreme  pen- 
alty.    But  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  it  had  none  of  the  associations 
now    connected   with    it ;    it   was 
oftener    threatened    than    carried 
out,  and  is  frequently  alluded  to 
in   the   humorous  slang  of  Latin 
comedy.  —  Labeone  :  it  is  not  clear 
whether  this  was  a  Labeo  who  was 
tribune  in    the   year   131    or  the 
Labeo  who  fought  in  the  army  of 
Brutus,  or  his  son,  a  free-spoken 
opponent    of    Augustus.      It     is 
clear,  however,  that   the   allusion 
is  not  at  all  to  some  act  of  ex- 
treme cruelty  or  of  serious  mis- 
judgment,    but    to    some    notori- 
ous     extravagance      of     conduct 
which    would     be     recalled    with 
humorous  appreciation  by  readers 
familiar     with     the     gossip      of 
Rome. 

83.  Quanto  .  .  .  furiosius:  not, 
of  course,  to  be  tiken  seriously.  — 
hoc:  subj.  of  est^  referring  to  what 
follows. 


61 


i,  3,  «5] 


HORATI 


85      quod  nisi  concedas,  habeare  insuavis,  acerbus  : 
odisti,  et  fugis,  ut  Rusonem  debitor  aeris, 
qui  nisi,  cum  tristes  misero  venere  Kalendae, 
mercedem  aut  nummos  undeunde  extricat,  amaras 
porrecto  iugulo  historias  captivus  ut  audit. 

90      Comminxit  lectum  potus,  mensave  catillum 
Evandri  manibus  tritum  deiecit ;  ob  hanc  rem, 
aut  positum  ante  mea  quia  pullum  in  parte  catini 
sustulit  esuriens,  minus  hoc  iucundus  amicus 


85.  quod  nisi  concedas:  i.e.  a 
fault  so  trifling  that  only  a  man  of 
the  most  irritable  temper  would 
take  offense  at  it; 

86-89.  odisti:  the  construction 
is  intentionally  abrupt ;  in  full  it 
would  be,  'but  you,  instead  of 
pardoning  the  slight  fault,  turn 
your  friendship  into  dislike  and 
avoidance.'  —  fugis,  ut:  the  natu- 
ral conclusion  would  be  'as  hard 
as  you  can,'  but  for  this  general 
comparison  Horace  substitutes  a 
special  allusion  which  has  a  point 
of  its  own.  Ruso,  unknown  ex- 
cept from  this  reference,  is  a 
money-lender,  keen  in  collecting 
his  interest,  but  with  a  weakness 
for  writing  histories.  His  clever 
debtor,  unable  to  meet  his  notes, 
pretends  an  interest  in  Ruso's 
writings  and  so  gets  easy  terms 
from  the  flattered  author.  But 
the  histories  are  so  dull  that  to 
listen  to  them  is  as  painful  as  to 
stand  with  outstretched  neck  await- 
ing the  blow  of  the  executioner, 
and  Ruso's  debtors  therefore  avoid 
him  even  more  persistently  than 


other  debtors  avoid  their  credit- 
ors. —  Kalendae :  the  first  of  the 
month  was  one  of  the  dates  for 
collecting  money.  Cf.  Epod.  2, 
69  f.  —  mercedem :  the  interest ; 
nummos  :  the  principal.  —  unde- 
unde :  the  duplication  makes  it 
indefinite ;  cf.  qmsquis,  utut,  etc. 
—  captivus  ut :  like  a  prisoner  of 
•war,  about  to  be  executed. 

91.  Evandri:    a   king    in   the 
mythical  time  before  the  coming 
of  Aeneas  to   Latium.  —  manibus 
tritum :  the  owner  would  point  to 
the  handle  and  remark  that  it  had 
been  worn  smooth  by  the  hands 
of  the  good  king.     The  craze  for 
collecting  old  pottery  and  bronzes 
and  claiming  for  them  a  fabulous 
antiquity  is  ridiculed  again  in  Sat. 

2,  3.  20  ff. 

92.  positum  ante  :  =  anteposi- 
tittit,  served.  —  mea  in  parte  :  the 
food  was  served  in  a  platter  placed 
in  the  middle   of  the  table   and 
each  guest  helped  himself,  taking 
naturally  that  portion  which  was 
nearest  to  him. 

93.  esuriens:  his  hunger  being 


62 


SERMONES 


[',3.99 


sit  mihi  ?     Quid  faciam  si  furtum  fecerit,  aut  si 
95      prodiderit  commissa  fide  sponsumve  negarit  ? 

Quis  paria  esse  fere  placuit  peccata,  laborant 
cum  ventum  ad  verum  est;  sensus  moresque  repugnant 
atque  ipsa  utilitas,  iusti  prope  mater  et  aequi. 
Cum  prorepserunt  primis  animalia  terris, 


a  partial  excuse  for  the  breach  of 
etiquette.  —  minus  .  .  .  mihi :  the 
same  as  odisti  ct  fugis,  86. 

94.  furtum   fecerit :   as  in  the 
Twelve    Tables,  furtum  factnm 
sit. 

95.  fide:  the  old  dative  form. 
—  sponsum :  a  promise   made  by 
the    formal    sponsio.      As    many 
business  transactions  were  ratified 
only   by    oral    formulas,    without 
written  evidence,    the    failure   to 
keep    a   verbal    promise    in   such 
matters  was  regarded  as  an  espe- 
cially serious  crime. 

96  ff.  The  Paradoxes  of  the 
Stoics  were  doctrines  which, 
though  they  transcended  ordi- 
nary experience,  were  held  to 
express  essential  truths.  There 
is  a  brief  review  of  them  in 
Cicero,  pro  Mur.  29,  60  ff.,  where 
the  particular  Paradox  here  dis- 
cussed is  stated  thus  :  '  omnia 
peccata  esse  paria;  omne  delic- 
tum  scelus  esse  nefarium,  nee 
minus  delinquere  eum  qui  gallum 
gallinaceum.  cum  opus  non  fuerit, 
quam  eum  qui  patrem  suffocaverit.' 
Against  this  Horace  sets  the  re- 
sults of  actual  observation,  en- 
forced by  a  condensed  history, 


from  Epicurean  philosophy,  of  the 
development  of  the  ideas  of  right 
and  wrong.  The  Stoic  teaching 
is  not  unlike  the  Calvinistic  doc- 
trine of  sin  —  that  the  sinfulness 
of  an  act  lies  in  the  violation  of 
the  law  of  God,  the  particular 
details  or  consequences  being  im- 
material —  while  the  attitude  of 
Horace  is  that  of  the  believers  in 
evolutionary  ethics. 

96.  Quis:    the    old    dat.    form 
for  quibus.  —  fere :  with  paria.  — 
placuit :  technical ;  apca/cei ;  transl. 
those  who  hold. 

97.  ad  verum :  '  to  the  test  of 
actual  experience.1  —  sensus  mores- 
que :  so  Cicero,  de  Fin.  4,  19,  55, 
arguing  against  this  doctrine,  says 
that   sensus   cuiusque    et    natura 
rerum  atqite  ipsa  veritas  cry  out 
against  it. 

98.  utilitas :      in    the    broader 
sense,  ( the  common    good,1    not 
individual  advantage.     The   utili- 
tarian philosophy  has  a  prominent 
place  in  modern  thought.  — prope  : 
qualifies    the     figurative     mater ; 
'  which  may  almost  be  called  the 
mother  of  the  sense  of  justice.' 

99-    The  following  account  of 
the    evolution    of  society  is    Epi- 


i,  3,  100] 


IIOKATI 


100    mutum  et  turpe  pecus,  glandem  atque  cubilia  propter 
unguibus  et  pugnis,  dein  fustibus,  atque  ita  porro 
pugnabant  armis,  quae  post  fabricaverat  usus, 
donee  verba,  quibus  voces  sensusque  notarent, 
nominaque  invenere  ;  dehinc  absistere  bello, 

105    oppida  coeperunt  munire  et  ponere  leges, 
ne  quis  fur  esset,  neu  latro,  neu  quis  adulter. 
Nam  fuit  ante  Helenam  cunnus  taeterrima  belli 
causa ;  sed  ignotis  perierunt  mortibus  illi, 
quos  venerem  incertam  rapientis  more  ferarum 

no    viribus  editior  caedebat,  ut  in  grege  taurus. 
lura  inventa  metu  iniusti  fateare  necesse  est, 
tempora  si  fastosque  velis  evolvere  mundi. 


curean ;  compare  Lucretius,  5, 
780-1457.  —  prorepserunt :  from 
the  earth  which  gave  them  birth. 
—  animalia  :  living  creatures,  but 
not  yet  men. 

loo.  mutum:  Jacking  the  power 
of  articulate  speech.  —  turpe  :  still 
shapeless,  not  of  human  form. — 
glandem  atque  cubilia :  food  and 
shelter  no  better  than  that  of 
animals. 

101-102.  unguibus  et  pugnis, 
fustibus,  armis :  various  steps  in 
a  civilization  to  which  we  are 
still  engaged  in  making  contribu- 
tions. 

103-104.  verba  :  pry/xara,  verbs : 
nomina :  ovopoita,  nouns]  techni- 
cal terms  of  grammar,  somewhat 
less  pri-cisc-  than  the  corn-spend- 
ing English  words,  together  stand- 
ing for  the  whole  of  speech.  — 
voces  sensusque  notarent :  •  might 


give  meaning  to  their  cries  (voces) 
and  express  their  feelings.' 

106.  adulter :  it  is  a  touch  of 
sensationalism  that  leads  Horace 
to   select    this    particular  sin   for 
detailed    illustration   in   the   next 
four  verses. 

107.  ante  Helenam:  cf.  Car  HI. 
4.  9,  25,  i>ixere  fortes  ante  <-1ga- 
ineinnona.      Recorded    history    is 
thought  of  as  beginning  with  the 
Trojan  war. 

108.  sed  ignotis :   emphatic  by 
]X>sition  at  the  beginning  and  in 
caesura ;    '  but  we   know    nothing 
of  all  that  went  before.1 

109.  incertam:       promiscuous, 
before  the  recognition   of  the  in- 
stitution of  marriage. 

1 10.  viribus  editior  :  a  stronger; 
a  very  rare  figurative  use  of  edit  us. 

in   112.    A  restatement  of  the 
point  to  be  proved  (iura  inventa 


64 


ShRMUNES 


3.  '*< 


Nec  natura  potest  iusto  secernere  iniquum, 
dividit  ut  bona  diversis,  f  ugienda  petendis ; 

115    nee  vincet  ratio  hoc,  tantundem  ut  peccet  idemque 
qui  teneros  caules  alieni  fregerit  horti, 
et  qui  nocturnus  sacra  divom  legerit.     Adsit 
regula,  peccatis  quae  poenas  irroget  aequas, 
ne  scutica  dignum  horribili  sectere  flagello. 

120    Nam,  ut  ferula  caedas  meritum  maiora  subire 
verbera,  non  vereor,  cum  dicas,  esse  pares  res 


inetu  iniiisti  —  iitilitasiusti  mater), 
which  is  now  regarded  as  demon- 
strated to  one  who  will  read  the 
history  of  the  race  (si  fastos  velis 
evolvere). 

113-114.  A  conclusion  from 
the  preceding  argument,  which  in 
a  logical  form  would  be  introduced 
by  ergo:  'there  is  therefore  no 
natural  instinct  which  distin- 
guishes between  right  and  wrong.' 
—  bona :  not  in  the  moral  sense, 
for  that  would  contradict  the  whole 
argument,  but  agreeable,  pleasant, 
further  defined  by  petendis,  as 
iiiversis  (their  opposite*)  is  by 
f  ugienda. 

115-117.  A  further  conclusion  : 
'  Therefore  —  since  the  distinc- 
tion between  right  and  wrong  is 
neither  innate  nor  absolute — there 
is  no  such  tiling  as  sin  per  se,  but 
each  error  or  fault  must  be  judged 
separately,  according  to  its  effect 
upon  the  common  advantage.'  — 
nee  vincet  ratio :  nor  will  philoso- 
phy (i.e.  the  Stoics)  succeed  in 
proving.  —  tantundem  :  quantita- 
tive ;  idem :  qualitative :  in  the 

HOK.  SAT.  —  5  65 


same  degree  and  kind  (Green- 
ough).  The  two  kinds  of  theft 
here  named  are  said  to  have  been 
specifically  mentioned  in  the  laws 
of  Draco  as  deserving  the  same 
punishment.  —  sacra  legerit :  an 
old  legal  formula,  preserved  in 
the  compound  sacrilegus. 

1 18.  regula  :  a  scale.  —  aequas  : 
just,  fair,  proportioned    to   the 
offense. 

119.  scutica:    the  whip.  —  fla- 
gello :  the  scourge,  a  knout  or  cat- 
of-nine-tails,  a  much  more  dreadful 
instrument  of  punishment  than  the 
scutica. 

120-124.  Nam:  'we  need  a 
scale  of  sins  which  shall  prevent 
you  from  inflicting  too  severe  a 
penalty :  for  that  you,  a  Stoic, 
with  your  overstrict  laws,  should 
inflict  too  light  a  penalty  is  highly 
improbable.' -- ferula  :  a  cane, 
such  as  was  used  by  schoolmas- 
ters ;  substituted  for  scutica  for 
variety.  —  ut  caedas  .  .  .  ,  non 
vereor :  the  regular  construction 
would  be  ne  caedas  .  .  .  ,  non  ve- 
reor, but  the  underlying  thought 


»,  3. 


1  [OR  ATI 


furta  latrociniis,  et  magnis  parva  mineris 
falce  recisurum  simili  te,  si  tibi  regnum 
permittant  homines.     Si  dives  qui  sapiens  est, 
125    et  sutor  bonus  et  solus  formosus  et  est  rex, 

cur  optas  quod  habes  ?     '  Non  nosti  quid  pater,'  inquit, 
'  Chrysippus  dicat :  sapiens  crepidas  sibi  numquam 
nee  soleas  fecit,  sutor  tamen  est  sapiens.'     Qui  ? 


here  does  not  call  for  a  verb  of 
fearing.  Expressed  without  irony 
the  verb  would  be  non  verisimile 
est  or  something  like  that,  and  the 
^/-clause  conforms  to  the  under- 
lying thought  and  all  the  more 
easily  because  the  ///-clause  conies 
first.  But  Horace  has  substituted 
for  the  simple  expression  the  iron- 
ical vereor,  which  in  this  connec- 
tion ceases  to  be  really  a  verb  of 
fearing.  —  pares  res  :  =  paria,  96. 
—  magnis :  after  simili ;  a  con- 
densed construction  for  falce 
simili  qua  falce  inagna.  —  reci- 
surum: as  a  farmer  prunes  the 
vines.  —  si  tibi  regnum  .  .  .  :  with 
dtcas,  121,  begins  a  quotation  in 
indirect  form  of  the  purpose  of  the 
Stoic  philosopher :  '  I  would  do 
thus  and  so,  if  I  had  the  power.' 
But  the  last  thought  is  care- 
lessly expressed  in  the  common 
phrase.  '  if  I  were  king,'  and 
Horace  seizes  upon  this  phrase 
to  turn  the  rest  of  the  satire  into 
a  humorous  flouting  of  Stoic 
doctrine 

124-126.  This  Paradox  is  thus 
stated  by  Cicero,  pro  Mur.  29, 
6l :  '  solos  sapientes  esse,  si  dis- 


tortissimi,  formosos,  si  mendicis- 
simi,  divites,si  servitutem  serviant, 
reges ;  and  is  referred  to  by  Lucil- 
ius,  1225  f.  (Marx).  The  funda- 
mental truth  which  underlies  the 
Paradox  is  that  character  makes 
the  man,  that  character  is  the 
essential  and  circumstances  are 
the  accidents,  a  truth  which 
Horace  in  other  places  (e.g. 
Carm.  2,  2,  17  ff.)  fully  recog- 
nizes ;  here  it  suits  his  purpose 
to  ridicule  the  exaggerated  form 
in  which  the  doctrine  was  ex- 
pressed. 

127.  Chrysippus:  next  to  Zeno 
the   chief   of    Stoic  philosophers, 
called     pater     as     a     term     of 
honor. 

128.  sutor:  this  particular  illus- 
tration, which  tends  to  make  the 
whole  doctrine  ridiculous,  was  se- 
lected partly  with  reference  to  the 
story   of  Alfenus,    130,   partly    to 
illustrate   the  dogged   persistence 
with   which    the   Stoics  defended 
their   Paradox,  even    in   its    most 
extreme   applications.  —  Qui  ?    an 
exclamation     of     bewilderment  • 
'  how     is     that  ?       I     don't     see 
it.' 


66 


SEKMONES 


'  Vt,   quamvis  tacct   Hermogenes,   cantor    tamen   at- 
que 

130    optimus  est  modulator  ;  ut  Alfenus  vafer,  omni 
abiecto  instrument©  artis  clausaque  taberna, 
sutor  erat ;  sapiens  operis  sic  optimus  omnis 
est  opifex  solus,  sic  rex.'     Vellunt  tibi  barbam 
lascivi  pueri ;  quos  tu  nisi  fuste  coerces, 

135    urgeris  turba  circum  te  stante  miserque 

rumperis  et  latras,  magnorum  maxime  regum  I 


129-133.  'The  ideal  man,  the 
sapiens,  is  potentially  master  of 
all  arts  and  crafts,  though  he  may 
not  actually  practice  them,  just  as 
Hermogenes  is  a  singer  even  when 
he  is  not  singing.'  —  Hermogenes: 
see  on  vs.  4.  —  modulator  :  a  more 
technical  word  than  cantor.  —  Al- 
fenus :  apparently,  as  the  scholiast 
says,  the  famous  jurist  (vafer  is 
used  of  the  law  in  Sat.  2,  2,  131) 
Alfenus  Varus,  consul  in  39.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  in  early  life  a 
cobbler  at  Cremona,  and  the  argu- 
ment of  the  Stoic  is  that  he  re- 
mained potentially  a  cobbler  even 
after  he  became  a  great  man. — 
instrumento  :  collectively ;  '  the 
tools  of  his  trade.1  —  sic :  '  in  this 
sense?  as  Alfenus  was  potentially  a 
shoemaker  ;  not  —  ergo,  therefore. 
—  solus  :  the  Stoic's  argument, 
even  if  it  be  accepted  at  its  best, 
does  not  prove  that  only  the  sapi- 
ens is  an  ideal  craftsman ;  in  fact, 
it  proves  just  the  contrary.  But 
solus  was  used  in  the  Paradox, 
and  is  therefore  added  by  the 
Stoic  in  a  triumphant  tone,  as  if 


he    had    now    proved  his   whole 
point. 

133  ff.  As  often,  Horace  makes 
no  direct  answer  to  the  argument, 
but  turns  to  other  matters  which 
form  in  the  end  a  most  conclu- 
sive, though  indirect,  reply.  '  Very 
well,  you  seem  to  have  proved 
that  you  are  a  king,  but  appear- 
ances are  against  you,  and  cer- 
tainly you  are  a  very  odd  kind 
of  king.1  —  barbam,  fuste :  phi- 
losophers of  the  stricter  sect 
sometimes  chose  to  distinguish 
themselves  from  other  men  by 
wearing  a  long  beard  (cf.  Sat.  2, 
3,  35,  iussit  sapientem  pascere 
barbam)  and  by  carrying  an  old- 
fashioned  staff.  —  rumperis  et  la- 
tras :  i.e.  i  make  yourself  hoarse 
with  howling.1  —  This  exaggerated 
use  of  rumpere  was  colloquial ;  cf. 
Epist.  I,  19,  15  and  Plaut.  Capt. 
14.  latras  suggests  the  Cynic 
school  (from  KU'WV,  dog),  with 
which  the  Stoics  were  connected. 
—  magnorum  maxime  regum  :  as 
if  it  were  a  formal  title  of  respect, 
•  Your  Most  Gracious  Majesty/ 


67 


i,  3,  137]  HOKATI 

Ne  longum  faciam,  dum  tu  quadrante  lavatuin 
rex  ibis,  neque  te  quisquam  stipator  ineptum 
praeter  Crispinum  sectabitur,  et  mihi  dulces 
140     ignoscent,  si  quid  peccaro  stultus,  amici, 
inque  vicem  illorum  patiar  delicta  libenter, 
privatusque  magis  vivam  te  rege  beatus. 

137.    Ne  longum  faciam  :  cf.  tic  120  f. — et:   correlated  with  -gttc, 

te  merer,  Sat.   i,  i,   14.  and  the  141. 

more  abrupt  iam  satis,  I,  i,  120.  140.    stultus:    in  the  Stoic  use 

—  quadrante  :  one  fourth  of  an  as,  of  the  word.  —  With  these  verses 

the  price  of  admission  to  the  pub-  Horace    returns    to    the    serious 

lie  baths.  thought  of  the  earlier  part  of  the 

138-139.    stipator  :        as      an  satire,  which  is   in  fact  latent  in 

escort.  —  ineptum  :     with     Cris-  his  mind  even  while  he   is  ridi- 

pinnm.    who     is     called     lippus  culing   the    Stoic   solemnity  and 

and   otherwise    derided    in    I,    i,  Pharisaism. 


There  is  no  reference  in  this  satire  which  fixes  the  date  precisely,  and 
we  are  obliged  to  fall  back  upon  general  indications.  The  criticisms  to 
which  it  is  a  reply  were  called  forth  by  the  sensational  and  personal 
tone  of  the  early  seventh  and  eighth  satires,  and  especially  of  the 
second;  in  particular,  vss.  91  ff.  show  that  this  was  written  after  the 
second  and,  probably,  very  soon  after  it.  Maecenas  is  not  mentioned 
in  this  satire,  as  he  is  not  referred  to  in  the  other  earlier  ones,  though  a 
personal  mention  would  have  been  natural  in  8.  8  and  14.  Nor  is  there 
any  reference  to  the  group  of  distinguished  friends  whose  approval  is 
in  the  tenth  satire  the  final  answer  to  the  critics.  This  satire  may 
therefore  with  probability  be  placed  with  2,  7  and  8  of  this  book  and 
with  some  of  the  Epodes,  all  written  before  Horace's  introduction  to 
Maecenas  in  38. 

The  reference  to  Tigellius  (vs.  72)  is  too  vague  to  give  any  indica- 
tion of  the  date  (cf.  note  on  I,  3,  4). 

'The  great  Athenian  \\riters  of  comedy  were  the  founders  of  satire. 
After  them  came  Lucilius.  not  less  keen  than  tin  \ .  but  too  careless  and 
too  profusi-.  His  faults  I  desire  to  avoid,  for  mere  quantity  is  not  a 
merit ;  but  the  spirit  of  his  satire  I  shall  attempt  to  preserve.  I  am 

68 


SERMON ES  [',  4,  3 

aware,  however,  that  exposure  of  the  weaknesses  of  men  makes  my 
writings  unpopular,  and  I  desire  to  say  a  word  in  self-defence. 

•  In  the  first  place,  1  do  not  think  that  satire  is  poetry  or  should  be 
judged  by  the  standards  of  poetry.     It  lacks  the  imaginative  inspiration 
and  the  lofty  expression  of  poetry,  and  is,  in  this  respect,  like  comedy, 
a  mere  reproduction  in  verse-form  of  ordinary  talk  on  everyday  subjects. 

•  The  main  question,  however,  is  whether  the  satirist  deserves  to  be 
regarded  with  dislike  and  suspicion.     You  compare  him  to  a  detective, 
not  noticing  that  you  thereby  compare  yourself  to  a  criminal,  but  the 
comparison  fails  because  my  notes  are  not  taken  for  use  in  a  court  or 
for  publication.     You  say  that  the  satirist  is  a  man  of  meanly  critical 
spirit,  who  finds  pleasure  in  exhibiting  the  failings  of  others.     But  this 
also  is  untrue ;  my  satire  is  no  more  personal  or  serious  than  the  rail- 
lery of  a  good  talker  at  a  dinner  table.     It  is  in  fact  only  the  exercise 
of  a  habit  of  observation  taught  me  by  my  good  father,  who  without 
knowing  the  philosophy  of  books  instructed  me  in  a  practical  philoso- 
phy founded  on  observation.     The  only  fault  you  can  find  with  me  is 
that  1  write  down  my  observations.     But  everybody  nowadays  writes ; 
if  you  object  to  that,  we'll  unite  to  condemn  you  and  the  penalty  shall 
be  that  you  shall  turn  writer  yourself.' 

The  connection  of  thought  is  less  clearly  indicated  in  this  satire  than 
in  the  first  or  third :  there  is  occasional  sharpness  of  retort  and  there 
is  little  of  the  mellow  humor  of  the  later  work.  These  are  the  marks 
of  immaturity.  The  sensitiveness  to  criticism,  also,  is  of  the  kind  that 
decreases  with  experience. 


Eupolis  atque  Cratinus  Aristophanesque  poetae, 
atque  alii,  quorum  comoedia  prisca  virorum  est, 
si  quis  erat  dignus  describi,  quod  malus  ac  fur, 

1-2.    The  three  most  important  ative  clause  and  the  genitive  ;  cf. 

writers  of  the  Old  Comedy  (prisca  the  corresponding  verse,  Sal.  1, 10, 

comoedia),   of  whose  works  only  16. 

the  eleven  plays  of  Aristophanes  3.    dignus  describi :  deserved  to 

(444-388   B.C.)   are  extant.     The  be  satirised;    cf.    vs.    25,   culpari 

names   make  a  sonorous  opening  digues,  and  Sat.    i.  3.  24,  dignus 

of  the  speech  for  the  defendant.  —  ...  notari.     These  are  all  various 

poetae:  to  close  the  verse  with  em-  ways  of  saying,   -a  suitable  sub- 

phasis  :   •  true  poets,  all  of  them.1  ject   for   satire.'  — -  malus   ac   fur : 

—  virorum:  attracted  into  the  rel-  the  same  as  tnalos  fnres,  Sat.   I, 

69 


4.4] 


11ORATI 


quod  moechus  foret  aut  sicarius  aut  alioqui 
5       famosus,  multa  cum  libertate  notabant. 

Hinc  omnis  pendet  Lucilius,  hosce  secutus 
mutatis  tantum  pedibus  numerisque,  facetus, 
emunctae  naris,  durus  componere  versus. 
Nam  fuit  hoc  vitiosus  :  in  hora  saepe  ducentos, 
10      ut  magnum,  versus  dictabat  stans  pede  in  uno  ; 


I,  77,  with  no  more  difference 
than  there  is  between  '  rascals  and 
thieves'  and  'rascally  thieves.' 

5.  famosus:  in  a  bad  sense,  the 
common  meaning  in  early  Latin. 
—  libertate  :  -with  the  utmost  free- 
dom of  speech.    The  extant  plays 
of  Aristophanes,  in  which  public 
men  are  ridiculed  with   great  li- 
cense,   abundantly    support    this 
statement. 

6.  Hinc  .  .  .  pendet :  upon  them 
Lucilius  is  entirely  dependent,  i.e. 
as  the  context  shows,  they  were 
his    predecessors  and    models   in 
the   open  ridicule  of  individuals, 
his    warrant   for   the  use  of  per- 
sonal  satire.     It   does   not   mean 
that    Roman  satire,  as  a  form  of 
literature,  was  derived  from  or  an 
imitation  of  Greek  jcomedy.  —  C. 
Lucilius:     see     Introd. —  hosce: 
=  has.      In    Plautus     the     forms 
in    -ce    are     used     only     before 
vowels. 

7.  mutatis  .  .  .  numeris :    Lu- 
cilius wrote  partly  in  iambics  and 
trochaics.  but  the  verse  which  he 
used  most   frequently  and  which 
became   the  traditional   verse  for 
satire  was  the  dactylic  hexameter, 
which    is    not   employed    in    the 


drama.  —  tantum :  not  to  be  taken 
too  strictly,  for  Lucilius  of  course 
did  not  use  the  dramatic  form. 
The  emphasis  here  is  upon  the 
satirical  spirit. — facetus:  origi- 
nally '  brilliant  or  polished  in 
speech'  (from  fa-ri,  to  speak), 
and  this  is  the  meaning  always 
in  Plautus;  cf.  also  Sat.  i,  10, 
44,  molle  atque  facetum,  of  Ver- 
gil's bucolic  poetry.  The  mean- 
ing '  humorous,1  '  facetious,1  conies 
over  into  the  adj.  from  the  noun 
facetiae.  It  combines  with  emunc- 
tae naris  to  express  the  single  idea 
'keen  in  words  and  in  thought,' 
'sarcastic.1  The  same  idea  is  ex- 
pressed in  Sat.  i,  10,  3  f.,  sale 
mnlto  iirbem  dcfricuit. 

9.  hoc :    /;/   this,   referring    to 
what    follows,    which    is    at    the 
same  time  an  expansion  of  durus 
componere  versus. 

10.  ut  magnum :  '  considering  it 
a  great   feat.'  —  stans  .  .  .  uno : 
apparently  a  proverbial  expression 
for  doing  something  without  effort, 
but  it  does  not  occur  elsewhere ; 
Quintilian,  12,  y,  18,  in  his  act  ion  i- 
bus  omni,  ut  nyicolae  dicunt,  pede 
Illinium  <?.v/,  seems  to  be  a  refer- 
ence to  the  opposite  idea. 


70 


SER MONKS 


[1,4.  '6 


cum  flueret  lutulentus,  erat  quod  tollere  velles ; 
garrulus  atque  piger  scribendi  ferre  laborem, 
scribendi  recte  ;  nam  ut  multum,  nil  moror.  —  Ecce, 
Crispinus  minimo  me  provocat :  '  Accipe,  si  vis, 
accipiam  tabulas  ;  detur  nobis  locus,  hora, 
custodes  ;  videamus  liter  plus  scribere  possit.' 


1 1 .  tollere :  take  out,  before  us- 
ing the  water  for  drinking.  The 
figure  is  that  of  a  muddy  stream ; 
cf.  the  repetition  in  Sat.  i,  10,  50  f., 
at  dixi  fluere  /nine  littiilentnni, 
saepe  ferentem  plnra  quidem  tol- 
lenda  relinqnendis,  and  the  com- 
ment in  Quintilian,  10,  I,  94,  'ego 
ab  Horatio  dissentio,  qui  Lucilium 
fluere  lutulentum  et  esse  aliquid 
quod  tollere  possis  putat.'  The 
scholiast  thinks  that  quod  tollere 
velles  —  quod  sitmere  optares,  but 
this  is  quite  wrong. 

12-13.  garrulus:  this  must  go 
back  in  agreement  to  9-10,  in  spite 
of  the  verse  between.  It  is  a  loose 
construction,  but  the  whole  passage 
is  loosely  hung  together;  secittus 
without  est,facetus,  durus,vitiosus 
with  its  own  verb,  garrulus,  form 
a  series  of  half-connected  appen- 
dages to  the  noun,  Lnciliits.  — 
scribendi  recte:  a  corrective;  'of 
writing  properly,  I  mean.1  —  ut 
multum  :  sc,  scripserit.  —  nil  moror : 
a  common  colloquialism,  which 
usually  means  '  I  don't  care,'  '  I 
don't  bother  about  it.'  The  con- 
struction is  properly  ace.  and  infin., 
and  the  only  way  of  explaining  the 
///-clause  is  to  say  that  nil  moror 
has  here  the  meaning  and  con- 


struction of  concede;  'for  that  he 
wrote  much,  I  grant  with  indiffer- 
ence.'—  Ecce:  the  mere  mention 
of  writing  much  brings  forward 
Crispinus  at  once  with  a  boast. 

14.  minimo :  this  must  mean 
offers  we  heavy  odds,  i.e.  will  ac- 
cept a  bet  in  which  Horace  puts 
up  the  smallest  possible  pledge. 
There  is  no  precise  parallel  to  this 
use  of  minimo,  but  cf.  Sueton. 
////.  50,  amplissima  praedia  .  .  . 
mini  mo  addixit ;  Catull.  44,  4, 
quovis  Sabinnm  pignore  esse  con- 
tendnnt ',  Verg.  Ed.  3.  31,  tu  die, 
mecum  quo  pignore  certes.  The 
scholiasts  appear  to  know  the 
expression :  '  minimo  provocare 
dicuntur  hi  qui  in  sponsione  plus 
ipsi  promittunt  quam  exigant  ab 
adversario,'  but  the  explanation 
that  it  is  minimo  digito,  with  a 
gesture,  is  a  mere  guess.  —  Accipe  : 
sc.  tabulas.  —  si  vis :  less  forma! 
than  'if  you  please';  often  used 
in  colloquial  language  of  comedy 
in  the  shortened  form  sis  to  lessen 
the  abruptness  of  the  bare  impv. 
Cf.  sodes,  Sat.  i,  9,  41  n.,  and  the 
enclitic  -dum. 

15  f.  detur  custodes:  arrange- 
ments for  a  formal  contest,  with 
supervisors. 


'.4. 


IIOKAT1 


Di  bene  fecerunt,  inopis  me  quodque  pusilli 

finxerunt  animi,  raro  et  perpauca  loquentis  ; 

at  tu  conclusas  hircinis  follibus  auras, 

usque  laborantis  dum  ferrum  molliat  ignis, 

ut  mavis,  imitare.     Beatus  Fannius,  ultro 

delatis  capsis  et  imagine,  cum  mea  nemo 

scripta  legat,  volgo  recitare  timentis  ob  hanc  rem, 

quod  sunt  quos  genus  hoc  minime  iuvat,  utpote  pluris 


17.  Di  bene  fecerunt :  not  merely 
a  statement,  but  a  colloquial  ex- 
pression    of     gratitude ;       Thank 
Heaven.     Cf.    bene  fads,  yoiire 
very  kind$  Plaut.  Ainph.  937,  iam 
iiunc  irata  non  es?  \\  non  sum.  \\ 
bene  fads.  —  quodque  :  quod  intro- 
duces the  whole  clause,  after  the 
verb  of  emotion ;    -que   connects 
inopis  and  pusilli,  but  is  attached 
to  a  word  between  them ;  so  115, 
below,  vitatu  quidque  petit u ;  Sal. 
I,   6,    44,  cornua  .  .   .  vincatque 
tubas,  and  often  in  Horace. 

18.  loquentis:    agreeing  gram- 
matically with  animi,  but  in  sense 
with  me.     The  transfer  of  epithets 
is  common  in  the  Odes  (e.g.  I,  4, 
6  f.,  as  per  a  nigris  aequora  vent  is), 
and  the  attraction  of  loquentis  from 
me  to  animi  is  made  easier  by  the 
frequent   use   of  animus   for    the 
whole  man  (i,  2,  69,  diceret  haec 
animus') . 

19  ff.  'Go  and  be  a  pair  of 
bellows,  a  mere  wind-bag,  as  is 
evidently  your  preference-.1  —  ut 
mavis :  as  you  in  fact  prefer,  not 
'  since  you  so  choose.1 

ai  ff.     Fannius:  mentioned  also 


in  i.  10.  80,  with  the  adj.  ineptus, 
as  a  follower  of  Hermogenes 
Tigellius,  but  otherwise  unknown. 
There  are  five  scholia  attempting 
to  explain  the  reference  and  the 
words  ultro  .  .  .  imagine,  but 
they  are  confused  and  only  par- 
tially intelligible.  The  clause  cum 
.  .  .  legat  contrasts  the  good  for- 
tune of  Fannius  with  the  unpopu- 
larity of  Horace ;  beatus  must 
therefore  mean  '  happy  in  his  popu- 
larity :  and  ultro  .  .  .  imagine  must 
contain  a  satirical  reason  for  call- 
ing Fannius  popular.  The  sense 
would  then  be  '  The  truly  fortunate 
poet  is  neither  Crispinus  with  his 
facile  versification  nor  I  with  my 
satire,  but  Fannius ;  he  must  be 
popular,  for  lie  has  of  his  own  ac- 
cord set  up  (in  a  public  place, 
at  the  bookseller's?)  his  bookcases 
and  portrait-bust,  while,  as  to  my 
writings,  no  one  reads  them.1  But 
in  addition  to  the  obscurity  of  the 
allusions,  the  whole  sentence  is 
too  condensed  for  clearness. 

23  f.  timentis  :  agreeing  with  the 
gen.  implied  in  men.  —  genus  hoc  : 
satire  —  pluris  :  ace.,  with  quos. 


72 


SERMONES 


['.4.34 


25      culpari  dignos.     Quemvis  media  elige  turba  : 

aut  ob  avaritiam  aut  misera  ambitione  laborat ; 

hie  nuptarum  insanit  amoribus,  hie  puerorum  ; 

hunc  capit  argenti  splendor;  stupet  Albius  acre; 

hie  mutat  merces  surgente  a  sole  ad  eum  quo 
30      vespertina  tepet  regio  ;  quin  per  mala  praeceps 

fertur,  uti  pulvis  collectus  turbine,  ne  quid 

summa  deperdat  metuens  aut  ampliet  ut  rem. 

Omnes  hi  metuunt  versus,  odere  poetas. 

'  Faenum  habet  in  cornu,  longe  f  uge  ;  dummodo  risum 

29-32.  The  idea  of  passionate 
absorption  in  some  single  inter- 
est, which  is  expressed  above  by 
the  verbs  laborat,  insanit,  capit, 
stupet,  is  in  these  lines  suggested 
by  the  elaborate  detail  of  the 
description.  —  surgente,  vesper- 
tina :  '  from  the  East  to  the  West ' ; 
the  Romans  felt  a  kind  of  wonder 
at  the  extent  of  their  business 
enterprises. — praeceps  fertur:  as 
if  by  a  force  stronger  than  his  own 
will.  —  ne  .  .  .  deperdat,  ampliet 
ut :  in  the  proper  sense  of  ut  and 
ne  after  a  verb  of  fearing. 

33.  versus,  poetas:    an   inten- 
tional exaggeration  ;  the  dread  of 
being  satirized  leads  them  to  fear 
all  poetry. 

34.  quando       fcrinnt      bm>es, 
horum  in  corn ib us  ligatur  faeinun. 
Schol.     The  saying  happens  not 
to  occur  elsewhere,  but  is  given  in 
Greek  form  by  Plutarch,  Crass.  7, 
XopTov  e^etv  (^v/rru 

Cf.  also  Epod.  6,  ii,  cave, 
namque    in     inalos     asperrimus 
par  at  a  tollo  cornua. 


26  f.  ob  avaritiam  .  .  .  am- 
bitione: the  variation  in  con- 
struction is  intentional  and  is 
carried  still  further  in  the  follow- 
ing lines — hie  .  .  .  insanit,  hnnc 
capit,  stupet  —  until  the  last  craze, 
the  absorption  in  business,  is 
reached ;  this,  as  a  most  con- 
spicuous and  widespread  folly,  is 
given  fuller  description  in  29-32. 
—  laborat :  a  technical  word,  used 
of suffer 'ing 'front  a  chronic  ailment. 

28.  argenti  splendor:  the 
craze  for  collecting  silver  plate 
was  a  common  one  in  Rome,  but 
Albius  is  a  person  of  independent 
judgment  who  has  a  little  special 
craze  for  bronzes.  There  are 
many  references  (e.g.  Epist.  \,  6, 
17)  to  both  of  these  'fads.'  — 
Albius :  unknown.  He  cannot 
well  be  the  man  whose  son  was 
used  by  Horace's  father  (below, 
vs.  109)  to  illustrate  the  folly  of 
wastefulness.  —  stupet:  so  torpes, 
Sat.  2,  7.  95,  in  a  colloquial  slang, 
like  the  Kngl.  nouns '  fad,'  '  craze,' 
•rage.' 


73 


I.  4,  35l 


35      excutiat  sibi,  non  hie  cuiquam  parcel  amico ; 
et  quodcumque  semel  chartis  illeverit,  omnis 
gestiet  a  furno  redeuntis  scire  lacuque 
et  pueros  et  anus.'     Agedum,  pauca  accipe  contra. 
Primum  ego  me  illorum,  dederim  quibus  esse  poetas, 

40      excerpam  numero  ;  neque  enim  concludere  versum 


34-38.  Two  indictments  against 
the  satirist,  that  he  finds  pleasure 
in  inflicting  pain  (cf.  laederegaudes, 
78)  and  that  he  violates  the  de- 
cent reserves  of  social  intercourse 
by  publishing  his  strictures  upon 
individuals  (repeated  in  82-85).  — 
risum  excutiat :  raise  a  laugh ; 
excutere  is  used  of  causing  tears 
(Plaut.  Gz/*.  41 9,  Ten //<?««/.  167) 
and  disgust  (Plaut.  Merc.  576). 

—  illeverit :  has  smeared,  scrawled. 

—  furno:    the  poorer  classes  had 
their  baking  done  in  public  ovens 
and  got  their  water  from  the  pub- 
lic pools  (lacu).     At  these-  places 
crowds  of  slaves  (pueros)  and  old 
women  (a/ius)  would  be  gathered. 
The  whole  involves  a  comparison : 
the  satirist    is    no  better    than  a 
scandalmonger,    who    retails    his 
gossip  to  the  meanest  of  the  public. 

39-62.  In  these  lines  Horace 
gives  the  earliest  indication  of  that 
interest  in  the  theory  of  poetry 
which  appears  more  plainly  \nSat. 
i,  loand  2,  i  and  in  the  Epistles, 
and  which  culminated  in  the  Ars 
J'nclica.  For  various  reasons  the 
p.issage  dVserves  special  attention. 
It  contains  the  observations  of  a 
conscious  artist  upon  the  art  which 
he  was  practicing  with  success, 


and  such  observations  are  always 
interesting.  At  this  period  of  his 
life  Horace  was  writing  both  Sat- 
ires and  Epodes,  and  this  passage 
reveals  the  effort  that  he  was  mak- 
ing to  distinguish  between  the  two 
forms  and  to  assign  to  the  Epodes 
those  lyrical  thoughts  and  emo- 
tions which  he  found  incompatible 
with  the  conventional  limitations 
placed  upon  satire  by  Lucilius. 
And,  in  themselves,  the  lines  are 
an  admirable  illustration  of  the 
somewhat  elusive  and  colloquial 
form  of  argument  which  Horace 
habitually  employs.  The  sense, 
in  brief,  is  this :  '  Satire  is  verse, 
but  not  poetry,  since  it  lacks  the 
imaginative  thought  and  the  lofty 
expression  which  characterize  true 
poetry  and  which  remain  even 
when  the  verse-form  is  destroyed.' 

39.  poetas:  notattracted  into  the 
dative  ;  cf.  i,  I,  19,  licet  esse  beat  is. 

40.  concludere  versum :  to  round 
out  a  -verse.      Verse   is  conceived 
of  as   bound,  as   shut  in   within 
the    limits    of  the    metrical    feet 
(cf.  i,  10,  59,  pedibus  .  .  .  dander e 
senis),  while  prose  is  thought   of 
as   relaxed  (oratio  solnta    is   the 
technical  term;  cf.   dissolvas.  55  ; 
sol-lias,  60,  below). 


74 


SERMONES 


C',4,5' 


dixeris  esse  satis,  neque  si  quis  scribat,  uti  nos, 
sermoni  propiora,  putes  hunc  esse  poetam. 
Ingenium  cui  sit,  cui  mens  divinior  atque  os 
magna  sonaturum,  des  nominis  huius  honorem. 

45      Idcirco  quiclam  comoedia  necne  poema 
esset  quaesivere,  quod  acer  spiritus  ac  vis 
nee  verbis  nee  rebus  inest,  nisi  quod  pede  certo 
differt  sermoni,  sermo  merus.     '  At  pater  ardens 
saevit,  quod  meretrice  nepos  insanus  arnica 

50     filius  uxorem  grandi  cum  dote  recuset, 

ebrius  et,  magnum  quod  dedecus,  ambulet  ante 


42.  sermoni  propiora :  things 
more  truly  like  conversation, 
Sermo  here  and  below,  48,  is  clearly 
defined  by  Auct.  ad  Herenn. 
3,  13,  23,  sermo  est  oratio  remissa 
et  finitima  {—propiora)  cottidi- 
anae  locutioni. 

43-44.  Ingenium,  mens  divi- 
nior :  not  two  distinct  characteris- 
tics, but  two  ways  of  describing  a 
single  characteristic,  an  inspired 
imagination. — os  magna  sonatu- 
rum: a  noble  style;  expressed  in 
a  figure  retained  from  the  time 
when  the  poet  sang  his  own 
verses. 

45.  quidam  :  the  students  of  lit- 
erary form,  like  the  Alexandrian 
grammarians.  Cicero,  Or  at.  20, 67, 
also  refers  to  this  discussion.  — 
comoedia  :  the  Attic  New  Comedy 
or  the  comedy  of  Plautus  and 
Terence  :  the  rule  would  not 
apply  to  Midsummer  Niglifs 
Dream.  —  necne  :  the  prose  order 
would  be  quaesivere  (utrnm) 


comoedia  poema  esset  necne ;    cf. 

63- 

46.  acer  spiritus '  ac  vis :  lively 
and  vigorous  inspiration;  the 
same  thing  as  mens  divinior  and 
os  magna  sonaturum,  but  the  ex- 
pression is  intentionally  ambigu- 
ous, to  give  an  opening  for  the 
objection  which  follows. 

48-52.  <  But  there  is  certainly 
acer  spiritus  ac  vis  in  the  angry 
reproaches  which  a  father  in  the 
comedies  frequently  addresses  to 
a  wayward  son.'  —  nepos  :  prodi- 
gal; used  as  an  adjective.  —  mere- 
trice  .  .  .  insanus  arnica :  mad 
with  passion  for  a  harlot  mistress ; 
meretrice  also  is  used  as  an  adj. 
with  arnica.  —  ambulet  ante  noc- 
tem :  a  reference  to  the  comissatio, 
a  wild  procession  through  the 
streets  after  a  drinking  bout.  To 
indulge  in  such  a  revel  before 
night  would  be  particularly  dis- 
graceful. The  whole  situation 
here  is  Greek. 


75 


IIOKAT1 


noctem  cum  facibus.'     Numquid  Pomponius  istis 

audiret  leviora,  pater  si  viveret  ?     Ergo 

non  satis  est  puris  versum  perscribere  verbis, 
55      quern  si  dissolvas,  quivis  stomachetur  eoclcm 

quo  personatus  pacto  pater.     His,  ego  quae  nunc, 

olim  quae  scripsit  Lucilius,  eripias  si 

tempora  certa  modosque,  et  quod  prius  ordine  verbum 
est 

posterius  facias,  praeponens  ultima  primis, 
60      non,  ut  si  solvas  '  Postquam  Discordia  taetra 

belli  ferrates  postis  portasque  refregit,' 

invenias  etiam  disiecti  membra  poetae. 


52.  Pomponius  :  a  name  is  used 
to  point  the  retort,  but  it  is  quite 
unlikely  that  it  refers  to  any  defi- 
nite person. —  istis:  'the  kind  of 
talk  you  have  just  been  describ- 
ing.' —  The  argument  is  that  the 
acer  spirit  us  ac  i>is  of  comedy  is 
merely  the  anger  that  any  father 
in  real  life  might  express  and  is 
wholly  different  from  the  inspired 
imagination  of  the  poet. 

54.  puris  .  .  .  verbis :  in  plain 
everyday  language ;  the  same  as 
'  sermo  uterus  and  the  opposite  of 
as  magna  sonaturum. 

56.  personatus  .  .  .  pater:  the 
father  on  the  stage,  the  paler  ar- 
dens  of  vs.  48.  Masks  (persotiae) 
were  worn  by  actors  in  comedy  in 
the  time  of  Cicero.  —  his  :  neut., 
dat.  after  eripias. 

58  59.  tempora  certa  modosque  : 
the  fixed  quantities  and  rhythms 
which  make  the  hexameU-r.  —  quod 
prius  .  .  .  primis  :  i.e.  change  the 


words  from  the  order  demanded 
by  the  versification  to  the  order  ot 
prose. 

60-62.  non :  with  invenias.  — 
etiam :  with  disiecti.  The  true 
poet  would  be  a  poet  still,  even 
though  torn  limb  from  limb. 
There  is  a  side  reference  to  the 
story  of  Orpheus. — Postquam.  .  . 
refregit :  a  quotation  from  the  An- 
nales  of  Ennius ;  cf.  Verg.  Aen. 
7,  622,  belli  f err  atos  rnpit  Sat  it  r- 
nia  postis.  The  thought  might 
have  been  expressed^in  plain  prose 
by  postqitam  helium  coortmn  est ; 
for  this  unadorned  statement  the 
poet  has  substituted  the  imagina- 
tive figure  of  Discord  bursting 
open  the  gates  of  Janus  and  in 
the  brief  description  has  used, 
almost  to  excess,  words  charged 
with  poetic  suggestion,  taetra,  fer- 
ratos,  postis  portaxque.  The  two 
essentiiil  qualities  of  poetry,  metis 
divinior  sn\(\  os  inagna  sonnt lining 


•76 


SKU MONKS 


[I.  4,  72 


Hactenus  haec  :  alias  iustum  sit  necne  poema, 
nunc  illud  tan  turn  quaeram,  meritone  tibi  sit 

65      suspectum  genus  hoc  scribendi.     Sulcius  acer 
ambulat  et  Caprius,  rauci  male  cumque  libellis, 
magnus  uterque  timor  latronibus ;  at  bene  si  quis 
et  vivat  puris  manibus,  contemnat  utrumque. 
Vt  sis  tu  similis  Caeli  Birrique  latronum, 

70      noil  ego  sim  Capri  neque  Sulci ;  cur  metuas  me  ? 
Nulla  taberna  meos  habeat  neque  pila  libellos, 
quis  manus  insudet  volgi  Hermogenisque  Tigelli : 


would  still  remain,  even  though 
the  verse-form  were  destroyed  by 
changing  the  order  of  the  words. 

63.  alias :  sc.  quaeram.  This 
vague  intention  was  never  carried 
out,  for  the  interest  which  Horace 
felt  in  satire  came  to  an  end. with 
the  publication  of  the  Second 
Hook  in  30,  and  his  later  literary 
discussions  deal  with  other  forms 
of  poetry.  —  sit :  the  subject  is 
to  be  supplied  from  genus  hoc  scri- 
bendi. 

64-65.  merito  .  .  .  suspectum : 
justly  disliked,  i.e.  '  whether  your 
dislike  (cf.  vs.  33)  is  just.'  —  tibi: 
the  satire  had  begun  impersonally 
and  the  critics  of  satire  are  vaguely 
thought  of  (sunt  quos,  24 ;  omnes 
///',  33),  but  from  this  point  the 
critic  is  addressed  directly  and 
replies  for  himself ;  the  monologue 
becomes  dialogue. 

65-66.  Sulcius,  Caprius:  detec- 
tives, who  got  their  living  out  of 
the  fines  collected  on  evidence 
furnished  by  them.  Such  men 
were  a  necessary  part  of  the  Ro- 


man police  system,  but,  like  the 
puMtcanL  they  were  held  in  ill 
repute  and  the  implied  comparison 
of  the  satirist  to  a  detective  was 
intentionally  offensive.  —  libellis  : 
notebooks  in  which  the  evidence 
was  recorded. 

69.  Vt  sis  tu :  however  true  it 
may  be  that  you  are  like  a  high- 
wayman. The  honest  citizen 
does  not  fear  a  detective,  and  the 
man  who  says  that  he  dreads  a 
satirist  as  he  would  a  detective 
forgets  that  he  is  thereby  compar- 
ing himself  to  a  criminal. 

70  ff .  sim,  habeat :  '  I  should 
not  be  like  the  detective,  for 
my  notes  would  not  be  pub- 
lished.' But  the  faint  hypotheti- 
cal shading  passes  over  into  the 
indie,  recito.  —  taberna  :  bookshop, 
where  books  were  apparently  hung 
upon  the  posts  (pilae,  cf.  colum- 
nae,  A.  P.  373)  to  be  examined 
by  purchasers,  as  second-hand 
books  are  now  exposed  for  sale 
outside  the  bookshops.  —  quis  : 
quibns.  —  Tigelli:  cf.  Sat.  i,  3, 


77 


i>  4,  73] 


HORATI 


nec  recito  cuiquam  nisi  amicis,  idqne  coactus, 
non  ubivis  coramve  quibuslibct.     In  medio  qui 

75      scripta  foro  recitcnt  sunt  multi,  quique  lavantes : 
suave  locus  voci  resonat  conclusus.     Inanis 
hoc  iuvat,  baud  illud  quaerentis,  num  sine  sensu, 
tempore  num  faciant  alieno.     '  Laedere  gaudes,' 
inquis,  '  et  hoc  studio  pravus  facis.'     Vnde  petitum 

8c      hoc  in  me  iacis  ?     Est  auctor  quis  denique  eorum 
vixi  cum  quibus  ?     '  Absentem  qui  rodit,  amicum 


4  n.  —  The  declaration  that  the 
Satires  were  not  written  for 
publication  seems  at  first  sight 
irreconcilable  with  the  fact  that 
this  satire  is  itself  a  reply  to  criti- 
cisms based  upon  a  knowledge  of 
the  earlier  Satires,  especially  the 
second.  But  the  method  of  mul- 
tiplying copies  by  hand  made  it 
possible  to  limit  the  circulation  of 
a  poem,  so  that  it  might  be  some- 
what widely  read  without  being 
offered  for  sale  or  put  into  general 
circulation.  The  collection  and 
publication  of  the  whole  book  was 
evidently  a  later  decision. 

73.  recito :  the  habit  of  giving 
private  readings  from  one's  own 
works  became  later  so  common  as 
to  be  ridiculous,  and  Horace  here 
recognizes  its  possible  exaggera- 
tions. But  Vergil  read  parts  of 
the  Aeneid  to  Augustus  and  others, 
and  Ovid  (Tristia,  4,  10,  49)  was 
present  at  a  reading  given  by 
Horace. 

75  f .  lavantes :  in  the  public 
baths,  where  men  were  at  leisure ; 
but  Horace  attributes  the  choice 


of  the  location  to  the  pleasure  the 
reader  had  in  hearing  his  voice 
reverberating  from  the  arched 
ceiling  (locus  .  .  .  conclusus). 

76.  Inanis :  emphatic ;  men  are 
fools  to  find  pleasure  in  that. 

78  f.  Laedere  gaudes.  studio : 
the  emphasis  of  this  second  accu- 
sation is  upon  the  mean  pleasure 
that  the  satirist  finds  in  wounding 
the  feelings  of  others.  —  studio : 
intentionally. 

79-80.  Vnde  .  .  .  iacis  ?  What 
is  the  source  of  this  accusation  that 
you  are  hurling  at  me?  This  de- 
mand for  his  authority  the  critic 
meets  indirectly  by  saying,  in 
effect,  '  I  do  not  need  to  quote  the 
testimony  of  others,  for  your  own 
conduct  — •  your  criticism  of  your 
friends,  your  lack  of  decent  reti- 
cence —  proves  that  you  are  a 
deliberate  defamer.' 

81.  Absentem  qui  rodit :  he  who 
slanders  a  man  behind  his  back. 
—  amicum  goes  with  the  following 
clause,  as  in  all  the  other  clauses 
a  word  or  two  precedes  the  rela- 
tive. 


SEKMONES 


[»,  4.  9' 


qui  non  defendit,  alio  culpante,  solutos 

qui  captat  risus  hominum  famamque  dicacis, 

fingere  qui  non  visa  potest,  commissa  tacere 

85      qui  nequit,  hie  niger  est,  hunc  tu,  Romane,  caveto.' 
Saepe  tribus  lectis  videas  cenare  quaternos, 
e  quibus  unus  amet  quavis  aspergere  cunctos 
praeter  eum  qui  praebet  aquam ;  post  huncquoquepotus, 
condita  cum  verax  aperit  praecordia  Liber. 

90      Hie  tibi  comis  et  urbanus  liberque  videtur, 
inf esto  nigris ;  ego  si  risi,  quod  ineptus 

usual  number  was  nine,  three  on 
each  couch,  and  the  motive  for 
specifying  an  unusual  number  is 
not  clear.  Perhaps  it  is  connected 
with  the  emphasis  upon  units;  4if 
you  go  a  little  beyond  the  usual 
number  of  guests,  you  will  find 
that  you  have  included  one,  at 
least,  who  is  witty  at  the  expense 
of  the  rest.' 

87  f .  aspergere  :  besprinkle  with 
personal  jokes.  The  figure  leads 
to  the  selection  of  the  phrase  qui 
praebet  aquam  (water  for  washing 
the  hands)  to  designate  the 
host. 

88.  post :   adv.  —  hunc  :  sc.  as- 
pergit.  —  potus :  absolute ;  cf.  Sat. 

i,  3»  9°- 

89.  An  intentionally  elaborate 
expression   of  the    common    idea 
in  vino  -veritas. 

9°~93-  '  Such  conduct  you  con- 
sider, and  rightly,  mere  friendly 
raillery  ;  my  little  jokes,  however, 
you  are  very  ready  to  condemn.' 
—  infesto  nigris:  i.e.  'you^who 
call  me  niger  in  so  hostile  a  tone.' 


82.  defendit :  the  final  syllable 
is  long  under  the  ictus.  Both 
Horace  and  Vergil  frequently  pre- 
serve the  original  long  vowel  in 
perf.  forms  like_/£>7/,  subitt,  but  the 
vowel  of  the  pres.  3d  sing.,  3d 
conj.,  was  not  originally  long, 
and  this  instance  and  aglt  {Sat.  2, 
3,  260)  must  be  explained  by 
false  analogy.  The  few  instances 
quoted  from  Plautus  are  doubtful. 

84.  commissa  tacere :   the  Ro- 
mans placed  a  peculiarly  high  valu- 
ation upon  the  ability  to  keep  a 
secret;    cf.  Epist.    I,   18,  70,  nee 
retinent  patulac  commissa  fideliter 
aures. 

85.  niger :  black  at  heart.     So 
Catullus,   93,   2,  says   of    Caesar, 
nee  (studeo)  scire  atrum  sis  albtts 
an    ater   homo.  —  Romane :    true 
Roman,  i.e.  an  honest  gentleman. 
Such  expressions  of  national  pride 
are  common ;   edit  Deutsch,  and, 
for  the  opposite^  un-English,  un- 
American. —  caveto:      formal     in 
style,  like  an  oracular  utterance. 

86.  tribus,      quaternos :        the 


79 


1,4,  92] 


HO  K  ATI 


pastilles  Rufillus  olet,  Gargonius  hircum, 
lividus  et  mordax  videor  tibi  ?     Mentio  si  qua 
de  Capitolini  furtis  iniecta  Petilli 

95      te  coram  fuarit,  defendas,  ut  tuus  est  mos : 
'Me  Capitolinus  convictore  usus  amicoque 
a  puero  est,  causaque  mea  permulta  rogatus 
fecit,  et  incolumis  laetor  quod  vivit  in  urbe ; 
sed  tamen  admirer,  quo  pacto  iudicium  illud 

ioo    fugerit.'     Hie  nigrae  sucus  loliginis,  haec  est 

aerugo  mera.     Quod  vitium  p roc ul  afore  chartis, 


92.  Quoted  from  Sat.  i,  2,  27. 
But  it  is  quite  unlikely  that  either 
of  these  persons,  who  were  used 
to  illustrate  the  extremes  of  fop- 
pishness and  of  neglect  of  cleanli- 
ness, is  more  than  a  mere  name. 

93  ff.  An  example  of  really 
malicious  slander,  to  be  distin- 
guished from  friendly  banter,  co- 
tit  Has  and  liber  (as.  —  Mentio  .  .  . 
iniecta :  if  some  one  happens  to 
mention.  —  Petilli:  a  Petillius  was 
quaestor  about  43  B.C.  and  was 
acquitted,  apparently  against  the 
evidence,  on  a  charge  of  pecula- 
tion. The  name  Petillius  Capito- 
linus is  also  found  on  coins.  That 
the  trial  was  well  known  and 
that  the  accused  owed  much  to  the 
skill  of  his  lawyers  is  implied  by 
the  reference  in  Sat.  i,  10.  26  to 
the  dura  causa  Pdilli.  But  the 
further  statement  of  the  scholiast 
that  Petillius  had  stolen  the  crown 
from  the  head  of  the  Capitoline 
Jupiter  is  a  mere  confusion  with  a 
popular  saying  \\liich  is  as  old  as 
Plautus  (.IAv/.  941,  Trii<.  83). 


96.  convictore  usus :  /  have 
been  a  frequent  guest  of  Caf>i- 
tolinns',  cf.  i,  6,  47,  where  Horace 
calls  himself  a  convictor  of  Mae- 
cenas.—  This  verse  is  hypermetric 
like  i,  6,  102,  which  also  ends  in 
an  enclitic. 

98.  incolumis    ...    in    urbe : 
acquitted  and  not  exiled. 

99.  admiror :    in   English    the 
corresponding    phrase    would    be 
'but     I     can't     help     wondering 
how  he  managed  to  keep  out  of 
jail.' 

100.  nigrae  .  .  .  loliginis :  the 
black  ink  of  the  cuttlefish,   with 
transference  of  the  adj.  and  a  refer- 
ence back    to    vs.    85.  —  aerugo: 
verdigris,  copper  rust,  which  was 
thought  of  as   an    eating  poison. 
Together  the  two  figures  express 
the   same    quality    as    lividus   et 
tnorday,  93,  and  ni^er,  85,  and  the 
opposite  of  conns  el  urban  us,  90, 
just  as  in  the  preceding  paragraph, 
39-62.  tlu-  qualities  of  poetry  and 
prose  are    repeatedly  defined   and 
contrasted. 


80 


SKRMONES 


[1,4,  MI 


atque  animo  prius,  ut  si  quid  promittere  de  me 
possum  aliud  vere,  promitto.     Liberius  si 
dixero  quid,  si  forte  iocosius,  hoc  rnihi  iuris 

105    cum  venia  dabis  :  itisuevit  pater  optimus  hoc  me, 
ut  fugerem  exemplis  vitiorum  quaeque  notando. 
Cum  me  hortaretur,  parce  frugaliter  atque 
viverem  uti  contentus  eo  quod  mi  ipse  parasset : 
'  Nonne  vides  Albi  ut  male  vivat  filius  utque 

1 10    Baius  inops  ?     Magnum  documentum  ne  patriam  rem 
perdere  quis  velit.'     A  turpi  meretricis  amore 


102.  animo  prius :  i.e.  he  will 
first  of  all  keep  malice  out  of  his 
heart,  and  then  it  will  certainly  not 
appear  in  his  writings.  —  ut  si  quid 
. . .  promitto  :  a  colloquial  confusion 
of  ut  .  .  .  promittere  possum  and  si 
quid  promittere  possum  ;  1 1  prom- 
ise this  as  surely  as  I  can  promise 
anything.' 

103-106.  'Malice  I  promise  to 
avoid,  but  a  considerable  freedom 
of  speech  and  jest  (liberins, 
iocosius,  with  a  reference  back  to 
vs.  90)  you  must  permit  (hoc  iuris 
dabis)  and  pardon  (cum  venid)? 
—  hoc  me :  double  ace.  after  />/- 
suevity  which  is  here  a  verb  of 
teaching.  hoc  is  not  precisely 
liberius  dicer  e,  but  the  humorously 
observant  attitude  of  mind  of 
which  a  habit  of  friendly  bantering 
may  be  the  expression.  The 
structure  of  106  is  somewhat  in- 
volved ;  notiindc^  is  the  leading 
word,  I'itiorum  qiiaeque  depends 
upon  it,  extmplis  is  an  abl.  of 
means  with  it,  and  ut  fugerem 

HOR.  SAT.  — 6  8 1 


expresses  its  purpose.  '  I  owe 
my  habit  of  observing  the  follies 
of  men  to  my  father ;  he  used  to 
point  out  all  sorts  of  errors  in  con- 
crete cases  —  in  the  conduct  of 
individuals  —  in  order  to  teach  me 
to  avoid  them.' 

107-108.  The  order  is  uti  parce 
atque  frugaliter  viverem  ;  the 
whole  passage,  101-108,  is  some- 
what confusedly  written. 

109.  Albi :  not  the  Albius  of 
vs.  28.  The  point  of  the  illustra- 
tion —  tie  patriam  rem  perdere 
quis  velit —  would  be  spoiled  if  the 
father  had  wasted  the  property ; 
Albi  filius  is  the  spendthrift  son 
of  a  prosperous  father,  and  so  an 
excellent  illustration  (magnum 
documentum)  of  the  conduct  which 
Horace's  prosperous  father  wished 
his  own  son  to  avoid.  All  these 
instances  are  reminiscences  of 
Horace's  boyhood  (cf.  121)  and 
the  persons  mentioned  are  un- 
known.—  male  vivat:  i.e.  in 
wretched  poverty. 


1,4,  H2] 


HORATI 


cum  deterreret:  '  Scetani  dissimilis  sis.' 

Ne  sequerer  moechas,  concessa  cum  venere  uti 

possem  :  '  Deprensi  non  bella  est  fama  Trcboni,' 

115    aiebat.     '  Sapiens,  vitatu  quidque  petitu 

sit  melius,  causas  reddet  tibi ;  mi  satis  est,  si 
traditum  ab  antiquis  morem  servare  tuamque, 
dum  custodis  eges,  vitam  famamque  tueri 
incolumem  possum;  simul  ac  duraverit  aetas 

120    membra  animumque  tuum,  nabis  sine  cortice.'     Sic  me 
formabat  puerum  dictis ;  et  sive  iubebat 
ut  facerem  quid  :  '  Habes  auctorem,  quo  facias  hoc,'   • 
unum  ex  iudicibus  selectis  obiciebat ; 


1 15.  Sapiens  :  a  philosopher,  a 
teacher  of  the  theory  of  ethics,  in 
contrast  with  mi,  116,  the  practi- 
cal instructor  of  youth.  —  quidque  : 
quid  vitatu  petituque;  cf.  vs.  17 
n.     The   two  words   express   the 
malmti  and  bonum  of  philosophy, 
as   these   ideas  are   expressed  in 
Sat.  I,  3,  114,  by  bona  diversis, 
fugienda  petendis. 

1 16.  causas    reddet :     will   ex- 
plain, as  a  matter  of  theory. 

118.  custodis,  vitam  famam- 
que :  not  only  the  character 
(vitam)  but  also  the  good  name 
(famatii)  of  a  Roman  boy  of 
respectable  family  was  carefully 
guarded  up  to  the  time  when  he 
assumed  the  toga  virilis.  Cf.  Sat. 
I,  6,  82  ff.,  pitdicnm  .  .  .  servavit 
ab  omni  non  solum  facto,  verum 
opprobrio  quoque  fur  pi.  where 
facto  corresponds  to  I'itam  and 
opprobrio  to  famatn. 

121  f .    sive :    the   apodosis    is, 


grammatically,  obiciebat,  but  this 
verb,  preceded  by  the  direct  quo- 
tation, implies  a  verb  of  saying; 
'  when  he  advised  a  particular 
course  of  conduct,  he  used  to  say, 
"  There  is  your  example,"  pointing 
out  .  .  .  '  —  ut  facerem :  depend- 
ing on  iubebat.  Horace  elsewhere 
uses  the  infin.  with  iubeo,  but  the 
construction  with  ut  is  perfectly 
good  Latin  (Plautus,  Cicero,  Livy). 
[To  supply  aliquid,  duplicating 
quid,  and  to  make  ;//  facerem  de- 
pend on  obiciebat  or  the  supplied 
verb  of  saying,  is  to  resort  to  an  arti- 
ficial construction  in  order  to  avoid 
supposing  that  Horace  in  a  single 
instance  uses  agood  Latin  construc- 
tion which  he  elsewhere  avoids.] 

123.  iudicibus  selectis:  the 
panel  of  special  jurymen  selected 
by  the  praetor  wbanus  to  act  in 
criminal  cases.  They  were  likely 
to  be  citizens  of  character  and 
standing. 


82 


aERMONEb 


[I,  4, 


sive  vetabat :  *  An  hoc  inhonestum  et  inutile  factu 
125    necne  sit  addubites,  flag  ret  rumore  malo  cum 

hie  atque  ille  ? '     Avidos  vicinum  funus  ut  aegros 
exanimat,  mortisque  metu  sibi  parcere  cogit, 
sic  teneros  animos  aliena  opprobria  saepe 
absterrent  vitiis.     Ex  hoc  ego,  sanus  ab  illis 
130    perniciem  quaecumque  ferunt,  mediocribus  et  quis 
ignoscas  vitiis  teneor ;  fortassis  et  istinc 
largiter  abstulerit  longa  aetas,  liber  amicus, 
consilium  proprium  :  neque  enim,  cum  lectulus  aut  me 
porticus  excepit,  desum  mihi.     '  Rectius  hoc  est.' 
135     '  Hoc  faciens  vivam  melius.'     '  Sic  dulcis  amicis 

occurram.'     '  Hoc  quidam  non  belle;  numquid  ego  illi 


124  f.  An:  introducing  the 
main  question,  addubites.  The 
indirect  question  is  (utrum)  in- 
honest um  sit  necne ;  cf.  45  and 
60,  notes.  —  hoc :  some  forbidden 
act. 

126  f .  Avidos  :  gluttons,  in  the 
literal  sense,  whom  the  sight  of 
death  reminds  of  the  consequences 
of  self-indulgence.  —  sibi  parcere  : 
'  to  take  some  care  of  their  own 
health.' 

129.  Ex  hoc:  as  a  result  of 
this,  of  such  training  by  his 
father. 

130 ff.  quis  ignoscas:  pardon- 
able', there  was  no  adj.  ignosci- 
bilis  in  use  in  the  time  of  Horace. 
quis  is  a  dative. — et  istinc:  even 
from  these,  i.e.  the  slight  and 
pardonable  faults^ — liber :  frank ; 
cf.  Sat.  i,  3,  52. 

133  ff.    consilium        proprium  : 


'my  own  reflections'  (Palmer), 
based  upon  such  observations  as 
those  which  follow.  — neque  enim  : 
takes  up  consilium  proprium  and 
expands  it,  thus  providing  for  the 
return  of  the  thought  to  the  sub- 
ject of  satire.  —  lectulus  :  reading 
couch.  —  porticus :  the  public  col- 
onnade, a  place  which  would  give 
opportunity  to  observe  the  con- 
duct of  others  who  were  strolling 
there.  —  hoc,  hoc,  sic,  hoc  :  each 
refers  to  some  act  of  another  per- 
son which  attracts  his  attention 
and  serves  as  an  example  to  be 
followed  or  a  warning.  —  quidam : 
so  and  so.  —  belle  :  a  colloquial 
word ;  '  not  pretty  conduct  of  so 
and  so.' — numquid:  suggesting 
a  negative ;  '  I  hope  I  shall  not 
sometime  (olim)  when  I  am  off 
my  guard  (imprudens)  do  any- 
thing like  that.1 


»p  4,  U7] 


HORATI 


imprudens  olim  faciam  simile  ? '     Haec  ego  mecum 
compressis  agito  labris ;  ubi  quid  datur  oti, 
illudo  chartis.     Hoc  est  mediocribus  illis 
140    ex  vitiis  unum  ;  cui  si  concedere  nolis, 

multa  poetarum  veniet  manus  auxilio  quae 

sit  mihi  (nam  multo  plures  sumus),  ac  veluti  te 

ludaei  cogemus  in  hanc  concedere  turbam. 


137  f.  Haec  agito :  so  /think  to 
myself,  recurring  to  the  thought 
of  neque  .  .  .  desum  tm'/ii  and 
consilium  propriinn.  —  compressis 
.  .  .  labris:  i.e.  '  I  say  nothing  at 
the  time,  but  wait  till  I  get  home 
and  then  write  it  clown.' 

139.  illudo  chartis  :    cf.  chartis 
illeverit,  vs.  36.    A  jokingly  apolo- 
getic way  of  describing  the  writing 
of  satire.  —  mediocribus  :   referring 
back  to  vs.  130. 

140.  concedere:  pardon  ;  cf.  i, 

3,85- 

141  f .  multa  .  .  .  manus,  mul- 
to plures :  with  joking  exaggera- 
tion he  says  that  the  poets  are 
in  the  majority  and  can  compel 
the  critics  to  join  their  party,  as 
it  is  sometimes  said  now  'every- 
body writes  novels/  But  it  was  a 
fact  that  light  verse  writing  was 
a  frequent  amusement  of  educated 


Romans  —  Pliny  gives  a  long  list 
of  famous  names  —  and  that  it 
was  especially  characteristic  of  the 
Augustan  Age,  when  politics  no 
longer  offered  a  career. 

143.  ludaei :  the  best  commen- 
tary on  this  allusion  is  chap.  28 
of  Cicero's  speech  pro  hlacco,  in 
which  he  refers  to  the  number  and 
influence  of  the  Jews  in  Rome 
(scis  quanta  sit  manus,  quanta 
concordia,  quantum  valeat  in  con- 
tionibus),  to  their  religion  (huic 
barbarae  superstition!)  and  their 
obstinate  resistance  to  Roman 
ideals  (istorum  religio  sacrorum 
a  splendore  huius  imperil,  gravi- 
tate nominis  nostri,  maiorum  insti- 
tutis  abhorrebat).  To  a  Roman, 
who  admitted  the  gods  of  for- 
eigners easily  to  his  Pantheon,  the 
desire  of  the  Jew  to  make  con- 
verts was  wholly  unintelligible. 


The  evidence  for  the  date  of  this  satire  is  found  in  vs.  27-29 ;  Mae- 
cenas and  Cocceius  (L.  Cocceius  Nerva)  were  making  the  journey  to 
Brundismm  on  an  important  mission.  J.o  reconcile  frie~mls  who  were  at 
variance,  a  mission  which  they  had  performed  before.  The  ai'ersi 
,ti/it\i  (29)  can  be  only  the  younger  Caesar,  and  Antonius.  whose  re- 

84 


SKRMONES  [1,5 

lations  were  never  clearly  defined  and  were  in  constant  need  of  read- 
justment. In  the  year  40  B.C.  an  arrangement  called  the  Treaty  of 
Brundisium  was  made  by  Maecenas,  representing  Caesar.  Asinius 
Pollio,  representing  Antennas',  and  Cocceius,  as  the  friend  of  both 
sides.  This  explains  soliti  componere  (29).  In  the  following  years, 
39-38  B.C.,  Caesar  was  twice  defeated  by  the  fleet  of  Sextus  Pompeius 
and  was  obliged  to  call  upon  Antonius  for  aid.  Antonius  came  to 
Brundisium  in  the  spring  of  39,  but  Caesar  did  not  meet  him  at  that 
time,  or,  so  far  as  is  known,  send  representatives  to  a  conference.  But 
in  the  autumn  of  38,  the  difficulties  with  Sextus  Pompeius  increasing, 
Maecenas  was  sent  to  Athens  to  confer  with  Antonius.  With  him  went 
Fonteius  Capito,  as  a  friend  of  Antonius,  and  Cocceius,  presumably  to 
be  a  referee,  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  and  the  three  ambassadors 
were  accompanied  on  the  overland  journey  to  the  port  of  Brundisium 
by  a  party  of  literary  friends,  Horace,  Vergil.  Plotius  Tucca  and  Varius 
(the  two  friends  to  whom  the  publication  of  the  Aeneid  was  intrusted 
after  the  death  of  Vergil),  and  a  Greek  rhetorician.  Heliodorus.  The 
satire  was  probably  written  soon  after  the  date  of  the  journey,  late  in 
38  or  early  in  37. 

The  connection  of  thought  is  simple ;  the  satire  is  a  rather  bare 
recital  of  the  events  of  the  journey,  with  some  description  of  humorous 
episodes  and  adventures.  The  route  can  be  easily  followed  on  a  map 
and  the  daily  stages  are  for  the  most  part  indicated.  But  Horace  was 
not  writing  a  guidebook  of  the  well-known  route,  and  he  has  intention- 
ally paraphrased  the  names  of  some  places  (24,  37,  45,  79  f.,  87)  and 
has  used  phrases  which  leave  it  uncertain  whether  the  party  spent  a 
night  at  Anxur,  at  Capua,  or  at  Beneventum.  The  journey  was  made 
partly  on  foot  (though  this  is  not  certain),  partly  in  a  canal  boat,  but 
chiefly  by  riding  or  driving.  The  distance  was  about  340  English 
miles,  the  time  from  twelve  to  fifteen  days. 

The  satire  has  a  certain  accidental  interest  from  the  glimpses  it  gives 
of  the  manner  of  traveling  in  the  year  38  B.C.,  and  it  contains  a  few 
interesting  personal  allusions  (27-29.  32-33,  and  especially  39-44),  but 
it  is  for  the  most  part  made  up  of  trivialities.  It  falls  short  to  a  sur- 
prising degree  of  the  account  which  we  should  expect  Horace  to  give  of 
a  fortnight's  association  with  a  group  of  men  so  cultivated  and  so  emi- 
nent. There  are  two  explanations  of  the  limitations  of  the  satire.  In 
the  first  place,  personal  biography  and  reminiscence  are  modern  :  they 
had  nut  made  srplace  in  ancient  literature.  The  nearest  approach  to 
them  would  be  in  books  like  Caesar's  Commentaries  or  Cicero's  account 
of  hjs  consulship — both  in  reality  political  pamphlets  —  or  in  the 

85 


1,5,1]  1IORATI 

collection  of  Cicero's  letters  and  of  his  witticisms.  There  are  no  true 
parallels  in  Latin  literature  to  the  many  books  of  personal  reminiscence 
which  enrich  modern  literature.  In  the  second  place,  Horace  was 
deliberately  attempting  a  very  different  task ;  he  was  writing  a  satire 
which  was  intended  to  be  a  close  parallel  to  the  similar  description  of  a 
journey  in  the  Third  Hook  of  Lucilius,  and  he  has  therefore  been  more 
closely  bound  by  tradition  in  this  satire  than  in  any  other.  He  was 
deliberately  following  a  particular  model  and  setting  himself  and  his 
art  in  the  closest  possible  comparison  with  the  work  of  Lucilius.  Un- 
fortunately, the  fragments  of  the  satire  of  Lucilius  are  too  scanty  — 
about  50  verses,  98-147  in  Marx  —  to  enable  us  to  follow  the  corre- 
spondence into  details. 

Egressum  magna  me  accepit  Aricia  Roma 
hospitio  modico ;  rhetor  comes  Heliodorus, 
Graecorum  longe  doctissimus ;   inde  Forum  Appi, 
differtum  nautis  cauponibus  atque  malignis. 
5        Hoc  iter  ignavi  divisimus,  altius  ac  nos 

praecinctis  unum ;  minus  est  gravis  Appia  tardis. 

1.  magna:  in  contrast  with  the  Appi    to    Feronia. —  cauponibus 
small  town  of  Aricia  and  its  mod-  .  .  .  malignis :  cf.  Sat.  I,  I,  29.     A 
est  inn.  propensity  to  dishonesty  and  stin- 

2.  hospitio :  the  well-to-do  Ro-  giness  is  a  traditional  attribute  of 
man  had  friends  or  connections  in  innkeepers. 

many  places  by  whom  he  was  re-  5.  Hoc  iter:  the  stretch  of  nearly 
ceived  as  a  guest  (cf.  38,  50),  so  40  English  miles  from  Rome  to 
that  he  was  rarely  obliged  to  de-  Forum  Appi.  —  divisimus:  i.e.  we 
pend  upon  the  public  inns,  and  the  made  two  day's  journeys  of  it,  stop- 
inns  were  in  consequence  rather  ping  halfway  at  Aricia.  —  altius 
humble  places  of  entertainment  .  .  .  praecinctis :  cf.  £fi£c>i/os  and 
(cf.  71  ff.).  the  scriptural  phrase  'to  gird  up 

3.  longe  doctissimus  :  a  humor-  the  loins ' ;  the  opposite  of  ignavi 
ous  and  not  unfriendly  superlative ;  and  tardis.     The  words,  however, 
cf.  vss.  39  and  50.     A  considerable  might  be  used  figuratively  of  any 
part  of  the  humor  of  the  satire  is  in  energetic  traveler  and  do  not  quite 
the  form  of  obvious  exaggerations  prove  that  this  part  of  the  journey 
of  discomforts (4,  7,  80,  88,  91 ,  95).  was  made  on  foot. 

4.  nautis:    boatmen,    employed  6.   tardis:  to  tK5se  who^ira-t'el 
upon  the  canal  which  ran  through  slowly.     But   the  point  of  the  re- 
the  Pomptiue  marshes  from  Forum  mark  is  not  quite  clear.      As  the 

86 


SEKMONES 


'5 


Hie  ego  propter  aquam,  quod  erat  deterrima,  ventri 

inclico'bellum,  cenantis  hand  aninio  aequo 

exspectans  comites.     lam  nox  inducere  terris 

umbras  et  caelo  diffundere  signa  parabat; 

turn  pueri  nautis,  pueris  convicia  nautae 

ingerere :  '  Hue  appelle  ! '     '  Trccentos  inseris  ! '  '  Ohe, 

iam  satis  est ! '     Dum  aes  exigitur,  dum  mula  ligatur, 

tota  abit  hora ;  mali  culices  ranaeque  palustres 

avertunt  somnos  ;  absentem  cantat  amicam 

multa  prolutus  vappa  nauta  atque  viator 

certatim ;  tandem  fessus  dormire  viator 


via  Appia  was  one  of  the  best  of 
Roman  roads,  it  seems  necessary 
to  take  it  as  a  general  observation, 
carrying  on  the  humorous  confes- 
sion of  laziness  in  ignavi]  '  travel- 
ing isn't  so  bad  if  you  are  not  too 
energetic  about  it.' 

8.  indico  bellum :  parody  of 
serious  style.  As  the  poor  water 
had  affected  his  digestion,  he  cut 
off  the  supplies,  and  his  annoyance 
(Jiand  aequo  aninid)  at  having  to 
go  without  his  dinner  was  increased 
by  his  being  obliged  to  wait  while 
Heliodorus  and  the  slaves  dined. 

9-10.  Iam  nox  .  .  .  parabat :  par- 
ody of  the  epic  style  ;  cf.  2,  6,  100  f, 
iamque  tenebat  nox  medium  caeli 
spatium,  in  the  story  of  the  Town 
Mouse  and  the  Country  Mouse. 

11.  pueri:  the  slaves  of  the  em- 
barking travelers. 

12.  Hue   appelle :    a  cry   from 
some  slave  on    the  "tank,  as  the 
boat    was    picking  up   passengers 
from  the  various  inns.      The  other 


shouts  are  complaints  of  over- 
crowding from  the  passengers  al- 
ready on  board.  —  Trecentos :  of  a 
round  number,  like  sescenti,  itu- 
centi,  i,  4,  9. 

14  ff.  The  experiences  of  the 
night  are  told  in  a  series  of  uncon- 
nected sentences,  without  com- 
ment, as  things  that  speak  for 
themselves.  [I  have  omitted  the 
indefensible  nt  in  15,  which  was 
inserted  by  a  copyist  who  did  not 
understand  the  asyndeta.~\ 

i6S.  nauta,  viator:  'nauta  in 
navi,  viator  vero  qui  mulam  duce- 
bat.'  Aero.  This  is  certainly 
the  correct  explanation,  since  a 
canal  boat  requires  a  steersman 
(natrta),  as  well  as  a  driver  on  the 
towpath  {viator).  The  driver 
is  the  first  to  get  tired ;  he  stops 
for  a  nap  and  the  steersman  jumps 
ashore,  ties  up  the  mule,  and  lies 
down  with  him.  [The  note  of 
Porphyrio,  in  which  viatores  re- 
fers to  the  passengers  on  the  boat, 


IIOKATI 


incipit,  ac  missae  pastum  retinacula  mulae 
nauta  piger  saxo  religat  stertitque  supinus. 
lamque  dies  aderat,  nil  cum  procedere  lintrem 
sentimus,  donee  cerebrosus  prosilit  unus 
ac  mulae  nautaeque  caput  lumbosque  saligno 
f uste  dolat ;  quarta  vix  demum  exponimur  hora. 
Ora  manusque  tua  lavimus,  Feronia,  lympha. 
Milia  turn  pransi  tria  repimus,  atque  subimus 
impositum  saxis  late  candentibus  Anxur. 
Hue  venturus  erat  Maecenas,  optimus  atque 
Cocceius,  missi  magnis  de  rebus  uterque 


is  usually  taken  as  the  starting 
point  of  the  explanation  of  this 
passage ;  wrongly,  I  think.]  — 
retinacula :  occurs  only  in  plur. ; 
the  halter. 

20  ff .  lam  .  .  .  aderat  .  .  .  cum 
.  .  .  sentimus  :  a  good  example  of 
cunt  inversiuii,  in  parody  of  the 
epic  style  (Rolfe).  —  The  meter 
of  vs.  22  is  jokingly  suggestive 
of  the  repeated  blows. — saligno 
fuste :  i.e.  with  a  cudgel  which 
he  gets  from  the  willows  along 
the  bank. — dolat:  slang,  like 
'polishes  off,1  'trims  up.'  dolare 
is  a  slang  term  in  Plaut.  (M.  G., 
938.  Men.  859),  though  in  a 
slightly  different  sense.  —  quarta 
.  .  .  hora :  about  ten  o'clock.  — 
vix  demum :  an  expression  of  an- 
noyance at  the  discomforts  of 
travel,  as  the  modern  traveler 
recalls'  the  lateness  of  his  train ; 
while  vs.  24  is  a  reminiscence 
of  the  comfort  of  a  bath  and 
breakfast  after  a  wretched  night. 


24.  Feronia :  a  goddess  whose 
temple  and  fountain  were  near  the 
end  of  the  canal. 

25  f .  subimus :  the  regular  verb 
for  going  toward  a  high  place; 
Anxur  was  an  old  city  on  the  hill, 
Tarracina  the  newer  town  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill. — late  candenti- 
bus :  cf.  Epod.  I,  29,  superni 
•villa  candens  Tnsculi  and  Mar- 
tial, 5,  I,  6,  candidns  Anxttr. 
The  cliffs  are  of  white  lime- 
stone. 

27.  Hue  venturus  erat :  the  offi- 
cial  members   of    the   party    had 
perhaps   been  in  conference  with 
the  younger  Caesar  at  some  coun- 
try house    in   the    neighborhood. 
The  tense  of  venturus  erat  means 
'  it   had    been    arranged    that    he 
should  come.' 

28.  Cocceius :      L.      Cocceius 
Nerva,     consul    in    36    B.C.    the 
great-grandfather  'of  the  emperor 
Nerva.     See  also  the  introduction 
to  this  satire. 


88 


SEKM«i\l.> 


37 


legati,  aversos  soliti  componere  amicos. 
30      Hic~ocHrtis  ego  nigra  meis  colly ria  lippus 

illinere.     Interea  Maecenas  advenit  atque 

Cocceius,  Capitoque  simul  Fonteius,  ad  unguem 

factus  homo,  Antoni,  non  ut  magis  alter,  amicus. 

Fundos  Aufidio  Lusco  praetore  libenter 
35      linquimus,  insani  ridentes  praemia  scribae, 

praetextam  et  latum  clavum  prunaeque  vatillum. 

In  Mamurrarum  lassi  deinde  urbe  manemus, 


30  f.  Cf.  Sat.  i.  3,  25  n.  The 
mention  of  this  personal  trifle, 
like  the  allusions  to  other  details, 
gives  the  effect  of  a  diary,  and 
this  is  heightened  by  the  use  of 
the '  historical '  infinitive.  Cf.  Sat. 
i,  9,  9-10,  and  66. 

32  f .  Capito :  C.  Fonteius 
Capito,  consul  in  33  B.C.,  the 
representative  of  Antonius  in  the 
conference. — ad  unguem  factus 
homo :  the  figure  is  said  to  be 
taken  from  the  habit  of  testing  the 
smoothness  of  a  surface  by  passing 
the  edge  of  the  thumb  nail  over  it. 
The  expression  was  proverbial,  like 
the  English  '  a  polished  gentle- 
man' or  *a  man,  every  inch  of 
him,1  and  there  is  an  intentional 
courtesy  in  the  compliment  to  the 
representative  of  Antonius.  —  non 
ut  magis  alter :  so  Nepos,  Epam.  2, 
eruditus  sic  nt  nemo  Thebantts 
magis. 

34-36.  As  the  distinguished 
travelers  passed  through  Fundi, 
they  were  met  by  the  mayor  of  the 
town  in  his  robes  of  office.  — 
Aufidio  .  .  .  praetore  :  a  formal 


89 


expression,  like  Caesare  et  Bibnh 
consnlibits,  as  if  it  fixed  a  date. 
It  is  not  certain  whether  the  chief 
magistrate  of  Fundi  was  properly 
called  praetor  or  the  word  is  used 
in  derision.  —  libenter :  the  formal 
reception  bored  them.  —  insani 
.  .  .  scribae  :  i.e.  he  had  formerly 
been  a  clerk  (cf.  66,  below)  and 
was  too  much  elated  by  his  rise  in 
station.  —  praetextam :  the  toga 
with  a  purple  border.  —  latum 
clavum:  the  purple  stripe  down 
the  front  of  the  tunic.  —  prunae 
vatillum :  a  pan  or  shovel  of  coals, 
for  burning  incense.  The  sever- 
ity of  this  satirical  allusion  seems 
at  first  sight  scarcely  justifiable. 
Horace  was,  in  fact,  only  a  humble 
retainer  of  the  great  men  to  whom 
the  honors  were  paid,  and  he  was 
himself  a  xcriba.  But,  like  Thack- 
eray, he  had  a  keen  eye  for  a  snob. 
37.  Mamurrarum  urbe  :  For- 
miae.  Only  one  Mamurra  is 
known  to  us,  a  knight  of  Formiae, 
who  was  praef edits  fabrnin 
(chief  of  engineers)  undeY  Julius 
Caesar,  was  enriched  by  him  and 


i,  5.  38] 


HORATI 


Murena  praebente  domum,  Capitone  culinam. 

Postera  lux  oritur  multo  gratissima  ;  namque 
40      Plotius  et  Varius  Sinuessae  Vergiliusque 

occurrunt,  animae,  qualis  neque  candidiores 

terra  tulit,  neque  quis  me  sit  devinctior  alter. 

O  qui  complexus  et  gaudia  quanta  fuerunt! 

Nil  ego  contulerim  iucundo  sanus  amico. 
45      Proxima  Campano  ponti  quae  villula  tectum 

praebuit,  et  parochi  quae  debent  ligna  salemque. 

made  an  offensive  display  of  his 
ill-gotten  money.  He  was  at- 
tacked with  especial  bitterness  by 
Catullus  and,  apparently,  on  good 
grounds.  Nothing  is  known  of 
his  family  (the  scholia  describe 
a  later  condition  of  things),  and 
it  seems  likely  that  the  calling  of 
Formiae  by  his  name  and  the  use 
of  the  plural,  as  if  there  were 
many  distinguished  persons  of  the 
family,  are  satirical  touches. 

38.  Murena :  L.  Licinius  Te- 
rentius  Varro  Murena,  brother  of 
Terentia,  the  wife  of  Maecenas. 
Car m.  2,  10  is  addressed  to  him. 
He  was  put  to  death  in  22  B.C.  for 
conspiracy.  —  praebente  domum : 
the  implication  is  that  he  was  not 
himself  occupying  the  villa  at  this 
time. 

40.  Plotius  Tucca  and  L.  Va- 
rius Rufus  were  Vergil's  literary 
executors,  and  Varius  and  Vergil 
were  the  friends  who  had  intro- 
duced Horace  to  Maecenas  (Sat. 
i.  6,  53).  Varius  was  very  highly 
esteemed,  perhaps  beyond  his 
merits,  by  Ins  contemporaries  as  a 


writer  of  epic  and  of  tragedy ;  he 
is  mentioned  by  Horace  more  fre- 
quently than  any  other  of  his  lit- 
erary friends. 

41.  qualis  .  .  .  candidiores:  the 
expression   is   perfectly   logical  — 
'of  which  kind  the  earth  has  borne 
none  fairer  (than  they)  '  —  and  it 
is  used  again  in   Epod.  5.  59  f. : 
nardo  .  .  .  ,  quale  non  perfectins 
nieae  laborarint  mantis ;  there  is 
no  similar  idiom  in  English. 

42.  tulit :      brought    forth.  — 
quis :  dative. 

44.  sanus :  while  f  am  in  my 
senses ;  so  Sat.  I,  6,  89,  nil  me 
paeniteat  sanum  patris  /tutus. 

45  f.  quae  villula:  sc.  est. 
This  was  a  public  house,  main- 
tained by  the  government  for  the 
use  of  officials  traveling  on  state 
business.  The  parochi  (ira.pt\«>) 
furnished  the  necessary  supplies 
(ligna  sale  tuque  are  not  to  be 
taken  quite  literally,  for  Cicero, 
ad  Alt.  5,  1 6,  3,  mentions  also 
fodder),  which  were  at  this  time 
designated  by  law ;  hence  quae 
debent. 


90 


SKRMUNES 


['•5.53 


Hinc  muli  Capuae  clitellas  tempore  ponunt. 
Lusum  it  Maecenas,  dormitum  ego  Vergiliusque; 
namque  pila  lippis  inimicum  ct  ludcre  cruclis. 
50      Hinc  nos  Coccei  recipit  plenissima  villa, 

quae  super  est  Caudi  cauponas.     Nunc  mihi  paucis 
Sarmenti  scurrae  pugnam  Messique  Cicirri, 
Musa,  velim  memores,  et  quo  patre  natus  uterque 
47.   Hinc :      i.e.   starting    from      cakes  at  a  gulp,  and  Vibidius  and 


this  point.  —  tempore :  in  good 
season,  so  that  there  was  time  for 
exercise  before  supper. 

49.  lippis :   Horace ;  cf.  vs.  30. 
—  crudis  :  Vergil,  of  whom  Dona- 
tus  says,  '  plerumque  a  stomacho 
et  a  faucibus  ac  dolore  capitis  la- 
borabat.' 

50.  plenissima :       "well-stocked. 
So  Cicero,  Cat.  Mai  or,  56,  says 
'  semper  enim  boni  assiduique  do- 
mini  referta  cella  vinaria,  olearia, 
etiam  penaria  est,  villaque  tota  locu- 
ples  est,abundatporco,  haedo,agno, 
gallina,     lacte,     caseo,     melle.'  — 
Caudi :    where   the  Romans  were 
defeated  by  the  Samnites  in  321 
B.C. 

51-70.  The  custom  of  inviting 
semi-professional  jesters  to  enliven 
the  conversation  of  the  dinner 
table,  a  custom  which  has  pre- 
vailed more  or  less  in  all  societies, 
is  alluded  to  in  many  Roman 
writers  from  Plautus  down.  The 
jesters  were  of  all  degrees,  from 
the  buffoon  or  the  mere  butt  of 
practical  jokes  to  the  more  refined 
wit  and  story-teller.  Examples  of 
both  kinds  are  mentioned  in  Sat. 
2,  8,  Porcius.  who  could  eat  whole 


Balatro,  hangers-on  of  Maecenas 
and  leaders  of  the  joking,  but  not 
buffoons. 

This  passage  is  the  record  of  a 
contest  of  wits  between  two  such 
parasites.  Sarmentus  is  described 
at  some  length  in  a  scholium  to 
Juvenal,  5,  3,  and  was  evidently  a 
well-known  person ;  he  had  been 
a  slave,  was  perhaps  at  this  time  a 
freedman,  had  become  a  scriba, 
and  was  small  and  somewhat 
effeminate  in  appearance.  He 
represents  the  type  of  scurra,  the 
more  polished  wit.  Messius  Cicir- 
rus  (KiKtppos,  a  fighting-cock)  is 
the  clown,  an  Oscan,  large  and 
clumsy,  with  his  face  disfigured  by 
a  scar.  He  is  a  countryman, 
brought  in  for  the  occasion  to  be 
pitted  against  the  city-bred  Sar- 
mentus, who  was  in  the  train  of 
Maecenas,  perhaps  as  a  secretary. 

53-55.  Musa :  in  epic  style.  — 
quo  patre  natus :  as  in  Homer,  be- 
fore two  heroes  engage  in  fight, 
the  genealogy  of  each  is  recited. 
But  in  this  case  the  heroic  de- 
mand (quo  patre  natus)  cannot  be 
met;  'of  Messius  the  """glorious 
lineage  is  —  Oscan  ;  of  the  family 


',  5.  54] 


HOkATl 


contulerit  lites.     Messi  clarum  genus  Osci; 

55      Sarmenti  domina  exstat :  ab  his  maioribus  orti 
ad  pugnam  venere.     Prior  Sarmentus  :  '  Equi  te 
csse  feri  similem  dico.'     Ridemus,  et  ipse 
Messius  '  Accipio,'  caput  et  movet.     '  O,  tua  cornu 
ni  foret  exsecto  frons,'  inquit,  '  quid  faceres,  cum 

60      sic  mutilus  minitaris  ? '     At  illi  foeda  cicatrix 
saetosam  laevi  f  rontem  turpaverat  oris. 
Campanum  in  morbum,  in  faciem  permulta  iocatus, 
pastorem  saltaret  uti  Cyclopa  rogabat ; 
nil  illi  larva  aut  tragicis  opus  esse  cothurnis. 

65      Multa  Cicirrus  ad  haec  :  Donasset  iamne  catenam 


of  Sarmentus  there  survives  only 
—  his  owner.1  The  Oscans  were 
regarded  by  the  Romans  with 
special  contempt,  and  a  slave  had, 
legally,  no  family. 

56  f .  Equi  .  .  .  feri :  a  unicorn. 
The  comparison  is  suggested  by 
the  scar  mentioned  below,  60. 
This  is  clearly  a  variation  on  the 
verse  of  Lucilius,  dente  adrerso 
enihmlo  hie  est  \  rinoceros  (Marx 
1 17  f.),  '  This  is  a  rhinoceros  with 
a  tooth  sticking  out  in  front.' 

58.  Accipio :  '  all  right ;  so  I 
am,  and  you  will  find  me  danger- 
ous,' with  a  threatening  shake  of 
the  head. 

60.  sic :  both  with  tnntiltis  and 
with  ininitaris\    'when,  hornless 
as  you  are,  you  threaten  so.'  —  At : 
explanatory,  not  adversative ;  and, 
in  fact. 

61.  laevi:  'on  the  left  side  of 
his  face.1     [But  the  expression  is 
awkward  and  the  comparison  to  a 


unicorn  and,  below,  to  the  Cyclops 
requires  that  the  scar  should  have 
been  in  the  middle ;  the  text  must 
be  regarded  as  quite  doubtful.] 

62.  Campanum    in    morbum  : 
some     disease,     not     understood 
even    by    the     scholiasts,    which 
was  thought  to  be  the  cause  of 
the  scar.     Catnpanus  contains  the 
same  kind  of  slur  as  Osci,  54. 

63.  saltaret  .  .  Cyclopa:  should 
play  the  Cyclops  in  a  pantomimic 
dance  ;    accus.  of  the   inner  ob- 
ject. 

64.  larva :    because  he  was  so 
ugly  and  the  scar  would  represent 
the  one  eye  of  the  Cyclops.  —  co- 
thurnis :    because    he  was  so  big 
and  clumsy. 

65  ff .  The  account  is  shortened 
by  giving  the  substance  of  the  re- 
torts of  Cicirrus  without  comment. 
They  turn  upon  the  fact  that  Sar- 
mentus had  been  a  slave  and  upon 
his  small  size  and  effeminate  ap- 


92 


SKKM"\|  - 


[',5,7* 


ex  voto  Laribus,  quaerebat;  scriba  quod  esset, 
nilo  deterius  dominae  ins  esse  :  rogabat 
dcnique,  cur  umquam  fugisset,  cui  satis  una 
f arris  libra  foret,  gracili  sic  tamque  pusillo^ 

70      Prorsus  iucunde  cenam  producimus  illam. 

Tendimus  hinc  recta  Beneventum,  ubi  sedulus  hospes 
paene  macros  arsit  dum  turdos  versat  in  igni; 
nam  vaga  per  veterem  dilapso  flamma  culinam 
Volcano  summum  properabat  lambere  tectum. 

75      Convivas  avidos  cenam  servosque  timentis 

turn  rapere,  atque  omnis  restinguere  velle  videres. 
Incipit  ex  illo  montis  Apulia  notos 
ostentare  mihi,  quos  torret  Atabulus,  et  quos 


pearance.  —  ex  voto :  as  gladiators 
at  the  end  of  their  professional 
career  dedicated  their  arms  (  Epist. 
i,  I,  4  f.)  or  as  men  who  had 
escaped  from  shipwreck  hung  up 
their  dripping  garments  in  a  tem- 
ple (Carm.  I,  5,  13-16),  so  a  slave 
who  had  escaped  from  slavery  — 
perhaps  by  running  away  —  might 
dedicate  his  chains  to  the  gods 
who  had  helped  him.  —  scriba  : 
the  emphatic  position  shows  what 
the  point  is;  'even  though  you 
have  attained  to  the  lofty  position 
of  a  clerk,  still  .  .  .  '  —  una  farris 
libra:  -the  ordinary  ration  was  four 
or  five  pounds  and  such  a  puny 
little  man  might  have  lived  on 
a  quarter  of  his  allowance  and 
bought  his  freedom  with  his  sav- 
ings, instead  of  running  away. 

70.  Prorsus  :  with  iucunde ; 
'  certainly  it  wag  a  jolly  supper 
...  So  prorsus  vehementer, 


Cic.  ad  Att.   1 6,   15,  2;  prorsus 
valde,  ad  Fam.  6,  20,  2. 

72.  paene  .  .  .  arsit  :  almost 
set  his  house  afire.  So  Verg. 
Aen.  2,  311  f.,  ardet  Vcalegon. 
—  macros  :  with  turdos  and  dum 
with  versat.  It  is  possible  that  the 
confused  order  is  meant  to  repre- 
sent the  confused  efforts  of  the 
anxious  landlord. 

73-74.  vaga  .  .  .  veterem  .  .  . 
Volcano :  parody  of  the  allitera- 
tion in  the  epic  style  of  Ennius. 
—  dilapso  .  .  .  Volcano :  the  logs 
which  were  piled  together  on  the 
raised  hearth  fell  apart  and  were 
scattered  on  the  floor. 

76.  videres  :  '  then  there  was  a 
pretty  spectacle  for  you  to  see, 
of  hungry  guests  and  frightened 
slaves.' 

78.  mihi:  they  were  approach- 
ing the  region  of  Venusia,where 
Horace  had  passed  his- "Boyhood, 


93 


5.  79] 


numquam  erepsemus,  nisi  nos  vicina  Trivici 
So      villa  recepisset,  lacrimoso  non  sine  fumo, 

udos  cum  foliis  ranios  urente  camino. 
86      Quattuor  hinc  rapimur  viginti  et  milia  raedis, 
mansuri  oppidulo  quod  versu  diccre  non  est, 
signis  perfacile  est :  venit  vilissima  rerum 
hie  aqua ;  sed  panis  longe  pulcherrimus,  ultra 


and  he  began  to  recognize  well- 
known  landmarks.  —  Atabulus :  a 
name  for  the  sirocco,  peculiar  to 
Apulia  and  recalled  by  Horace  as 
he  approaches  his  old  home.  Gel- 
lius  (2,  22,  25)  calls  it  Horatianus 
ille  Atabulus. 

79.  erepsemus :  erepsissemus ; 
such  colloquial  forms  are  used 
freely  in  the  Satires,  e.g.,  surrexe 
for  surrexisse,  I,  9,  73. —  nisi: 
the  expression  is  somewhat  con- 
densed, perhaps  with  humorous 
intention  ;  '  we  should  never  have 
crawled  out,  if  we  hadn't  stopped,' 
meaning  '  we  should  never  have 
had  the  strength  to  crawl  out,  if 
\ve  had  not  refreshed  ourselves  by 
a  night's  rest.' 

81.  ados:  the  emphatic  word; 
*  because  of  the  dampness  of  the 
fuel.1  —  urente  camino  :  so  triverit 
area,  I,  1,45.  The  caminus  (cf.' 
Epist.  i,  11,  19)  was  an  arrange- 
ment, other  than  the  open  hearth, 
for  heating  a  room,  hut  the  details 
of  its  construction  are  unknown. 

86.  raedis :  both  raeda  (or 
rftia)  and  petorritntn  (or  petori- 
tuin)  arc^Gallic  words  (Quint.  I. 
5,  57),  and  this  fact  accounts  for 

94 


the  variation  in  spelling.  The 
mention  of  carriages  at  this  stage 
of  the  journey  and  the  contrast 
between  rapiinnr  and  erepsemtts 
must  certainly  imply  a  change  in 
the  mode  of  traveling,  from  riding 
to  driving. 

87.  quod  versu  dicere  non  est : 
so  Lucilius  (228  f.,  Marx)  has 
'  servorum  festus  dies  hie,  |  quern 
plane  hexametro  versu  non  dicere 
possis '  of  the  feast  of  the  SlgillarJa, 
and  Ovid  (  ex  Ponto,  4,  12)  jokes 
about  the  impossibility  of  bring- 
ing the  name  of  his  friend  Tfitl- 
canus  into  elegiac  verse.  The 
name  of  the  town  is  unknown,  in 
spite  of  statements  by  the  scho- 
liasts. 

88  ff.  signis:  by  the  indica- 
tions which  follow,  the  lack  of 
good  water  and  the  excellence  of 
the  bread.  —  venit :  from  i'<-neo  ; . 
emphatic  by  position  and  by  con- 
trast with  vilissima  ;  '  they  ask 
here  for  what  can  elsewhere  be 
had  for  nothing —  water.'  —  ultra : 
i.e.  the  traveler  who  knows  what 
he  is  about  (callidtts)  lays  in  a 
supply  for  the  next  stage  of  the 
journey.  —  soleat :  an  early  long 


SEK MONKS 


5.  I0» 


90      callidus  ut  soleat  umeris  portare  viator : 

nam  Canusi  lapidosus,  aquae  non  ditior  urna 
qui  locus  a  forti  Diomede  est  conditus  olim. 
Flentibus  hinc  Varius  discedit  maestus  amicis. 
Inde  Rubos  fessi  pervenimus,  utpote  longum 

95      carpentes  iter  et  factum  corruptius  imbri. 
Postera  tempestas  melior,  via  peior  ad  usque 
Bari  moenia  piscosi;  dein  Gnatia  lymphis 
iratis  exstructa  dedit  risusque  iocosque, 
dura  flamma  sine  tura  liquescere  limine  sacro 

ioo    persuadere  cupit.     Credat  ludaeus  Apella, 

non  ego ;  namque  deos  didici  securum  agere  aevum, 


quantity  preserved  here,  as  occa- 
sionally elsewhere  in  Horace  and  in 
Vergil  and  frequently  in  Plautus.  — 
umeris  portare :  a  general  term, 
for  most  travelers  would  have 
slaves  to  carry  their  provisions. 

91  f.  Canusi:  gen.,  not  loca- 
tive ;  sc, Rani's.  —  lapidosus  -.gritty. 
—  aquae:  gen.  with  ditior',  so 
dives  art  him,  Car  in.  4,  8,  5  ;  dives 
opis,  Sat.  i,  2,  74.  —urna  :  abl. 
of  degree  of  difference.  —  The 

O 

narrative  hurries  on  here  through 
uninteresting  scenes  and  events 
and  three  distinct  statements 
('  the  bread  of  Canusium  is  gritty ; 
water  there  is  scarce ;  the  town 
was  founded  by  Diomed ')  are 
condensed  into  a  single  sentence. 
The  intentional  awkwardness 
expresses  the  haste  of  the  story. 

93.  Flentibus .  . .  amicis :  '  leav- 
ing his  friends  in  tears1;  a  dative 
of  separation.  The  exaggeration" 
is  intentionally  humorous. 


96.  tempestas :  weather,  as  fre- 
quently in  early  and  classical  Latin. 

97  f.  piscosi :  Barium  was  on 
thecoast.  —  dein:  monosyllabic. — 
lymphis  iratis  exstructa :  '  built 
under  the  frown  of  the  water 
nymphs,'  i.e.  lacking  in  good 
water. 

99.  The  '  miracle '  was  ex- 
hibited to  the  distinguished 
visitors.  As  described  by  Pliny, 
H.N.  2,  107,  240,  it  was  the  wood 
on  the  altar  which  took  fire  of 
itself. 

100.  Credat    ludaeus    Apella : 
there  were  many  Jews  in  Rome  at 
this   time  and    Horace   had    evi- 
dently some  knowledge   of  their 
beliefs  (Sat.  I,  4,  143  ;   I,  9, 66  f.  ; 
perhaps  also  2,  3,  288  ff.),  possibly 
even    of  their  belief  in  this  par- 
ticular kind  of  miracle   (Le^'it.  9, 
24;  f  Kings  1 8,  38). 

101.  securum :     '  Careless  -of 
mankind,'   Tennyson,    The  Lotus 


95 


1,  5,  102]  HORATI 


nec,  si  quid  miri  faciat  natura,  decs  id 
tristis  ex  alto  caeli  demittere  tecto. 
Brundisium  longae  finis  chartaeque  viaeque  est. 

Eaters.     The  verse  is  a  quotation  is   sufficient   to   explain   all    phe- 

of  Lucretius,  5,  82  —  nam  bene  qiii  nomena,  however  strange. —  tris 

didicere  deos  sectirnm  qifere  aevom  tis :      in     their     anger.        Early 

—  and  an  expression  of  Horace's  religions  are,  in  general,  rather  a 

Epicurean  skepticism.  means  of  propitiating  the  wrath  of 

102  f.  natura  :  the  working  force  the  gods   than  an  expression  of 

which  in  the  Epicurean  philosophy  gratitude  or  trust. 


The  date  of  this  satire  cannot  be  precisely  fixed,  but  it  was  written 
between  38  and  33  B.C.  The  upper  limit  is  fixed  by  the  allusion  in 
vss.  54  ff.  to  Horace's  introduction  to  Maecenas,  which  was  probably 
not  earlier  than  38  B.C.  On  the  other  hand,  the  second  half  of  the 
satire  would  certainly  have  contained  some  allusion  to  the  Sabine 
form,  which  came  into  Horace's  possession  in  33,  if  the  satire  had  been 
written  after  that  date. 

*  Your  high  position,  my  dear  Maecenas,  as  a  man  of  noble  family, 
evidently  does  not  seem  to  you  to  justify  you  in  looking  down  upon 
other  men,  upon  me,  for  instance,  a  freedman's  son.  On  the  contrary, 
your  admission  of  all  freeborn  citizens  to  social  equality  seems  to 
express  your  belief  that  character,  not  birth,  is  the  proper  basis  of  a 
claim  to  public  recognition.  And,  in  fact,  even  the  ordinary  voter, 
prone  as  he  is  to  be  dazzled  by  noble  birth,  sees  this  truth  and  acts 
upon  it.  But  we,  whose  vision  is  clearer,  ought  to  see  still  deeper  and 
to  distinguish  between  social  recognition  and  political  advancement. 
A  political  ambition,  like  that  of  Tillius,  not  improperly  raises  questions 
of  family  and  of  inherited  fitness  for  public  office.  Rut.  for  me,  I  have 
no  political  ambition  and  the  office  which  I  once  held  in  the  army  of 
Brutus  came  to  me  by  mere  chance ;  I  will  not  even  take  the  trouble  to 
defend  myself  against  the  criticisms  which  it  excited.  But  my  friend- 
ship with  you  is  no  chance ;  two  sponsors  whom  I  am  proud  to  name, 
Vergil  and  Varius,  introduced  me  to  you  and  after  careful  deliberation 
you  accepted  me  as  a  friend,  judging  me  not  by  my  father's  rank,  but 
by  my  own  character. 

*"And  yet  that  very  character  which  has  won  your  esteem  was  my 
father's  gift  tor  me  He  was  a  poor  man,  a  frecdman,  yet  he  gave  me 

96 


SERMONES  [i,  6,  2 

such  an  education  as  a  knight  or  a  senator  might  have  given  to  his 
son,  attending  me  himself  to  guard  me  against  the  dangers  of  the  city, 
not  deterred  by  the  fear  of  educating  me  above  my  station.  I  should 
be  mad  to  wish  that  I  had  had  a  different  father.  I  will  not  even  say, 
as  some  do,  that  I  was  not  responsible  for  my  humble  parentage.  On 
the  contrary,  I  would  not  exchange  my  father  for  any  other,  not  even 
for  one  who  had  sat  in  the  curule  chair  and  worn  the  purple. 

'  For,  after  all,  I  prefer  my  quiet  life.  No  bother  about  money,  no 
formal  calls  to  make,  no  swarm  of  servants,  no  fuss.  I  stroll  about 
town  as  I  please  and  watch  the  sights  of  the  streets ;  I  go  home  to  a 
plain  dinner  and  a  good  night's  sleep,  untroubled  by  the  thought  of 
early  business  engagements  in  the  morning.  I  read  or  write.  I  take  a 
little  exercise,  I  have  a  light  lunch  and  an  afternoon  of  leisure.  That's 
a  great  deal  more  comfortable  than  the  life  of  the  people  who  think 
they  have  a  position  to  maintain.' 

This  satire  belongs  in  subject  and  treatment  with  the  third,  the 
fourth,  and  the  tenth.  It  springs  directly  out  of  the  circumstances  of 
Horace's  life  at  the  time  it  was  written  and  marks  another  step  in  his 
progress  from  the  earlier  years  of  rebellious  obscurity  to  the  assured 
position  of  the  Second  Book.  His  friendship  with  men  of  rank,  his 
acceptance  by  Maecenas,  and,  in  particular,  the  publication  of  the 
account  of  the  journey  to  Brundisium  had  revived  the  old  criticisms 
which  his  position  in  the  army  of  Brutus  had  aroused  and  ha'd  given 
new  grounds  for  suspecting  him  of  social  and  political  ambitions.  The 
satire  is  in  form  a  disclaimer  of  such  ambitions,  while  in  substance  it  is 
a  defence  of  the  friends  who  had  accorded  him  social  recognition  and  a 
very  manly  and  dignified  declaration  of  pride  in  his  fathers  wisdom  and 
of  contentment  with  his  own  quiet  life. 

Non  quia,  Maecenas,  Lydorum  quicquid  Etruscos 
incoluit  finis,  nemo  generosior  est  te, 

i.    Non:  with  suspendis,  vs.  5,  more  colloquial.  —  Maecenas:  the 

not  with  quia.     The  sentence  is  fact   that  Maecenas   had  publicly 

best   translated    by  changing   its  recognized  Horace  as  a  friend  is 

structure:  'although  no  one.  .  .  ,  the  natural  starting  point  of  the 

and  although  your  ancestors  .  .  .  ,  argument. — Lydorum:  there  was 

you  do  not,  for  that  reason,  treat  a  tradition  that  the  Etruscan  no- 

with  contempt  .  .  .  '  —  quia:  not  bility  was  descended  from  Lydian 

different  in  sense  from  quod,  vs.  3,  colonists   (Herod,    i.  94),  as  the 

though    quia   is.    in   general,   the  Roman    aristocracy    claimed    de- 
HOR.  SAT.  —  7                   97 


I,  6,  3] 


HORATI 


nec  quod  avus  tibi  maternus  fuit  atque  paternus, 

olim  qui  magnis  legionibus  imperitarent, 

ut  plerique  solent,  naso  suspendis  adunco 

ignotos,  ut  me  libertino  patre  natum. 

Cum  referre  negas  quali  sit  quisque  parente 

natus,  dum  ingenuus,  persuades  hoc  tibi  vere, 

ante  potestatem  Tulli  atque  ignobile  regnum 


scent  from  Troy,  and  as  many 
Italian  cities  were  supposed  to 
have  been  founded  by  Greek 
heroes;  cf.  Sat.  I,  5,  92.  The 
gen.  plur.  is  a  partitive  gen.  with 
quicqitid  (Catull.  3,  2,  quantum 
est  Iwininiun  venustiorum  ;  31,  14, 
qtiicquid  est  domi  cachinnoruni), 
but  by  its  position  it  is  made  to 
serve  also  as  a  gen.  for  nemo. 

2.  generosior :  more  nobly  born, 
There  are  various  general  refer- 
ences, like  Cartn.  I,  I,  i,  Maece- 
nas, at  avis  edite  regibiis,  to  the 
nobility  of  the  Cilnii,  but  it  does 
not  appear  that  the  family  had 
taken  a  conspicuous  place  in 
Roman  public  life. 

3-4.  avus  maternus  .  .  .  :  the 
reference  is  general,  as  the  subjv. 
imperitarent  shows,  though  the 
use  of  maternus  may  be  an  allu- 
sion to  the  Etruscan  custom  of 
reckoning  descent  through  the 
mother's  side.  —  legionibus  :  also 
general ;  great  armies. 

5.  naso  suspendis  adunco :  sucn 
phrases  as  this,  which  express  an 
emotion  by  describing  the  instinc- 
tive distortion  of  the  features  which 
accompanies  it,  are  common  in 
Latin,  and  are  found  even  in  seri- 


98 


ous  passages,  as  here;  they  are 
doubtless  colloquial  in  origin,  but 
they  are  much  less  undignified 
than  the  corresponding  English 
phrases  like  '  turn  up  your  nose  at.' 

6.  ignotos :     men    of    humble 
birth,      Cf.    vss.    24,   36,   below; 
not  us  and  nobilis  are  only  partially 
differentiated  in  meaning. 

7.  Cum  referre  negas  :  in  refus- 
ing to  consider]    the  explicative 
use  of  cum ;  '  your  refusal  to  con- 
sider ...  is,  in  reality,  a  declara- 
tion of  your  belief  that  .  .  .' 

8.  ingenuus :  freeborn.     Mae- 
cenas, like  Augustus  (Sueton.  Aug. 
74),  admitted   to   social    equality 
any  man  who  was  born  in  free- 
dom,  but   did    not   extend    such 
recognition    to    freedmen    (liber- 
//>//).      Horace   is   here   dwelling 
upon  the  liberality  of  the  admis- 
sion ;    the  exclusion  of  freedmen 
seemed  to  him,  as,  indeed,  it  well 
might,  a  natural  limitation,  to  be 
mentioned     only    incidentally.  — 
persuades  .   .  .  tibi :  you  express 
your  conviction. 

9-17.  In  this  somewhat  diffi- 
cult passage  two  distinct  ideas  are 
fused  into  one  statement,  and  a 
third  is  appended  which  strictly 


[',6,15 


multos  sacpe  viros  nullis  maioribus  ortos 
et  vixisse  probos,  amplis  ct  honoribus  auctos ; 
contra  Laevinum,  Valeri  genus,  unde  superbus 
Tarquinius  regno  pulsus  fugit,  unius  assis 
non  umquam  pretio  pluris  licuisse,  notante 
iudice,  quo  nosti,  populo,  qui  stultus  honores 


belongs  with  the  next  sentence : 
(i)  'Your  belief  is  that  men  of 
humble  birth  often  deserve  honor, 
and  men  of  noble  birth  sometimes 
deserve  to  be  obscure ';  (2)  'this 
principle  has  often  been  illustrated 
in  Roman  history  —  plebeians  have 
been  elected  to  the  consulship,  and 
patricians  have  been  nobodies ' ; 
(3)  'if  the  common  voter  can 
judge  so  correctly,  then  you  and 
I  should  certainly  not  be  misled 
by  the  accident  of  birth.1  If 
Horace  had  been  trying  to  use 
the  forms  of  precise  reasoning, 
only  the  first  of  these  statements 
would  have  been  subordinated  to 
Persuades  hoc  tibi  vere ;  the  sec- 
ond would  have  been  put  into 
an  independent  sentence,  and  the 
third  would  have  been  connected 
with  vss.  17-18,  to  which  it  is  a 
kind  of  protasis. 

9.  ante  .  .  .  regnum:  /'.<?.  even 
before  the  reign  of  Servius  Tuliius, 
who  was  traditionally  held  to  be 
the  son  of  a  slave  woman,  and 
before  the  Servian  reform  of  the 
constitution,  which  was  regarded 
as  the  beginning  of  democracy  in 
Rome. 

ii.  et  .  .  .  probos  .  .  .  et  .  .  . 
auctos :  predicate  with  vi.visse. 


The  sentence  is  paratactic ;  trans- 
late, 'because  they  lived  upright 
lives,  were  honored  with  high 
offices.' 

12.  Laevinum  :  unknown.  The 
statement  of  the  scholiast  adds 
nothing  to  what  is  implied  in  the 
context.  —  Valeri  genus:  of  the 
Valerian  gens,  one  of  the  great 
Roman  families.  —  unde :  =  a  quo, 
to  be  taken  with  pulsus.  M.  Vale- 
rius Poplicola  aided  Brutus  in  ex- 
pelling Tarquinius  Superbus,  and 
was  one  of  the  consuls  of  the  first 
year. 

14.  licuisse:  sold  for,  i.e.  was 
•worth ;  from  liceo.  —  pluris :  gen. 
of  indefinite  value.  —  pretio :  abl. 
after  the  comparative,  with  unius 
assis  depending  upon  it. 

14  f .    notante  iudice  :  abl.  abso- 
lute ;  iudice  is  defined  by  quo  nosli 
(by  attraction   from   quein  nosti) 
and    by    the    appositive,  populo. 
The  defeat  at  the  polls  is  like  the 
judgment  of  the  censors ;    either 
excludes  from  the  Senate. 

15  ff.    The  indie,  in  this  clause 
emphasizes    its   detachment    from 
the     indirect    discourse.  —  famae 
servit :    i.e.   the  judgment   of   the 
common  people  is.  too  often,  taken 
captive    by    family    reputation. — 


99 


if  6,  16] 


saepe  clat  indignis  et  famae  servit  ineptus, 

qui  stupet  in  titulis  et  imaginibus.     Quid  oportet 

nos  facere,  a  volgo  longe  longeque  remotes  ? 

Namque  esto  populus  Laevino  mallet  honorem 

quam  Decio  mandare  novo,  censorque  moveret 

Appius,  ingenuo  si  non  essem  patre  natus  : 

vel  merito,  quoniam  in  propria  non  pelle  quiessem. 

Sed  fulgente  trahit  constrictos  Gloria  curru 
non  minus  ignotos  generosis.     Quo  tibi,  Tilli, 


imaginibus :  the  waxen  masks  of 
ancestors  who  had  held  curule 
office.  —  titulis:  the  inscription 
under  each  mask  enumerating  the 
offices  held  by  the  original.  The 
masks  were  hung  in  the  atrium, 
and  the  possession  of  them  indi- 
cated that  the  family  was  nobilis. 

17-22.  '  If  the  people,  prone  as 
they  are  to  be  dazzled  by  appear- 
ances, can  sometimes  see  below 
the  surface,  then  we,  the  intelligent 
classes,  should  be  able  to  see  still 
more  deeply  into  the  truth.  For, 
whether  the  machinery  of  govern- 
ment favors  the  patrician  or  the 
plebeian,  it  is  certainly  true  that, 
for  such  a  man  as  I  am,  political 
ambition  is  folly.  —  esto  :  used  fre- 
quently by  Horace  {Sat.  2,  I,  83; 
2,  2,  30)  to  express  a  concession ; 
here,  in  parataxis  with  mallet,  it 
becomes  almost  a  concessive  con- 
junction, as  in  the  English, 
'granted  the  people  might  prefer 
.  .  .  ,  yet  .  .  .'  —  Decio  .  .  .  novo : 
P.  Decius  Mus,  a  plebeian  and 
mnius  lioino,  the  first  of  his  family 
to  hold  a  curule  office.  Me  de- 


voted himself  to  death  in  order  to 
secure  victory  in  the  battle  of  Mt. 
Vesuvius  in  340  B.C.,  and  is  fre- 
quently referred  to  as  a  type  of 
heroic  patriotism.  —  censor  .  .  . 
Appius :  Appius  Claudius  Pulcher, 
the  brother  of  Clodius.  censor  in 
50  B.C.  He  scrutinized  the  sena- 
torial lists  with  great  severity,  ex- 
cluding many  nobles  and  all  sons 
of  freedmen. 

22.  vel  merito:  and  rightly, 
too;  i.e.  'I  should  deserve  it  for 
being  such  a  fool  as  to  be  tempted 
by  political  ambition.'  —  propria 
.  .  .  pelle  :  an  allusion  to  Aesop's 
fable  of  the  Ass  in  the  Lion's 
Skin;  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  314-320;  2, 

5>56- 

23  f.    '  But   most   men   do  not 
see  this  deeper  truth ;  Ambition 
drags  them  after  her,  chained  to 
her  chariot.'     The  same  figure  is 
used  in  Epist.  2,  I,  177,  ventvso 
glitria     cur r it.  —  ignotos  :  =  t'giio- 
Mes,  as  in  vs.  6.  -- 

24  f .    Quo    tibi :    regularly   fol- 
lowed by  an  infin..  as   here;  lit., 
•  to  what  end  is  it  for  you  to  ...  ? ' 


100 


SER MONKS 


[',6,37 


25      sumere  depositum  clavum  fierique  tribune  ? 

Invidia  adcrevit,  private  quae  minor  esset. 

Nam  ut  quisque  insanus  nigris  medium  impediit  crus 

pellibus,  et  latum  demisit  pectore  clavum, 

audit  continue  '  Quis  homo  hie?'  et  'quo  patre  natus?' 
30      Vt,  si  qui  aegrotet  quo  morbo  Barrus  haberi 

et  cupiat  formosus,  eat  quacumque,  puellis 

iniciatcuram  quaerendi  singula,  quali 

sit  facie,  sura,  quali  pede,  dente,  capillo  ; 

sic  qui  promittit  civis,  urbem  sibi  curae, 
35      imperium  fore  et  Italiam,  delubra  deorum, 

quo  patre  sit  natus,  num  ignota  matre  inhonestus. 

omnis  mortalis  curare  et  quaerere  cogit. 


what  good  does  it  do  you  .  .  .  ?  — 
Tilli :  he  had  had  the  latus  clavus, 
the  broad  purple  stripe  which  was 
worn  by  senators  on  the  tunic,  had 
for  some  reason  lost  it  (deposi- 
tum), and  was  now  proposing  to 
win  it  again  (sumere)  by  being 
elected  tribunus  plebis  as  a  first 
step  toward  a  curule  office.  To 
these  inferences  from  the  text  the 
scholiast  (recepit  post  Caesar  urn 
occisuin ;  nam  pulsus  ante  senatu 
f uerat)  adds  little.  The  reference 
may  be  to  a  brother  of  L.  Tillius 
Cimber.  —  tribuno:  dat. ;  cf.  i, 
i,  19. 

27  f .  nigris  .  .  .  pellibus  :  sena- 
tors wore  a  shoe  which  was  tied 
by  four  black  leather  bands  wound 
crosswise  about  the  ankle  and  up 
the  calf  (medium  crus). 

29.  continue  :  immediately ;  cor- 
responding to  ut,  us  soon  as. 


30  f.  aegrotet,  morbo :  figura- 
tive, as  in  Sat.  2,  3,  306  f.,  qiio  vie 
aegrotare  putes  ant  mi  vilio  ?  The 
following  clause,  et  cupiat,  explains 
the  nature  of  the  disease.  —  Bar- 
rus :  the  name  occurs  again  in 
Sat.  i,  7,  8,  but  identification  with 
any  known  person  is  uncertain.— 
haberi :  depends  on  cupiat. 

32.  iniciat :  i.e.  his  evident  be- 
lief that  he  is  handsome  leads  the 
girls  to  consider  his  features  in 
detail  (singula)  to  see  whether  he 
really  is  all  that  he  claims  to  be. 

34  f.  The  promises  of  the  can- 
didate are  intentionally  exagger- 
ated. No  single  official  had  so 
wide  a  range  of  duties. 

36.  ignota.    inhonestus :     with 
reference  to  birth,    as    elsewhere 
in  this  satire,  vss.  6.  24,  06. 

37.  curare,  quaerere:  repeating 
curam  quaerendi,  32.     The  bit  of 


101 


i,  6,  38] 


HORATI 


'  Tune,  Syri,  Damae,  aut  Dionysi  filius,  audes 
deicere  e  saxo  civis  aut  tradere  Cadmo  ? ' 
40      '  At  Novius  collega  gradu  post  me  sedet  uno ; 

namque  est  ille,  pater  quod  erat  meus.'   '  Hoc  tibi  Paulus 
et  Messalla  videris  ?     At  hie,  si  plostra  ducenta 
concurrantque  foro  tria  funera  magna,  sonabit 
cornua  quod  vincatque  tubas  ;  saltern  tenet  hoc  nos. 


dialogue   which   follows    expands 
the  idea  and  makes  it  vivid. 

38.  These  are  ordinary  foreign 
slave  names  ;  Syrus  is  used  in  the 
plays  of  Terence  and   Dama  oc- 
curs in  Sat.  2,  5,  18. 

39.  deicere :  in  three  syllables. 
—  e  saxo :  from  the  Tarpeian  Rock. 
This  old  form  of  punishment  was 
carried  into  execution  by  the  trib- 
unes, but  it    had  fallen  into  dis- 
use except  as  a  figure  of  speech 
for  an  extreme   penalty ;   cf.  Cic. 
ad  Alt.  14,  15,  I.  —  Cadmo:   Cad- 
mus carnifex  illo  tempore  fuisse 
dicitur.     Schol. 

40  f.  Novius :  this  name  is  se- 
lected to  suggest  a  derivation  from 
ftovus,  like  Thackeray's  Newcome 
or  Henry  James's  Newman.  — 
gradu  .  .  .  uno :  not  literally,  for 
there  was  no  assignment  of  special 
seats  to  freedmen  ;  but  figuratively, 
with  an  allusion  to  the  law  of 
Otho,  67  B.C.,  assigning  to  the 
knights  fourteen  rows  of  seats 
behind  the  senators.  The  law 
had  made  much  talk  and  the  dis- 
tinction had  passed  into  a  kind 
of  proverb.  —  est  ille.  .  .  .  meus  : 
i.e.  •  he  is  himself  a  ireedman, 


while  I  am  the  son  of  a  freed- 
man.' 

41  f.  Hoc  :  abl.,  for  this  reason 
as  in  vs.  52,  below.  —  Paulus  et 
Messalla :  the  cognbinina  of  two 
of  the  most  distinguished  noble 
families  in  Rome.  The  absurdity 
of  the  claim  is  heightened  by  the 
use  of  et,  as  if  the  man  could  sup- 
pose himself  to  be  both  at  once. 

42-44.  hie :  =  Nmrius  collega. 
'  Your  claim  to  superiority  is  based 
upon  an  advantage  so  petty  that  it 
is  more  than  counterbalanced  by 
his  having  a  big  voice/  —  plostra  : 
the  plebian  form  of  planstra  (cf. 
Claudius  and  Clodius),  employed 
here  because  the  argument  repre- 
sents the  view  of  the  common 
people  (saltern  tenet  hoc  nos ).  — 
magna :  with  funera.  [Neither 
Sat.  I,  4,  44,  os  magna  sonatitrum, 
nor  Juv.  7,  108.  ipsi magna  sonant, 
justifies  the  taking  of  magtia 
sonar  e  as  a  standing  phrase,  to 
shout  loudly.  In  neither  passage 
is  the  plural  force  quite  lost  and 
the  quality  designated  .is  lofti- 
ness of  style,  not  mere  loud- 
ness  of  voice.]  —  quod  :  the  ante- 
cedent is  the  internal  object  of 


102 


SEKMONES 


[1,6,51 


45          Nunc  ad  me  redeo  libertino  patre  natum, 
quern  rodunt  omnes  libertino  patre  natum, 
nunc,  quia  sim  tibi,  Maecenas,  convictor,  at  olim, 
quod  mihi  pareret  legio  Romana  tribuno. 
Dissimile  hoc  illi  est ;  quia  non,  ut  forsit  honorem 

50      iure  mihi  invideat  quivis,  ita  te  quoque  amicum, 
praesertim  cautum  dignos  assumere,  prava 


sonabit. que :    connecting    cor- 

nua  and  tubas;  cf.  Sat.  1,4,  17. 
-  This  incidental  picture  of  the 
Roman  Forum,  though  it  is  inten- 
tionally exaggerated,  is  in  har- 
mony with  what  Juvenal  says  in 
his  third  satire  of  the  dangerously 
crowded  Roman  streets.  The 
Forum  was  the  official  center  of 
all  political  and  public  life,  the 
place  where  the  funeral  prpces- 
sions  of  great  men,  with  their 
horns  and  trumpets,  paused  to 
listen  to  the  lattdatio,  and  it  was 
at  the  same  time  the  principal  busi- 
ness center  of  the  city.  At  this 
period  great  public  works  also  were 
under  construction,  which  neces- 
sitated the  hauling  of  blocks  of 
stone  in  heavy  wagons. 

45.  Nunc  ad  me  redeo:  i.e.  to 
vs.  6,  as  the  repetition  here  of 
the  last  words  of  that  line  shows. 
The  intervening  verses  are  not 
altogether  a  digression  ;  they  meet 
the  suspicion  that  Horace  was  am- 
bitious of  political  influence,  and 
thus  enable  him  to  pass  lightly 
over  that  criticism  (vss.  48-50) 
and  to  come  to  the  main  theme 
of  the  satire,  the  dignity  and  com- 
fort of  a  quiet  life. 


47  f.  sim,  pareret:  subjv.,  giv- 
ing the  reasons  of  the  critics  as 
expressed  by  themselves.  —  con- 
victor  :  cf.  Sat.  i,  4,  95,  convictor e 
.  .  .  amicoqiie.  —  tribuno  :  sc.  inili- 
titm.  This  curious  episode  in  his 
life  is  briefly  mentioned  in  the 
Vita  Horati  of  Suetonius :  bello 
Philippensi  excitus  a  M.  Druto 
i m per  at  ore  tribunus  militum  me- 
ruit. 

49.  honorem:    office,  as  in  the 
phrase  cursus  honorurrt,  and  often. 

50.  iure :    it   is,   however,   un- 
likely that  the  office  was  given  to 
him  without  reason.     Probably  he 
had    shown,  even  in  his  student 
years  at  Athens,  those  qualities  of 
sanity  and  good  judgment  which 
made  him  in  later  life  the  valued 
friend  of  men  of  affairs.  —  te :  obj. 
of  invideat. 

51  f.  cautum  dignos  assumere  : 
the  friends  whom  Maecenas  had 
already  gathered  about  him  were 
men  of  high  standing  and  charac- 
ter, and,  especially,  men  interested 
in  literature  rather  than  in  politics. 
Admission  to  this  circle  was,  of 
itself,  evidence  that  Horace  was 
not  cherishing  a  political  ambi- 
tion.—  prava  ambitions  procul: 


103 


I,  6,  52] 


HORATI 


ambitione  procul.     Felicem  dicere  non  hoc 
me  possim,  casu  quod  te  sortitus  amicum; 
nulla  etenim  mihi  te  fors  obtulit:  optimus  olim 
55      Vergilius,  post  hunc  Varius  dixere  quid  essem. 
Vt  veni  coram,  singultim  pauca  locutus 
(infans  namque  pudor  prohibebat  plura  profari), 
non  ego  me  claro  natum  patre,  non  ego  circum 
me  Satureiano  vectari  rura  caballo, 


men  free  from  distorted  ambition  ; 
an  amplification  of  dignos.  The 
expression  is  lacking  in  clearness, 
but  cf.  Cartn.  4,  I,  4-6,  desine  .  .  . 
circa  lustra  decent  fleet  ere,  a  man 
of  ten  lustra.  The  word  inaui- 
bitiosus,  which  is  used  once  by 
Ovid,  would  not  have  expressed 
the  thought,  especially  the  effect 
of  prava,  and,  in  the  lack  of  an 
article  or  a  present  participle  of 
esse,  some  such  periphrasis  as  this 
is  necessary. 

52-54.  Felicem:  the  gossip 
which  attributed  the  friendship 
of  Maecenas  to  mere  chance  (cf. 
Sat.  2,  6,  49,  *•  Fortttnae  filius? 
oHines)  is  emphatically  denied  by 
the  position  oifelicem  and  by  casa, 
sortitus,  fors,  'My  acceptance  by 
you  is  not  due  at  all  to  luck,  but  to 
the  kindness  of  my  friends  and  to 
your  deliberate  choice.' 

54  f .  optimus :  cf.  Candida 
anima,  Sat.  I,  5,42;  animae  di- 
midium  rneae,  Carm.  1 ,  3,8;  pius, 
Car m.  I,  24,  1 1.  These  terms  of 
respect  and  admiration  are  quite 
in  accord  with  the  account  of  Ver- 
gil's life  and  character  in  the  Vita 


of  Donatus.  —  olim :  some  Hint 
ago ;  but  the  contrast  with  post 
/nine  (cf.  olim  .  .  .  HWX)  gives 
it  a  meaning  likeyfrj/1. 

57.  infans :  in  the  original 
sense,  speechless,  i.e.  f  which  made 
me  tongue-tied.'  The  embar- 
rassment is  further  indicated  by 
the  alliteration  p-udor  p-rohibebat 
p-lura  p-rofnri. 

58  ff.  non  ego  .  .  .  narro : 
Horace's  birth  and  circumstances 
were,  of  course,  known  to  Maece- 
nas, and  his  character  had  already 
been  described  by  his  friends 
(di.vere  quid  essem).  This  sen- 
tence, therefore,  does  not  mean 
that  he  did  not  attempt  to'deceive 
Maecenas,  —  which  would  have 
been  absurd,  —  but  that  he  spoke 
of  himself  frankly,  with  the  mod- 
esty which  befitted  the  son  of  a 
freedman  and  a  poor  man,  and 
with  a  recognition  of  his  own 
limitations  of  character  {quod 
erani).  —  Satureiano:  =  Tar  en- 
tino  ('  quia  Satureia  dicta  est  Tar- 
entina  civitas.'  Schol.) ;  the 
neighborhood  of  Tarentum  was  a 
particularly  pleasant  part  of  Italy 


104 


SERMON KS 


[1.6,73 


60      sed,  quod  eram,  narro.     Respondes,  ut  tuus  est  mos, 
pauca ;  abeo,  et  revocas  nono  post  mense  iubesquc 
esse  in  amicorum  numero.     Magnum  hoc  ego  duco, 
quod  placui  tibi,  qui  turpi  secernis  honestum, 
non  patre  praeclaro,  sed  vita  et  pectore  puro. 

65          Atqui  si  vitiis  mediocribus  ac  mea  paucis 
mendosa  est  natura,  alioqui  recta,  —  velut  si 
egregio  inspersos  reprehendas  corpore  naevos, — 
si  neque  avaritiam  neque  sordes  nee  mala  lustra 
obiciet  vere  quisquam  mihi,  purus  et  insons 

70      (ut  me  collaudem)  si  et  vivo  carus  amicis, 

causa  fuit  pater  bis,  qui,  macro  pauper  agello, 
noluit  in  Flavi  ludum  me  mittere,  magni 
quo  pueri  magnis  e  centurionibus  orti, 


(cf.  Car/ft.  2,  6,  gff.)  and  was 
occupied  by  large  estates  (rura). 
—  caballo :  the  low  Latin  word 
(for  equits},  from  which  the  Ro- 
mance words  cavallo,  cheval,  are 
derived. 

63.  turpi  secernis  honestum :  cf. 
honestum  as  a  philosophical  term, 
Sat.  i,  3,  42,  and  iusto  secernere 
iniquum.  Sat.  I,  3.  113.  The  adj. 
is  in  all  these  cases  neuter  and 
general ;  '  you  who  distinguish 
worth  from  unworthiness,  not  by 
the  position  of  one's  father,  but 
by  his  own  uprightness  of  char- 
acter.' 

65  ff .  '  And  yet  that  very  up- 
rightness of  life  and  character, 

PI 

upon  which  my  claim  is  based, 
is  my  father's  legacy  to  me ;  it  is 
to  his  training  that  I  owe  all  that 
I  am.' —  mediocribus,  paucis: 


these  express  the  modesty  which 
is  implied  in  quod  eram,  vs.  60 ; 
cf.  also  I,  4,  139. 

67.  reprehendas :    strictly,    the 
comparison  would  be  '  which  are 
merely   like  slight  defects    in  an 
otherwise  handsome  person,'  but 
the  idea  'of  reprehendas  expands 
the  suggestion  implied  in  mendosa', 
'spotted  by  few  faults,  no  more  to 
be    made    a    matter    of    censure 
than  .  .  .' 

68.  sordes :  low  tastes  and  hab- 
its. —  mala  lustra  :  haunts  of  vice. 

69  f.  The  order  is  si  purus  el 
insons  et  carus  amicis  vivo. 

72  f .  Flavi :  the  schoolmaster 
in  Venusia.  —  ma&ni,  magnis  :  the 
families  of  veteran  soldiers,  to 
whom  land  had  been  assigned 
near  Venusia,  constituted  a  local 
aristocracy. 


105 


i.  6,  74] 


IIORATI 


laevo  suspensi  loculos  tabulamque'lacerto, 
75      ibant  octonos  referentes  Idibus  aeris, 

sed  puerum  est  ausus  Romam  portare,  docendum 
artis  quas  doceat  quivis  eques  atque  senator 
semet  prognatos.    Vestem  servosque  sequentis, 
in  magno  ut  populo,  si  qui  vidisset,  avita 
80      ex  re  praeberi  sumptus  mihi  crederet  illos. 


74.  loculos,        tabulam :        the 
'  Greek '  accus.  with  passive  verb, 
like  inutile  ferrum  cingitur,  Aeti. 
2,  510  f.     loculi  (in  the  plur.  only, 
in    this    sense),   satchel;    tabula, 
slate  made  of  wood  and  covered 
with  wax. 

75.  The  general  sense  is  clear ; 
the    boys    carried    their    tuition 
money   to   the  school   at   regular 
times.     But  the  text  is  uncertain 
and   the   customs  alluded   to   are 
not    clearly    known.       Translate 
'carrying       their      eight       asses 
(iiummos     to     be    supplied)     of 
money  on   the  monthly  pay-day.1 

The  amount  would  be  small 
(ten  or  twelve  cents)  and  the 
petty  details  —  the  limited  curric- 
ulum, the  carrying  of  slates  and 
satchels  by  the  children,  the 
promptness  in  paying  the  tuition 
—  are  set  in  ironical  contrast  with 
the  pretensions  of  the  village 
magnates. 

76.  est  ausus :  a  very  pleasant 
recognition   of    the   courage    and 
independence  shown  by  his  father. 

77.  artis :    the    higher  studies, 
which  were  not  taught  at  Yenusia ; 
the  study  of  early  Latin  poetry  is 


alluded  to  in  Epist.  2,  i,  69  f.  and 
the  reading  of  the  Iliad  in  Epist. 
2,  2,  41  f. 

79-80.  in  magno  ut  populo : 
in  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  [This 
is  ut  restrictive.  Ordinarily  it 
restricts  an  adj.,  as  in  the  familiar 
passage  in  Cic.  Cato  Maior,  12, 
multae  etiam,  ut  in  hot  nine  Ro- 
mano, litters ;  so  in  Cic.  Brit. 
1 02,  script  or  fuit,  ut  teinporibus 
tilts,  luculentus,  and  in  the  pas- 
sages quoted  by  Schlitz.  Here  it 
restricts  vidis$et,  which  is  not 
simply  had  seen,  but  had  noticed', 
this  use  is  perfectly  supported  by 
two  passages  quoted  by  Orelli  from 
Ovid,  Trist.  I,  i,  17  f.,  si  gut's, 
ut  in  populo,  nostri  non  immcmor 
.  .  .  erit,  and  ex Ponto,  4,  5,  1 1,  si 
gut's,  ut  in  populo,  qui  si/is  ct 
unde,  requiret.~\  —  This  passage 
does  not  mean  that  Horace's  father 
encouraged  him  in  an  unsuitable 
display ;  the  context  forbids  that 
understanding.  The  lines  con- 
tinue the  thought  of  76  ff. ;  as  the 
father's  foresight  led  him  to  give 
his  son  the  best  possible  educa- 
tion, so  it  led  him  also  to  pro- 
vide proper  dress  and  attendance. 


1 06 


Si:  KM  ONES 


[1,6,91 


Ipse  mihi  custos  incorruptissimus  omnis 

circum  doctores  aderat.     Quid  multa  ?     Pudicum, 

qui  primus  virtutis  honos,  servavit  ab  omni 

non  solum  facto,  verum  opprobrio  quoque  turpi ; 

85    nee  timuit  sibi  ne  vitio  quis  verteret,  olim 
si  praeco  parvas  aut,  ut  fuit  ipse,  coactor 
mercedes  sequerer ;  neque  ego  essem  questus;  at  hoc 

nunc 

laus  illi  debetur  et  a  me  gratia  maior. 
Nil  me  paeniteat  sanum  patris  huius,  eoque 

90    non,  ut  magna  dolo  factum  negat  esse  suo  pars, 
quod  non  ingenues  habeat  clarosque  parentes, 


81.  custos:  i.e.  as  paedagogus, 
the  slave  who  accompanied  a 
properly  cared-for  boy  in  the 
streets.  —  incorruptissimus :  who 
could  not  be  bribed. 

82  ff.  'In  short,  he  kept  me 
clean  —  and  that  is  beginning  and 
foundation  of  manliness  —  not 
only  from  vice  itself,  but  also  from 
the  touch  of  scandal.' 

85.  nee     timuit:      the     same 
thought  as  that  in  est  ausus.  vs. 
76.      He    risked    the    possibility 
that   he   might   sometime   be   re- 
proached  with    having    educated 
his   son   above    the   son's   actual 
station    in    life.  —  vitio    verteret: 
a     standing     phrase  ;      '  should 
consider    it     an     error     on     his 
part,'    *  should    reproach   him.'  — 
olim :    of  the  future,  as  not  infre- 
quently. 

86.  coactor:    the  Vita   of  Sue- 
tonius says   that   Horace's  father 
was  e.vactionttm  coactor  (a  subor- 


dinate official  in  the  collecting  of 
taxes)  or,  according  to  some  Mss., 
auctionum  coactor,  a  collector  of 
money  at  auctions.  The  latter  is 
consistent  with  praeco,  an  auc- 
tioneer, and  with  pari'as  mer- 
cedes. Either  was  a  respectable 
and  useful  business,  but  one 
which  did  not  require  much  edu- 
cation. 

87.  hoc :  on  this  account,  as  in 
41,  52.  —  nunc:  'as  things  have 
turned  out.' 

89.  Cf.  i.  5,  44,  nil  ego  contu- 
lerim  iucundo  sanus  ainico. 
—  huius :  qualitative ;  such  a 
father. 

90  ff.  ut  .  .  .  negat  .  .  .,  sic 
.  .  .  defendant :  a  condensed  form 
of  comparison  ;  '  I  will  not  defend 
myself  as  many  do  by  saying  that 
it  wasn't  my  fault.'  —  dolo :  a  legal 
term,  in  full  dolus  mains.  TechnU 
cal  definitions  are  quoted  in  the 
lexicon. 


107 


I,  6,  92] 


IORATI 


sic  me  defendam.     Longe  mea  discrepat  istis 
et  vox  et  ratio :  nam  si  natura  iuberet 
a  certis  annis  aevum  remeare  peractum, 
95    atque  alios  legere  ad  fastum  quoscumque  parenles- 
optaret  sibi  quisque,  meis  contentus,  honestos 
fascibus  et  sellis  nollem  mihi  sumere,  demens 
iudicio  volgi,  sanus  fortasse  tuo,  quod 
nollem  onus  baud  umquam  solitus  portare  molestum. 

100     Nam  mihi  continue  maior  quaerenda  foret  res, 
atque  salutandi  plures  ;  ducendus  et  unus 
et  comes  alter,  uti  ne  solus  rusve  peregreve 
exirem;  plures  calones  atque  caballi 
pascendi,  ducenda  petorrita.     Nunc  mihi  curto 

105    ire  licet  mulo  vel  si  libet  usque  Tarentum, 


92  ff.  istis :  dat.  masculine,  re- 
ferring to  magna  pars,  with  some 
suggestion  of  contempt.  —  et  vox 
et  ratio :  both  my  way  of  speaking 
and  my  way  of  thinking.  —  a  certis 
annis :  i.e.  if  there  were  some 
natural  law  which  obliged  all  men, 
upon  reaching  a  certain  fixed  age, 
say  twenty-one,  to  go  back  and 
stJfrt  life  again,  with  a  free  choice 
as  to  their  parentage.  The  apod- 
osis  is  nollem,  97. 

96.  honestos:  honored;  cf.  36; 
not  as  in  vs.  63. 

97.  fascibus    et    sellis':     with 
honestos;    the   insignia   of  curule 
office. 

98.  iudicio  .  .  .  tuo :  the  judg- 
ment referred  to  in  the  beginning 
of  this  satire,  but  with  a  .reference 
also  to  the  unwillingness  of  Mae- 
cenas   to    hold    office;    ;hoc   ad 


Maecenatem  recte  dicitur,  qui,  ab- 
horrens  senatoriam  dignitatem, 
in  equestris  ordinis  gradu  se  con- 
tinuit.1  Schol. 

101.  salutandi  plures :  the  bur- 
den of  making  and  receiving  the 
formal  morning  calls  became  very 
oppressive  and  is  frequently  al- 
luded to  by  later  writers.  — 
ducendus  et :  for  et  ducendus. 
The  social  proprieties  required 
that  a  man  of  rank  should  take 
with  him  on  a  journey  a  retinue  of 
servants  and  friends,  as  Maecenas 
did  on  the  journey  to  Brundisium. 

104.  petorrita :  a  Gallic  name 
for  a  four- wheeled  traveling  wagon  ; 
cf.  Sat.  i,  5,  86  n.  —  Nunc:  cf. 
vs.  87.  —  curto :  apparently  in  a 
general  sense,  like  cnrta  res, 
Carf/t.  3.  24,  64 ;  Ituinble,  plain, 
little. 


1 08 


SKRMoNKS 


[1,6,  114 


mantica  cui  lumbos  onere  ulceret  atque  eques  armos; 

obiciet  nemo  sordes  mihi  quas  tibi,  Tilli, 

cum  Tiburte  via  praetorem  quinque  sequuntur 

te  pueri,  lasanum  portantes  oenophorumque. 

Hoc  ego  commodius  quam  tu,  praeclare  senator, 

milibus  atque  aliis  vivo.     Quacumque  libido  est, 

incedo  solus  ;  percontor  quanti  olus  ac  far ; 

fallacem  circum  vespertinumque  pererro 

saepe  forum  ;  adsisto  divinis ;  inde  domum  me 


106.  Areminiscenceof Lucilius, 
1027  (Marx),  mantica  cantheri 
costas  gravitate  premebat.  — • 
ulceret :  subjv.,  because  the  whole 
situation  is  hypothetical  (si  libet). 

107  ff.  Horace  may  travel  the 
whole  length  of  Italy  alone,  riding 
his  mule  and  carrying  his  baggage 
behind  the  saddle,  but  a  praetor 
must  have  a  retinue  to  go  only  to 
Tibur  and  even  then  may  be 
accused  of  meanness  because  his 
attendants  are  so  few  in  number. 
—  Tilli :  the  same  man  who  is 
mentioned  in  vs.  24. — quinque 
.  .  .  pueri:  a  number  great  enough 
to  be  an  incumbrance,  but  not 
sufficient  for  real  dignity  according 
to  Roman  standards. 

109.  lasanum  .  .  .  oenopho- 
rumque :  camp  kettle  and  wine 
basket.  Hut  the  exact  uses  of  these 
utensils  are  not  made  clear  and  we 
can  only  guess  whether  the  carry- 
ing of  them  is  mentioned  as  evi- 
dence of  a  desire  for  display  or 
as  proof  of  sordes,  because  he 
wished  to  avoid  the  expense  of 
an  inn. 


in.  milibus  atque  aliis :  and 
in  a  thousand  other  ways ;  corre- 
sponding to  hoc.  —  libido  est :  = 
libet,  as  often  in  early  Latin.  — 
The  picture  of  a  day's  round  of  in- 
terests and  occupations,  which  oc- 
cupies the  rest  of  the  satire,  begins 
with  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
and  closes  (vs.  128)  with  lunch 
and  the  afternoon  siesta. 

112.  solus:  without  a  trouble- 
some retinue,  such  as  a  senator 
would  feel  obliged  to  have.  — 
percontor :  not  with  the  intention 
of  buying,  but  in  order  to  get  into 
conversation  with  the  hucksters. 

113.  fallacem  circum:  the  Cir- 
cus Maximus  was  a  gathering- 
place  for  all  sorts  of  swindlers  and 
street  fakirs.  —  vespertinum  :  by 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the 
courts  had  adjourned  (cf.  Epist. 
I,  7,  46-48,  wl>ere  the  lawyer  goes 
home  octavam  circiter  horam), 
the  main  business  of  the  day  was 
over  and  the  Forum  was  given  up 
to  idlers. 

114.  adsisto  divinis:  /  stop 
and  watch  the  fortune  tellers.  — 


109 


1,6,  us] 


HORATI 


115    ad  porri  et  ciceris  refero  laganique  catinum. 
Cena  ministratur  pueris  tribus,  et  lapis  albus 
pocula  cum  cyatho  duo  sustinet ;  adstat  echinus 
vilis,  cum  patera  guttus,  Campana  supellex. 
Deinde  eo  dormitum,  non  sollicitus,  mihi  quod  eras 

120    surgendum  sit  mane,  obeundus  Marsya,  qui  se 
voltum  ferre  negat  Noviorum  posse  minoris. 
Ad  quartam  iaceo ;  post  hanc  vagor ;  aut  ego,  lecto 
aut  scripto  quod  me  taciturn  iuvet,  unguor  olivo, 


These  details  are  given  to  illus- 
trate Horace's  freedom  from  the 
embarrassment  of  social  position  ; 
they  illustrate  also  his  humorous 
interest  in  all  sides  of  life. 

115.  The  Romans  were  not 
vegetarians,  but  they  ate  meat 
less  often  than  the  more  northern 
races  and  regarded  it  as  a  luxury. 
Cf.  Carm.  I,  31,  15  f.,  where  the 
'simple  life'  is  suggested  by  say- 
ing me  pascunt  olivae,  me  cichorea 
levesque  malvae. 

116-118.  The  details  are  further 
evidence  of  the  unostentatious  sim- 
plicity of  his  life.  —  pueris  tribus: 
a  moderate  number  for  a  Roman 
gentleman;  cf.  Sat,  i,  3,  u  f., 
where  an  establishment  of  ten 
slaves  is  contrasted  with  one  of 
two  hundred  to  illustrate  the  ex- 
tremes af  simplicity  and  extrava- 
gance. —  lapis  albus :  a  slab  of 
marble  on  three  legs;  cf.  Sat, 
I,  3,  13  n.  —  pocula  .  .  .  duo: 
perhaps  for  two  kinds  of  wine  or 
two  different  mixtures  of  wine  and 
water.  —  cyatho :  the  ladle  for  dip- 
ping the  wine  out  of  the  mixing 


bowl. — echinus:  the  scholiasts 
make  various  guesses  as  to  the 
use  of  this  unknown  utensil.  — 
cum  patera  guttus :  an  oil  bottle 
•with  its  saucer.  —  Campana  :  ordi- 
nary earthenware. 

120  f.  obeundus  Marsya:  must 
go  to  meet  Marsyas,  i.e.  must  go  to 
the  part  of  the  Forum  where  the 
statue  of  Marsyas  stood,  to  meet 
some  early  business  obligation. 
The  statement  of  Servius  (on  Aen. 
4,  58)  that  statues  of  Marsyas  with 
uplifted  hand  were  erected  in 
market  places  points  to  a  Silenus 
figure  and  excludes  a  reference  to 
the  flaying  of  Marsyas  by  Apollo. 
The  gesture  is  here  humorously  in- 
terpreted as  an  expression  of  dis- 
like to  the  looks  of  the  younger 
Novius,  a  banker  whose  stall  stood 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  statue. 

122.  Ad  quartam :    somewhere 
about  ten  o'clock.     A  senator  was 
expected  to  receive  clients  early  in 
the  morning;  cf.  I,  I,  10  n. 

123.  taciturn    iuvet :     i.e.     he 
finds  pleasure   in  his  reading  or 
writing,  without  needing  any  com- 


no 


SERMONES 


[I,  6,  131 


125 


130 


non  quo  fraudatis  immundus  Natta  lucernis. 
Ast  ubi  me  fessura  sol  acrior  ire  lavatum 
admonuit,  fugio  campum  lusumque  trigonera. 
Pransus  non  avide,  quantum  interpellet  inani 
ventre  diem  durare,  domesticus  otior.     Haec  est 
vita  solutorum  misera  ambitione  gravique ; 
his  me  consoler  victurum  suavius  ae  si 
quaestor  avus  pater  atque  meus  patruusque  fuisset. 


panion  to  express  it  to.  —  unguor : 
he  is  rubbed  down  with  olive  oil, 
preparatory  to  his  regular  exercise. 

124.  Natta :  unknown.  The 
oil  which  he  stole  from  the  lamps 
would  be  of  poor  quality. 

126.  trigonem:  in  appos.  to 
lusum.  The  game  was  played  by 
three  persons  (hence  rprywvos), 
who  stood  at  the  corners  of  a 
triangle  and  '  passed '  the  ball,  not 
using  a  bat. 

127  f.  Pransus:  the prandium, 
lunch,  was  usually  about  one 
o'clock.  —  domesticus  otior :  a  hu- 
morous expression ;  domesticus  is 
not  precisely  the  same  as  do  mi, 
and  otior,  of  which  the  scholiast 


says  '  verbum  finxit  quod  signifieat 
otium  ago?  is  used  only  once  before 
this,  in  a  joking  quotation  by 
Cicero  (de  Off.  3,  14,  58). 

130.  his :   abl.   neut.,  like  hoc, 
no,  and  milibus  aliis,  in. 

131.  quaestor :  the  lowest  office 
in  the  cursus  honor um,  election  to 
which     gave    admission     to     the 
Senate.     To    have    reached    this 
office,  however,  without  going  be- 
yond it,  was  not  a  great  distinction, 
and  the  line  therefore  means  ;  than 
if  my  ancestors  had  barely  squeezed 
into  the  Senate,1  with  a  little  good- 
humored  scorn  of  men  who  prided 
themselves  upon   mere  senatorial 
rank. 


The  event  which  is  the  subject  of  this  satire  occurred  at  Clazomenae 
in  Asia  Minor,  while  Brutus  was  acting  as  governor  of  Macedonia  and 
Asia,  either  in  43  B.C.  or  in  the  first  half  of  42,  before  the  battle  of 
Philippi. 

But  the  date  of  composition  is  less  certain ;  the  satire  may  have 
been  written  immediately  after  the  incident  or  it  may  be  a  reminiscence 
of  the  campaign  written  out  at  any  time  between  41,  when  Horace 
returned  to  Rome,  and  35  B.C.,  when  the  first  book  of  satires  was  pub- 
lished. As  the  satire  itself  contains  no  specific  allusions  to  fix  the 


i,  7,  i]  HOKA11 

date  of  composition,  there  is  left  only  the  rather  uncertain  method  of 
adjusting  its  general  tone  to  what  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  Horace's 
attitude  of  mind  at  one  date  or  another.  These  indications  point  to  the 
earliest  date ;  the  tone  toward  Rupilius  is  different  from  his  general 
attitude  of  loyalty  toward  his  companions  in  that  ill-fated  campaign : 
the  allusion  in  vs.  3  to  the  widespread  circulation  of  the  story  would  be 
pointless  five  years  after  the  occurrence;  the  reference  to  Brutus  in  vss. 
33  ff.,  which  in  any  case  seems  flippant,  is  easier  to  understand  if  the 
lines  were  written  before  the  battle  of  Philippi  and  left  standing  as  a 
part  of  the  record,  than  if  we  suppose  them  to  have  been  written  with 
deliberation  after  the  tragic  death  of  Brutus.  And,  in  general,  the  tone 
of  the  satire  is  distinctly  less  mature  and  thoughtful  than  the  tone  of 
Satires  3,  4,  6.  There  is  a  certain  crudeness  and  harshness  in  it,  a 
certain  sensationalism,  a  failure  to  reach  the  principles  of  conduct  which 
underlie  particular  events ;  in  these  respects  it  is  like  Satires  2  and  8 
and  is  to  be  classed  with  them  as  belonging  to  the  earliest  period  of 
Horace's  work.  It  is  as  an  example  of  the  work  of  that  period  —  a 
better  example  than  either  Satire  2  or  8  —  that  it  is  here  provided  with 
a  commentary. 

The  course  of  the  thought  is  so  simple  as  to  need  no  paraphrase. 

Proscripti  Regis  Rupili  pus  atque  venenum 
hybrida  quo  pacto  sit  Persius  ultus,  opinor 
omnibus  et  lippis  notum  et  tonsoribus  esse. 

i.   P.  Rupilius  Rex  of  Praeneste  Sat.  2.  i,  72  ;  the  abusive  and  ven- 

had  been  an  adherent  of  Pompey's  otnous  Knpilius. 
party  and  was  praetor  at  the  time          2.   hybrida    .    .    .  Persius :   the 

of  Caesar's  death.     He  was  pro-  half-breed  Persius.      He   is   said 

scribed   by  Antony  and  Octavius  by  the  scholiasts  to  have  been  the 

and    took    refuge     with     Brutus,  son  of  a  Greek  father  and  a  Roman 

who  gave  him,  as  a  man  of  some  mother;  if  this  is  correct,  he  had 

prominence,  a  place  on   his  staff  taken  a  Roman  name.  —  sit  .  .  . 

(vs.    25).      The    cognomen    Rex  ultus:  punished,  castigated.     The 

was    common    in    his     family.  —  idea  of  vengeance  in  this  word  is 

Proscripti:  in  contrast  with  Regis.  much  less  prominent  than  the  or- 

Rupili   pus  atque   venenum:    a  dinary  definitions  make  it. 
parody   of  the   epic   phrases   like  3.    lippis.  tonsoribus :  the  shops 

tc/jov  fJL€vo<;  *  \\KIVWHO ;   ct.  Tv/YttJ  of  apothecaries  and   barbers  were 

/•/  mitts  siipicnlitt  Laeli,  lounging    places    and   centers    of 

112 


SERMON KS 


[»•  7.  '2 


Persius  hie  permagna  negotia  dives  habebat 
Clazomenis,  etiam  litis  cum  Rege  molestas, 
durus  homo,  atque  odio  qui  posset  vincere  Regem, 
confidens  tumidusque,  adeo  sermonis  amari, 
Sisennas,  Barros  ut  equis  praecurreret  albis. 
Ad  Regem  redeo.     Postquam  nihil  inter  utrumque 
convenit  (hoc  etenim  sunt  omnes  iure  molesti, 
quo  fortes,  quibus  adversum  bellum  incidit ;  inter 
Hectora  Priamiden  animosum  atque  inter  Achillem 


gossip.  The  obvious  words  would 
have  been  et  medicis  et  tonsoribus, 
but  inflammation  of  the  eyes  was 
a  frequent  subject  of  ridicule  and 
Horace  substitutes  the  name  of 
this  one  class  of  patients  for  the 
commoner  phrase. 

5.  etiam    litis :     and    likewise 
lawsuits,  as  if  the   lawsuits  were 
an  inevitable  consequence  of  the 
large  business  interests.     Rupilius 
had  been  the  head  of  a  syndicate 
of  contractors  for  the  taxes  (ma- 
gi ster   in    ea    societate     \_publica- 
noruni\,  Cic.  ad  Fam.  13,  9,  2),  a 
position  which   would  easily  give 
rise  to  lawsuits. 

6.  odio  .  .  .  vincere :   surpass 
Rex  in  making  a  nuisance  of  him- 
self.     So    Plaut.    Asin.  446,  iam 
bic    me   abegerit   suo   odio;    Ter. 
Phortn.  849,  numquam  tu  odio  tuo 
me  irinces. 

8.  Sisennas,  Barros :  unknown  ; 
the  plural  indicates  the  class  ;  men 
like  Sisenna.  —  equis  .  .  .  albis : 
white  horses  were  proverbial  for 
speed,  so  that  the  sense  is  'with 
HOK.  SAT.  —  8  < 


perfect  ease,'  '  he  could  give  odds 
to.1 

9.  Ad  Regem  redeo:  this  is  a 
common  formula  for  returning  to 
the  main  point  after  a  digression 
(cf.  vs.  45  of  the  preceding  Sat- 
ire), but  here  there  is  no  real 
digression  and  certainly  no  re- 
turning to  Rex.  The  stock  phrase 
is  used  partly  with  humorous  in- 
tent, but  chiefly  to  keep  the  name 
Rex,  upon  which  the  pun  is  to  be 
made,  before  the  reader's  mind. 

10  f.  convenit :  i.e.  no  compro- 
mise out  of  court  could  be  made. 
The  parenthesis,  10-18,  explains, 
again  in  parody  of  epic  style,  why 
they  would  not  compromise.  —  hoc 
.  .  .  incidit :  '  all  nuisances  (mo- 
lest t)  have  just  the  same  rights  that 
mighty  heroes  (fortes)  have,  who 
meet  in  deadly  fray.1  hoc  iure  is 
the  pred.  of  sunt,  omnes  molesti  the 
subject ;  hoc  is  the  antecedent  of 
quo  (sc.  iure) .  —  adversum :  battle 
face  to  face',  of  the  matching 
of  two  warriors  against  each 
other. 


i.7, 


'3] 


HORATI 


ira  f uit  capitalis,  ut  ultima  .divideret  mors, 

non  aliam  ob  causam  nisi  quod  virtus  in  utroque 

15      summa  fuit :  duo  si  discordia  vexet  inertis, 
aut  si  disparibus  bellum  incidat,  ut  Diomedi 
cum  Lycio  Glauco,  discedat  pigrior,  ultro 
muneribus  missis):  Bruto  praetore  tenente 
ditem  Asiarn,  Rupili  et  Persi  par  pugnat,  uti  non 

20  compositum  melius  cum  Bitho  Bacchius.  In  ius 
acres  proeurrunt,  magnum  spectaculum  uterque. 
Persius  exponit  causam  ;  ridetur  ab  omni 


13.  capitalis  :  deadly]  expanded 
in  the  following  clause.  —  ultima  : 
i.e.  death  alone,  death  at  the  end. 

14.  non  aliam  ob  causam :  the 
higher  motives,  like  Hector's  pa- 
triotism, are  intentionally  ignored 
and,  in  parody  of  the  heroic  spirit, 
the  heroes   fight   simply   because 
they    are    fighters    (virtus   .    .    . 
summa) . 

15  f.    inertis  :    cowards  ;    con- 
trasted with  fortes,  vs.    1 1 .  —  dis- 
paribus :    contrasted  with   adver- 
sum,  vs.  1 1,  which  implies  equality. 

16  ff.    Cf.  //.  6,  119  ff.,  where 
Glaucus  refuses  to   fight  Diomed 
because  of  the  old  friendship  be- 
tween  them,  and   they  part  with 
an  exchange  of  armor  and  gifts. 
This  pleasing  incident  in  the  war 
is  here,  in  continuation  of  the  par- 
ody of  heroic  motives,  intentionally 
misinterpreted  into  cowardice  and 
the  payment  of  a  ransom. 

18.  praetore :  Brutus  was  prae- 
tor urban  us  in  44  and  in  43-42 
was  holding  Macedonia  and  Asia 


Minor  in  a  partially  legalized  way 
as  propraetor.  But  the  title  prae- 
tor is  especially  suitable  to  him 
when  he  was  holding  court,  as  here. 

19  f.  par:  the  pair;  a  technical - 
term,  of  two  gladiators.  —  pugnat : 
grammatically  the  leading  verb  of 
postquam  .  .  .  convenit,  9-10. — 
compositum :  also  a  technical  word, 
of  the  matching  of  two  gladiators ; 
cf.  Sat.  i,  i,  103  n.  —  cum  Bitho 
Bacchius :  two  well-known  gladia- 
tors of  the  time  of  Augustus.  The 
combined  phrase  (=  Bitlnis  et 
Bacchius)  is  the  subject  of  sit  to 
be  supplied  and  compositum  (sc. 
par)  melius  is  the  predicate,  drawn 
into  the  subordinate  clause  as  can- 
didiores  is  drawn  into  the  qnalis- 
clause  in  Sat.  I,  5,  41  f.  'So 
matched  that  Bithus  and  Bacchius 
are  not  a  better  matched  pair.' 

31.  proeurrunt,  spectaculum: 
these  words  carry  on  the  meta- 
phor from  the  arena. 

33.  ridetur :  impers.  ;  laughter 
from  tlie  whole  court. 


114 


SERMONES 


['.7.3' 


conventu  ;  laudat  Brutum  lawdatque  cohortem  : 
solem  Asiae  Brutum  appellat,  stellasque  salubris 

25      appellat  comites,  excepto  Rege  ;  canem  ilium, 
invisum  agricolis  sidus,  venisse.     Ruebat, 
flumen  ut  hibernum,  fertur  quo  rara  securis. 
Turn  Praenestinus  salso  multoquo  fluenti 
expressa  arbusto  regerit  convicia,  durus 

30     vindemiator  et  invictus,  cui  saepe  viator 
cessisset,  magna  compellans  voce  cuculum. 


23.  conventu :  the  regular  term 
for  the  officials  gathered  to  meet 
the  praetor  at  the  places  in  his  cir- 
cuit where  he  held  court.  —  cohor- 
tem  :  the  staff  of  a  provincial  gov- 
ernor; also  called  comites,  as  in 
vs.  25. 

25.  canem :  Sirius,  the  Dog- 
star;  which  brought  the  heat  and 
drought.  The  whole  series  of  com- 
parisons, which  were  meant  to  prej- 
udice the  court  in  favor  of  the 
speaker,  are  to  be  thought  of  as 
made  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
native  farmers. 

27.  fertur    quo     rara    securis : 
•whither  the  ax  of  the  "woodcutter 
is  seldom  carried,  i.e.  in  the  depths 
of    the    forest,    as    the    snow    of 
winter     melts.       The     figure     of 
a    rushing     torrent     is     common 
enough,    but    this    phrase    is    too 
poetic  for  the  context  and  sounds 
like  parody. 

28.  multo  :  adj.,  but  to  be  joined 
closely   with  fluenti]  the  two   to- 
gether are  the  dat.  of  the  ptc.  of 
nntltus  fluo  (cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  u,  cum 
flueret  lietulentus);  salso  and  multo 


fluenti  agree  with  a  dat.  to  be  sup- 
plied after  regerit. 

29.  expressa      arbusto:       lit., 
'  squeezed  frem  the  vineyard,1  i.e. 
drawn  from  the  vocabulary  of  the 
vinedresser,  redolent  of  the  vine- 
yard, as  the  English  '  billingsgate ' 
is  language  from  the  fish  market. 
The  general  idea  is  more  specifi- 
cally expressed  in  vss.  30-31.  —  re- 
gerit :  hurled  back. 

30.  vindemiator:  in  four  sylla- 
bles, vindem'tdtor.     Like  a  tough 
and  invincible  vinedresser;  with- 
out «/,  as  often  in  Horace. 

31.  cessisset:     i.e.    had    been 
obliged  to  admit   himself  beaten 
in   fluency   of  insult.  —  cuculum : 
the  tradition  given  by  the  elder 
Pliny  (//.  N.  18,  66,  249)  is  that, 
since  the  pruning  ought  to  have 
been  finished  in  the  early  spring, 
before     the     cuckoo     came,     the 
passer-by  would  imitate  the  cry  of 
the  cuckoo  to  a  vinedresser  as  an 
intimation   that    he    was    behind- 
hand in  his  work.    But  this  sounds 
like  the  forced   explanation  of  a 
grammarian ;  compellans  cuculiiin 


I,  7,  32]  HORATI 

At  Graecus,  pQstquam  est  Italo  perfusus  aceto, 
Persius  exclamat :  '  Per  magnos,  Brute,  deos  te 
oro,  qui  reges  consueris  tollere,  cur  non 
35      hunc    Regem    iugulas?      Operum    hoc,    mihi  crede, 
tuorum  est.' 

means  simply  calling  him  a  cuckoo.  Tarquins,  and  to  Brutus  himself 

[The  Plautine  passages  are  Asin.  as  one  of  the  liberatores  who  had 

923,  934,  Pers.  282,  Ps.  96,  Trin.  killed  Caesar. 

245.     They  all  antedate   the  ex-  35.    Regem:  the  same  pun  upon 

planation  given  by  Pliny.]  the  name  of  Q.  Marcius  Rex  was 

32.   Graecus,  Italo :  in  contrast.  made  by  Cicero  (ad  Att.   i,  16, 

34.    qui  .  .  .  consueris:     since  10).  —  Operum  .  .  .  tuorum :  pred. 

you  have  the  habit  of  removing  gen.;    'this  is  just  in  your  line,' 

Kings,  with  reference  to  his  an-  'just  the  proper  kind  of  business 

cestor,  who   had   driven  out  the  for  you.' 


8 

There  is  no  allusion  in  this  satire  definite  enough  to  fix  the  date. 
The  plot  of  ground  which  is  the  scene  had  been  a  burial-place,  and  was 
afterward  acquired  by  Maecenas  and  used  as  the  site  for  his  palace  and 
gardens.  But  the  date  when  he  acquired  the  land  is  not  known.  Nor 
is  it  clear  that  the  land  is  in  the  possession  of  Maecenas  either  at 
the  time  when  the  events  are  represented  as  occurring  or  at  the  later 
time  when  the  garden  god  tells  the  story.  The  spot  cannot  be  thought 
of  as  still  in  use  for  burial,  since  the  figure  of  Priapus  stands  there,  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  gathering  of  bones  (vs.  22)  and  the  selection 
of  the  spot  by  two  witches  as  a  place  for  incantations  is  scarcely  com- 
patible with  its  being  a  private  garden.  Apparently  the  events  are 
thought  of  as  having  occurred  while  the  transformation  from  burial- 
place  to  garden  was  still  incomplete.  Verses  14-16  allude  to  a  later 
stage,  but  it  is  strange  that  there  should  be  no  direct  allusion  to  Mae- 
cenas, to  whom  in  later  satires  Horace  refers  with  such  evident  pride 
and  pleasure,  if  he  already  owned  the  land  and  had  built  his  great 
house  there. 

The  satire  evidently  belongs  in  the  same  period  as  Epodes  5  and  17, 
and  seems  to  be  referred  to  in  vss.  47,  55  and  77  of  the  latter  Epode. 
But  neither  of  these  poems  can  be  dated  with  certainty.  In  the 

116 


SERMON ES  [l,  8,  9 

absence  of  (fa/a,  on  the  general  grounds  of  tone  and  manner  —  the  lack 
of  real  humor,  the  coarseness,  the  cynicism  —  the  satire  may  be  placed 
with  2  and  7  of  this  book  in  the  group  of  earlier  writings. 

The  fact  that  the  speaker  is  the  figure  of  the  garden  god  Priapus 
gives  to  the  satire  a  certain  resemblance  to  the  Priapea,  of  which  we 
have  a  collection,  but  in  substance  this  is  a  satire  upon  the  kind  of 
incantations  described  by  Vergil  in  Eclogue  8.  On  the  personal  side 
it  is  an  attack  upon  a  certain  Canidia,  who  is  also  savagely  attacked  in 
Epode  5  and  ironically  ridiculed  in  Epode  17,  and  who  is  mentioned 
in  several  places  in  the  Satires  and  Epistles.  The  scholiast  says  that 
her  real  name  was  Gratidia,  that  she  was  a  seller  of  drugs,  a  witch  and 
a  poisoner.  How  much  of  this  is  fact  we  do  not  know,  but  undoubtedly 
a  real  person  is  referred  to  under  the  name.  The  hostility  with  which 
Horace  pursues  her  is  distinctly  unpleasant,  and  this  poem  and  Epodes 
5  and  17  reveal  him  on  his  least  admirable  side. 

Olim  truncus  eram  ficulnus,  inutile  lignum, 
cum  faber,  incertus  scamnum  faceretne  Priapum, 
maluit  esse  cleum.     Deus  inde  ego,  furum  aviumque 
maxima  formido;  nam  fures  dextra  coercet 
5      obscaenoque  ruber  porrectus  ab  inguine  palus ; 
ast  importunas  volucres  in  vertice  arundo 
terret  fixa  vetatque  novis  considere  in  hortis. 
Hue  prius  angustis  eiecta  cadavera  cellis 
conservus  vili  portanda  locabat  in  area ; 

1.  Olim  truncus  eram  :  the  con-  3.    Deus   inde  ego:    humorously 
trast    between   roughness    of   the  emphasizing  his  claim  to  divinity, 
figure  and  the  fact  that  it  was  sup-  immediately  after  the  acknowledg- 
posed  to   represent  a  god  is  not  ment  that  he  owed  it  to  a  work- 
infrequently  alluded  to  in  Priapus  man. 

poems.  —  inutile:    the    wood    of          4.    dextra:  the  right  handheld 

the  fig-tree  splits  easily.  a  club  or  a  sickle. 

2.  Priapum:  the  statue  was. set          6.  arundo  :  the  reed  was  moved 
up  originally  to  represent  the  god  by  the  wind. 

of  fertility,  but  was  generally  in-  8-9.  angustis  .  .  .  cellis :  the 
terpreted  as  a  kind  of  scarecrow,  small  chambers  which  they  hail 
who  frightened  away  thieves  and  occupied  while  alive. — conservus: 
birds.  the  master  paid  no  attention  to 

II? 


i,  8,  10] 


HORATI 


'5 


hoc  miserae  plebi  stabat  commune  sepulchrum, 
Pantolabo  scurrae  Nomentanoque  nepoti : 
mille  pedes  in  fronte,  trecentos  cippus  in  agrum 
hie  dabat,  heredes  monumentum  ne  sequeretur. 
Nunc  licet  Esquiliis  habitare  saliibribus  atque 
aggere  in  aprico  spatiari,  quo  modo  tristes 
albis  informem  spectabant ossibus  agrum; 
cum  mihi  non  tantum  furesque  feraeque,  suetae 
hunc  vexare  locum,  curae  sunt  atque  labori, 
quantum  carminibus  quae  versant  atque  venenis 


the  death  of  a  slave. — locabat : 
not  placed,  but  contracted  for  the 
burial  with  the  undertakers.  — 
area :  the  box  in  which  the  body 
was  carried  to  the  burial-place. — 
These  details  are  pathetic  to  the 
modern  reader,  but  it  is  not  likely 
that  Horace  felt  the  pathos  or  in- 
tended to  express  it.  His  tone  is 
rather  hard  and  cynical. 

ii.  This  verse  is  probably 
Lucilian,  though  the  scholiast 
gives  an  account  of  the  man  who 
was  called  by  the  nickname  Panto- 
labus. 

12-13.  in  fronte,  in  agrum: 
technical  terms  in  surveying,  like 
the  English  '  1000  feet  front,  300 
feet  deep*  ;  usage  vaiies  between 
the  ace.  and  the  abl.  and  Horace 
has  used  both  cases. — cippus:  a 
stone  pillar  on  which  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  plot  of  ground  were 
inscribed,  followed  often  by  the 
letters  H.  M.  H.  N.  S.,  //<>i  monu- 
mentum heredes  ne  seqinitur  (or 
Him  sequitur),  meaning  that  the 


lot  and  tombstone  shall  not  be 
considered  a  part  of  the  estate 
and  shall  therefore  not  pass  to  the 
heirs,  but  shall  remain  perpetually 
a  burial-place. 

14.  salubribus  :  predicate  ;  it  had 
been  before  especially  unhealthy. 

15.  aggere:  the  Mound  of  Ser- 
vius  Tullius,  the  old  wall  of  earth 
that  surrounded  the  smaller  early 
city. — quo:     the     absence    of  a 
preposition   is  perhaps  to  be  ex- 
plained   by    the    nearness  of    in 
aprico ;    there    seems    to    be    no 
good  parallel  for  quo  in  the  sense 
of   ubi.  —  tristes :    predicate  ;   de- 
pressed by  the  sight. 

17.  cum :  while  I,  in  contrast 
to  their  leisurely  strolling  (s/xi/i- 
art),  have  only  care  and  trouble. 
—  ferae:  the  wolves  and  vultures 
(F.pod.  5,  99  f.)  that  fed  upon  the 
unburied  bodies.  —  suetae:  in 
three  syllables. 

19.  quae  :  the  antecedent  is  the 
subj.  of  sunt  cnrae,  to  be  supplied. 

versant :  affect,  move. 


118 


SERMONES 


['.8.33 


20      humanos  animos.     Has  nullo  perdere  possum 
nee  prohibere  modo,  simul  ac  vaga  iuna  decorum 
protulit  os,  quin  ossa  legant  herbasque  nocentis. 
Vidi  egomet  nigra  succinctam  vadere  palla 
Canidiam  pedibus  nudis  passoque  capillo, 

25      cum  Sagana  maiore  ululantem.     Pallor  utrasque 
fecerat  horrendas  aspectu.     Scalpere  terram 
unguibus  et  pullam  divcllere  mordicus  agnam 
coeperunt ;  cruor  in  fossam  confusus,  ut  inde 
manis  elicerent,  animas  responsa  daturas. 

30      Lanea  et  effigies  erat,  altera  cerea  :  maior 
lanea,  quae  poenis  compesceret  inferiorem ; 
cerea  suppliciter  stabat  servilibus,  ut  quae 
iam  peritura,  modis.     Hecaten  vocat  altera,  saevam 


21.  simul  ac:   at  the  time  of 
full  moon ;  the  phases  of  the  moon 
have  always  been  considered  po- 
tent in  the  working  of  spells. 

22.  ossa,  herbas  :  for  use  in  the 
magic  rites. 

23  f.  Vidi  egomet:  with  these 
words  Priapus  begins  the  story 
which  is  the  real  subject  of  the 
satire.  The  details  of  Canidia's 
dress  and  appearance  are  conven- 
tional, the  gown  girded  up,  the 
black  robe,  the  bare  feet  and  flow- 
ing hair.  They  are  repeated  in 
Ovid's  description  of  Medea, 
Metatn.  j.  182  f. 

25.  Sagana :  mentioned  again 
in  Epod.  5,  25.  —  maiore:  the 
elder  of  two  sisters.  —  ululantem : 
regularly  of  the  cries  of  women ; 
Aen.  2,  488.  —  Pallor:  the  witches 
shared  the  horror  of  the  scene. 


26.  Scalpere  terram :    to  make 
the  fossa  into  which  the  blood  of 
the  victim  was  allowed    to  flow. 

27.  unguibus,  mordicus :   these 
details  are  added  to  heighten  the 
horrors  of  the  rites. 

29.  responsa :  in  the  scene  in 
the  lower  world,  Horn.  Od.  u, 
36  ff.,  the  shades  come  to  drink 
of  the  blood,  and  the  Theban  seer, 
Tiresias,  prophesies  to  Odysseus. 
Cf.  also  the  Introd.  to  Sat.  2,  5. 

30-33.  effigies  :  in  Verg.  Ed.  8, 
80  f.,  one  of  the  figures  is  of  clay, 
the  other  of  wax.  The  one  which 
is  not  affected  by  heat  represents 
the  person  for  whose  benefit  the 
rites  are  performed ;  the  waxen 
image  represents  the  person  who 
is  to  be  subdued  and  melted  with 
love.  The  dominion  of  the  one  is 
expressed  in  pueiiis  compesceret. 


119 


i,8,34j  HORATI 

altera  Tisiphonen  ;  serpentis  atque  videres 

35      infernas  errare  canes,  Lunamque  rubentem, 
ne  foret  his  testis,  post  magna  latere  sepulchra. 
Mentior  at  si  quid,  merdis  caput  inquiner  albis 
corvorum,  atque  in  me  veniat  micttim  atque  cacatum 
lulius  et  fragilis  Pediatia  furque  Voranus. 

40      Singula  quid  memorem  ?    quo  pacto  alterna  loquentes 
umbrae  cum  Sagana  resonarent  triste  et  acutum, 
utque  lupi  barbam  variae  cum  dente  colubrae 
abdiderint  furtim  terris,  et  imagine  cerea 
largior  arserit  ignis,  et  ut  non  testis  inultus 

45      horruerim  voces  Furiarum  et  facta  duarum  : 
nam,  displosa  sonat  quantum  vesica,  pepedi 
diffissa  nate  ficus  :  at  illae  currere  in  urbem ; 
Canidiae  denies,  altum  Saganae  caliendrum 
excidere  atque  herbas  atque  incantata  lacerlis 

50      vincula  cum  magno  risuque.  iocoque  videres. 

the   submission   of  the    other  in  brighter  as  the  waxen  image  melted 

inferiorem,   sitppliciter,  serinlibus  into  the  flame. 

modi's  (like  a  slave),  inin  peritura.  48.  dentes  :  i.e.  false    teeth. — 

35.  infernas :     of     the     lower  caliendrum :  a  wig  or  structure  of 
world,  such  as  followed  Hecate.  false  hair.     The  witches  are  rep- 

36.  magna    .    .     .     sepulchra :  resented  as  hags  who  tried  to  con- 
such  great  tombs  as  stood,  and  in  ceal  the  ravages  of  age. 

part  still  stand  in  ruins,  along  the  49.    incantata  :     tied    on    with 

Appian  Way,  south  of  the  city.  magic  rites  :   a  formula  had  been 

40  f.  alterna  :     Sagana    asked  uttered  as  the  bands  were  fastened 

questions    and     the    shades    an-  about  their  arms.     This  had  not 

swered. — acutum:     in    the    thin  been  alluded  to  before,  but  licia. 

voice  of  the  dead,  Aen.  6,  492  f.  threads,  were  used  in  Verg.  Eel. 

42.  lupi  barbam  :   cf.  Macbeth,  8,  73. 

IV.    I,  'Fillet  of  a  fenny  snake,'  50.    risuque  iocoque:  cf.  Sat,  i, 

and   ;  Scale   of  dragon,    tooth   of  5,  98,  dedit  risusqite  iocosqite.  — 

wolf,'    which   were    put    into   the  videres :  indefinite  second  person, 

witches1  cauldron.  especially  frequent  with  this  verb, 

44.   largior :     the    fire    burned  e.g.  Sat.  I,  5,  76. 


SEKMONES 


This  satire  was  written  between  38  and  35  B.C.,  later  than  the  first 
group.  Satires  2,  7,  and  8,  but  before  Satire  I  and  probably  before  10. 
There  is  no  allusion  which  makes  a  more  precise  dating  possible  and. 
as  is  usually  the  case  where  distinct  allusions  are  lacking,  there  is 
nothing  in  the  satire  which  would  gain  in  interpretation  if  a  more  pre- 
cise date  could  be  fixed. 

In  form  the  satire  is  an  account  of  a  morning  walk  in  which  Horace 
was  joined  by  a  mere  acquaintance,  who  desired  to  cultivate  a  closer 
intimacy  with  him.  in  order,  as  finally  appeared,  to  secure  through  him 
an  introduction  to  Maecenas.  Various  attempts  to  shake  him  off  were 
unsuccessful  and  an  appeal  to  a  passing  friend  was  without  effect,  until 
chance  intervened  to  save  the  poet.  In  grace  and  lightness  of  tone  the 
satire  is  equaled  only  by  some  of  the  odes.  The  struggle  between 
politeness  and  the  desire  to  be  free,  the  humorous  consciousness  of  the 
joke  upon  himself,  the  happily  conceived  dramatic  form,  reaching  a 
climax  in  the  encounter  with  Fuscus — all  these  make  it  unnecessary 
to  look  for  an  underlying  purpose.  But  a  secondary  motive  was 
doubtless  the  opportunity  which  the  story  afforded  of  returning  to  the 
theme  of  the  sixth  satire  and  of  showing  again  how  ill-founded  was 
the  suspicion  that  Horace  was  seeking  social  advancement  through  his 
acquaintance  with  Maecenas.  I/" 

Ibam  forte  Via  Sacra,  sicut  meus  est  mos, 
nescio  quid  meditans  nugarum,  totus  in  illis : 
accurrit  quidam  notus  mihi  nomine  tantum, 

1.  Via    Sacra:     the    principal  poems, e.g.  Catull.  1,4.  —  totus:  so 
street  of  the  city,  running   from  omnis  in  hoc  sum,  Epist.  i,  i,  n. 
the   Esquiiine   past   the  Palatine,  3.   notus  .  .  .  tantum :     i.e.    a 
along  one  side  of  the  Forum.     It  mere  acquaintance.     The  person 
was  the  street  which  Horace  would  cannot  be  identified,  nor  is  it  at 
naturally  take  in  going  from  the  all  likely  that  Horace  had  in  mind 
residence  part  of  the  city  to  the  a   definite   individual   or  was   re- 
Tiber,       sicut  .  .  .  mos:  cf.  F.  6,  counting  the  events  of  an  actual 
112.    122:    with   ibant)    not    with  experience.       His     purpose     was 
meditans.  rather  to  draw  a   typical  picture 

2.  nugarum:  verses;  almost  a  of  the  Social    Struggler,  without 
technical     term     for    light    lyric  direct  reference  to  any  individual. 

I2T 


I,  9,  4] 


HORATI 


arreptaque  manu,  '  Quid  agis,  dulcissime  rerum  ?' 
'Suaviter,  ut  nunc  est,'  inquam,  '  et  cupio  omnia  quae 

vis.' 

Cum  adsectaretur,  '  Numquid  vis  ? '  occupo.  At  ille 
'  Noris  nos '  inquit ;  '  docti  sumus.'  Hie  ego  '  Pluris 
hoc '  inquam  '  mihi  eris.'  Misere  discedere  quaerens, 


4.  arrepta :    seizing  my  hand, 
with  a  show  of  cordiality  and  in- 
timacy. —  dulcissime   rerum :    my 
dearest  fellow;    a    very   familiar 
form  of  greeting,     rerum  is  fre- 
quently  used    as    a    generalizing 
addition,  especially  with  a  super- 
lative.    It  is  of  the  same  nature  as 
the  use  of  a  gen.  plur.  with  a  neut. 
sing,  pron.,  quidquid  hoininum. 

5.  The   reply  is   made  up  of 
polite    phrases    which,    from    the 
frequency  of  their  use,  are  mere 
formulas  with   no  more  meaning 
than    the    English     '  Very    well, 
thank  you ;  I  hope  you  are  well.' 
—  ut  nunc  est :  all  things  consid- 
ered, as  times  go.  —  cupio  ...  vis : 
a  common   phrase   of  politeness, 
which   appears   in   various  forms 
in  dialogue. 

6.  adsectaretur:  after  speaking 
the  words  of  vs.  5,  Horace  started 
to   walk    on.  —  Numquid  vis :    a 
common    phrase  used    in   taking 
leave  of  another  person  ;  formula 
abeundi,  Donatus  calls  it.     It  is 
very   frequently  used    in    Plautus 
and    Terence.  —  occupo  •.    i.e.    he 
got  in  the  words   nnnujmd  vis? 
before  the  other  could  reply,  as  a 
hint  that  he  wished  to  go  on. 


7.  Noris :    =  noveris.    Ordina- 
rily the  phrase  niimqttid  vis  /  ex- 
pects no  reply,   but  occasionally 
(Trin.  192,  Capt.  191,  M.  G.  575) 
the   person   addressed    takes    the 
question    literally,    as    here,   and 
replies  with  a  vero  in  the  subjv., 
as  if  with  volo ;  '  yes,  there  is ;  I 
should  like  to  have  you  make  my 
acquaintance.1  —  docti  sumus :  I'm 
a  literary  man,' '  I'm  a  man  of  cul- 
ture.'    doclits  was  used  especially 
of  the  newer  school  of  poets,  those 
who  followed  the  Alexandrian  mod- 
els ;  it  became  a  kind  of  party  cry, 
employed  by  the  new  school  as  a 
term  of  honor  and  by  their  oppo- 
nents as  a  term  of  ridicule.    Hor- 
ace was  distinctly  of  the  opposite 
school  (cf.  Sat.  I,  10,  19)  and  the 
person  is  therefore  represented  as 
offering,    as    an    inducement    to 
further    acquaintance,    a    reason 
which  would,  in  fact,  lead  Horace 
to  avoid  him. 

7  f .  Pluris  hoc  .  .  .  eris :  /  shall 
value  you  all  the  more  for  tkat,  i.e. 
'because  you  are  doctits^i  polite- 
ness struggles  with  irony. 

8.  Misere :  awfully ;  so  below, 
14;  a  colloquialism,  very  frequent 
in  Plautus  and  Terence. 


122 


SERM<>\i.s 


[If  9,  20 


ire  modo  ocius,  interdum  consistere,  in  aurem 
10      dicere  nescio  quid  puero,  cum  sudor  ad  imos 
manaret  talos.     '  O  te,  Bolane,  cerebri 
felicemj^  aiebam  tacitus ;  cum  quidlibet  ille 
i;-arrircl,  vicos,  urbem  laudaret.      \'t  illi 
nil  respondebam,  '  Misere  cupis '  inquit  '  abire  ; 
15      iamdudum  video  ;  sed  nil  agis  ;  usque  tenebo  ; 

persequar.     Hinc  quo  nunc  iter  est  tibi  ? '     '  Nil  opus 

est  te 

circumagi ;  quendam  volo  visere  non  tibi  notum  ; 
trans  Tiberim  longe  cubat  is,  prope  Caesaris  hortos.' 
'  Nil  habeo  quod  agam,  et  non  sum  piger ;  usque  se- 

quar  te.' 
20      Demitto  auriculas,  ut  iniquae  mentis  asellus, 


10.  puero :  his  attendant,  pedi- 
sequus,  to  whom  he  pretends  to 
give  some  private  orders.  — dicere : 
historical  infin.,  as  are  ire  and  con- 
sistere. —  sudor :  as  all  his  efforts 
to  escape  fail. 

n.  Bolane  :  a  man  of  hot  tem- 
per, who  would  not  have  been  long 
restrained  by  a  sense  of  courtesy. 
—  cerebri :  for  the  gen.,  cf.  integer 
•vitae ;  for  the  meaning,  cf.  cerebro- 
sus,  Sat.  i,  5,  21. 

13.  vicos,  urbem  laudaret:  i.e. 
talked  cheerfully  about  trifles,  en- 
deavoring to  lead  Horace  into 
conversation. 

14  ff.  As  Horace's  lack  of  cor- 
diality is  too  obvious  to  be  ignored, 
the  persistent  man  attempts  to  joke 
about  it.  hoping  in  this  way  to 
extract  a  disclaimer.  —  nil  agis  : 
colloquial ;  ifs  no  use. 


17  f.  circumagi:  of  your  being 
dragged  around.  —  visere  :  to  call 
upon.  This  is,  of  course,  an  in- 
vention of  the  moment,  elaborated 
in  the  following  words,  in  which 
the  details  are  given  in  the  order 
in  which  they  occur  to  him  :  'across 
the  Tiber  —  a  long  way  off —  he's 
sick  in  bed,  too  —  way  over  by 
Caesar's  Gardens.'  Cf.  the  similar 
embarrassed  search  for  an  excuse 
in  Catull.  10,  28  ff.  —  Caesaris 
hortos  :  an  estate  on  the  Janiculum, 
left  by  Caesar's  will  to  the  Roman 
people,  to  be  a  public  park. 

20  f .  Demitto  auriculas  :  a  con- 
densed way  of  saying  <  I  felt  like 
an  ill-treated  donkey,  whose  ears 
drop  down  when  he  is  overloaded/ 
dorso :  abl.  with  subiit,  as  in  Aen. 
2,  708,  subito  umeris.  —  subiit :  the 
subj.  is  asellus  ;  onus  is  the  object. 


123 


I.  9.  21] 


1IORATI 


cum  gravius  dorso  subiit  onus.     Incipit  ille  : 
'  Si  bene  me  novi,  non  Viscum  pluris  amicum, 
non  Varium  facies  ;  nam  quis  me  scribere  pluris 
aut  citius  possit  versus  ?  quis  membra  movere 
mollius  ?  invideat  quod  et  Hermogenes,  ego  canto.' 
Interpellandi  locus  hie  erat :  '  Est  tibi  mater, 


The  final  syllable  is  long,  as  fre- 
quently in  the  pert,  indie,  in 
Plautus. 

22.  Si  bene  me  novi :  a  condi- 
tion in  form  only ;  as  sure  as  I 
know  myself.  —  Viscum :  there 
were  two  brothers  of  this  name, 
both  literary  men  and  friends  of 
Horace  and  Maecenas.  They  are 
mentioned  with  honor  in  Sat.  i,  10, 
83  and  one  of  them  was  a  guest  at 
the  dinner  described  in  Sat.  2,  8. 
—  Varium:  see  note  on  i,  5,  40. 

23  ff.  To  any  one  who  knew 
Horace  well — and  this  satire  is 
intended  especially  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  intimate  friends  —  it 
would  be  plain  that  the  selection 
of  these  three  accomplishments  as 
recommendations  to  his  favor 
was,  like  the  mention  of  doctus  in 
vs.  7,  a  most  comical  blunder. 
He  particularly  disliked  rapid  and 
profuse  verse  writing  (cf.  I,  4, 
II  ff.,  17  f.);  he  regarded  dancing 
as  scarcely  decent  {Sat.  2,1,24  f-)  i 
and  his  opinion  of  singing  in 
general  and  of  Hermogenes  in 
particular  is  plainly  implied  in  Sal. 
i,  3,  i  ff.  —  The  prose  order  of  the 
last  phrase  would  be  ego  canto 
Ilcniiflgenes  itnniieat. 


26  ff.  Interpellandi  locus :  hert 
•was  my  chance  to  break  in.  The 
context  shows  that  Horace  had 
invented,  as  he  hoped,  a  new  ex- 
pedient for  getting  rid  of  his  per- 
severing friend,  but  the  exact 
nature  of  the  plan  is  not  at  first 
sight  apparent.  The  use  of  inter- 
pellandi  shows  that  it  was  not 
connected  with  the  remarks  in  vs. 
22-25;  the  words  quis  \=quibus\ 
te  salvo  est  opus  must  mean  that 
he  was  going  to  point  out  some 
serious  danger  which  would  be  in- 
curred in  accompanying  him,  and 
the  mention  of  dependent  relatives 
is  an  elaborate  provision  to  antici- 
pate a  possible  declaration  from 
the  other  that  he  did  not  fear 
danger.  All  these  combine  to 
indicate  that  Horace  was  prepar- 
ing to  say  that  the  friend  on  whom 
he  was  going  to  call  had  a  con- 
tagious disease,  exposure  to  which 
would  be  almost  certainly  fatal. 
It  is  an  added  touch  of  humor 
that  Horace  represents  himself  as 
so  discouraged  by  the  first  slight 
failure  —  for  the  dependent  rela- 
tives were  not  essential  to  the 
plan — that  he  surrendered  in  de- 
spair. 


124 


i,  y,  3» 


cognati,  quis  te  salvo  est  opus  ? '    '  Hand  mihi  quisquam ; 

omnis  composui.'     '  Felices  !     Nunc  ego  resto  ; 

confice ;  namque  instat  fatum  mihi  triste,  Sabella 
30      quod  puero  cecinit  divina  mota  anus  urna : 

"Hunc  neque  dira  venena,  nee  hosticus  auferet  ensis 

nee  laterum  dolor  ant  tussis,  nee  tarda  podagra; 

garrulus  hunc  quando  consumet  cumque  ;  loquaces, 

si  sapiat,  vitet,  simul  atque  adoleverit  aetas." ' 
35          Ventum  erat  ad  Vestae,  quarta  iam  parte  diei 

praeterita,  et  casu  tune  respondere  vadato 

debebat;  quod  ni  fecisset,  perdere  litem. 

'  Si  me  amas,'  inquit, '  paulum  hie  ades.'    '  Inteream,  si 


28-34.  These  lines  express  his 
emotions,  but  were  of  course  not 
spoken  aloud. 

28.  Nunc  ego   resto :   i.e.   l  my 
turn  next ;  finish  me  off,  too.' 

29.  Sabella  :  with  anus.     There 
are  various  references  to  the  su- 
perstitions of  the  peasants  in  the 
mountains  away  from  the  influence 
of  the  city. 

30.  divina  mota  .  .  .  urna :  abl. 
abs. ;  shaking  the  lots  in  her  urn, 
until  one  of  them  fell  out. 

31-34.  The  epic-oracular  style 
is  parodied  in  dira,  the  plur. 
venena,  Jiosticus,  ensis,  in  the  trans- 
ferred epithet  tarda.  —  laterum 
dolor :  pleurisy.  —  quando  .  . .  cum- 
que :  tmesis ;  some  time  or  other. 

35  f .  Ventum  erat :  the  plupf. 
implies  by  this  tinted  while  all  this 
was  going  on.' — -ad  Vestae;  sc. 
templuin.  as  in  English  St.  PauVs, 
St.  Mary's.  The  temple  of  Vesta 
was  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Forum 


and  the  law  courts  were  near  it.  — 
quarta  .  .  .  praeterita:  i.e.  about 
nine  o'clock.  This  has  been  held 
to  be  inconsistent  with  i,  6. 122,  ad 
qiiartam  iaceo ;  post  hanc  vagor, 
but  it  is  obvious  that  neither 
statement  is  meant  to  be  taken 
precisely.  The  only  reason  for 
mentioning  the  hour  here  is  to 
show  that  the  courts  were  open 
for  business  and  so  to  introduce 
the  next  scene  in  the  little  drama. 
—  respondere:  a  technical  term 
of  law ;  to  appear  in  court .  — 
vadato  :  apparently  an  impersonal 
abl.  abs.  like  sort  if o.  anspicato; 
under  bonds,  having  given  a 
bond. 

38.  Si  m£  amas :  monosyllabic 
hiatus  with  shortening  of  the  long 
vowel ;  this  is  very  common  in 
Plautus,  but  only  under  the  ictus. 
The  words  are  a  mere  phrase  of 
politeness  to  soften  the  urgency 
of  the  imperative  ;  •  will  you  be  so 

I25 


l.  9,  39] 


HORATI 


aut  valeo  stare  aut  novi  civilia  iura ; 
40      et    propero   quo   scis.'    .'  Dubius    sum    quid   faciam,' 

inquit, 
'  tene  relinquam  an  rem.'     '  Me,  sodes.'    '  Non  faciam,' 

ille, 

et  praecedere  coepit.     Ego,  ut  contendere  durum  est 
cum  victore,  sequor.     '  Maecenas  quomodo  tecum?' 
hinc  repetit;  '  paucorum  hominum  et  mentis  bene  sanae. 
45      Nemo  dexterius  fortuna  est  usus  ;  haberes 

kind   as  to  .  .  .'  —  ades :     in   the      and  the  strength  of  his  determina- 


technical  sense,  to  be  present  in 
court  as  a  supporting  friend  and 
adviser,  advocatus.  The  same 
request  is  made  to  Horace  in  Sat. 
2,  6,  34  f. —  Inteream:  /'//  be 
hanged.  So  Catull.  92,  4,  dispe- 
ream  nisi  amo. 

39.  valeo  stare :  am  strong 
enough  to  stand,  as  was  customary 
in  the  praetor's  court.  The  excuse 
is  of  course  quite  inconsistent  with 
propero  quo  scis,  but  Horace  rep- 
resents himself  as  having  reached 
a  point  where  he  was  careless  of 
either  consistency  or  truth. 

41.  rem:  my  case,  which  would 
go  by  default,  if  he  failed  to  ap- 
pear. —  sodes :  =  si  audes,  please, 
if  you  please,  used  1  ike  sis  ( = si  vis, 
Sat.  i,  4,  14  n.)  to  soften  an 
imperative.  Audeo  (from  aveo, 
avidus,  avideo)  regularly  means 
to  wish,  desire,  in  Plautus ;  the 
meaning  to  venture,  dare*  is  later. 
43.  Maecenas  quomodo  tecum: 
how  do  you  and  Maecenas  get  on 
together?  The  pride  which  Horace 
felt  in  the  friendship  of  Maecenas 


tion  that  the  friendship  should 
remain  disinterested  render  this 
question  peculiarly  offensive. 

44.  hinc  repetit :     with  this  he 
begins  again,  after  the  slight  pause. 
—  paucorum  .  .  .  sanae :     a   man 
of  few  friends  and  of  very  sound 
judgment  (cf.  Ter.  Eun.   408   f., 
sic  homost ;   per  paucorum    homi- 
nutii) ;    there    are    various   refer- 
ences to  the  care  with  which  Mae- 
cenas selected  the  limited  number 
of  friends    whom   he  admitted  to 
intimacy ;  but  the  best  commen- 
taries on  these  words  are  Sat.  \,  6, 
51  f.,  praesertim  cautum  dignos 
assumere,  pra-va  ambitione  procul, 
with  the  account,  which  follows,  of 
Horace's    introduction,    and     the 
general  remarks  \nSat.  I,  3,  58  ff., 
summari/.ed  in  pro  bene  sano  ac 
non    incauto   fictum    astuttttnque 
vocamus. 

45.  Nemo  .  .  .  usus  :  i.e.  'you've 
been  very  lucky  and  very  skillful, 
too,   in   the   way   you   have   used 
your  chances  to  get  into  the  circle 
of  his  friends.'     This  is  the  same 


126 


SEKMONES 


['.9.  52 


magnum  adiutorem,  posset  qui  ferre  secundas, 

hunc  hominem  velles  si  tradere ;  dispeream,  ni 

summosses  omnis.'     '  Non  isto  vivimus  illic 

quo  tu  rere  modo  ;  domus  hac  nee  purior  ulla  est 

nee  magis  his  aliena  malis ;  nil  mi  officit,  inquam, 

ditior  hie  aut  est  quia  doctior ;  est  locus  uni 

cuique  suus.'     '  Magnum  narras,  vix  credibile ! '  '  Atqui 


suggestion  that  Horace  vehe- 
mently repudiates  in  Sat.  I,  6,  52 
ff. ;  fortttna  here  expresses  briefly 
what  is  there  emphasized  in  feli- 
c£t»,  casu,  sortitus,  fors.  But  the 
idea  in  dexterius  usus  is  an  addi- 
tion which  prepares  the  way  for 
the  proposal  in  the  next  sen- 
tence :  '  you  have  shown  your- 
self a  skillful  wire-puller ;  now 
bring  me  into  the  game  to  help 
you  and  you'll  complete  your 
victory.1 

[The  difficulty  which  all  com- 
mentators, beginning  with  the 
scholiasts,  have  felt  in  interpreting 
these  lines  and  in  assigning  them 
to  the  speakers  is  due,  I  think,  to 
the  fact  that  Horace  is  not  report- 
ing the  whole  conversation,  but  is 
giving  only  the  main  points,  omit- 
ting, especially  in  44  f.,  the  con- 
necting links  of  the  thought. 
This  is  a  favorite  method  with 
him  (e.g.  Sat.  I,  4,  52  ff.,  85  ff., 
I,  6,  17-25)  and  it  suits  perfectly 
the  informal  style  of  the  Serwones, 
but  it  sometimes  leaves  the 
thought  insufficiently  expressed. 
In  this  passage,  between  the  de- 
sire to  suggest  the  subject  of  the 


remarks  and  the  desire  to  suppress 
the  details,  with  their  low  estimate 
of  Maecenas  and  of  himself,  he 
has  suppressed  too  much.] 

46.  secundas :   sc.  paries ;   the 
second  actor  on  the  stage  should 
support  the  leading  actor. 

47.  hunc  hominem :  colloquial 
for  me;  with  jocular  purpose  like 
'  your  humble  servant,'  '  the  under- 
signed.' —  dispeream,  ni :  cf.  the 
line  of  Catullus,  quoted  above. 

48.  summosses :      =    summo- 
visses ;  cf.  surrexe,  73.    The  plupf. 
looks  forward  to  the  completion 
of  the  process. 

48-52.  This  is  the  longest 
speech  that  Horace  makes  in  the 
whole  conversation,  as  though  he 
felt  the  insinuations  in  44-48  to 
be  unbearable  without  the  most 
earnest  and  explicit  denial. — 
aliena :  free  from  ;  but  malis  is, 
grammatically,  a  dative.  —  in- 
quam :  /  tell  you ;  the  insertion 
of  this  in  the  midst  of  his  words 
adds  to  the  earnestness. 

52  f .  Magnum  .  .  .  credibile : 
the  offensive  incredulity  betrays 
the  character  of  the  speaker.  — 
Atqui  sic  habet :  ifs  so,  anyhow  i 


127 


i.  9,  53] 


IIORATI 


sic  habet.'     '  Accendis,  quare  cupiam  magis  illi 
proximus  esse.'     'Veils  tantummodo:  quae  tua  virtus, 

55      expugnabis  ;  et  est  qui  vinci  possit,  eoque 

difficilis  aditus  primes  habet.'     '  Hand  mihi  dero  M 
muneribus  servos  corrumpam;  non,  hodie  si 
exclusus  fuero,  desistam  ;  tempora  quaeram, 
occurram  in  triviis,  deducam.     Nil  sine  magno 

60      vita  labore  dedit  mortalibus.'     Haec  dum  agit  ecce 
Fuscus  Aristius  occurrit,  mihi  carus  et  ilium 
qui  pulchre  nosset.     Consistimus.     '  Vnde  venis  et 
quo  tendis  ? '  rogat  et  responded     Vellere  coepi 
et  prensare  manu  lentissima  brachia,  nutans, 


After  permitting  himself  some 
warmth  of  expression,  Horace  falls 
back  upon  short  answers. 

54-56.  Veils  tantummodo :  yon 
have  only  to  wish  it.  —  virtus : 
with  the  underlying  sense  of 'im- 
pudence/ •  pushing  determination.' 
Horace  represents  himself  as  re- 
turning from  the  earnestness  of 
48  ff.  and  the  curtness  of  52  f.  to 
the  ironical  attitude,  with  a  pleas- 
ant anticipation  of  seeing  Mae- 
cenas attacked  next.  To  further 
the  joke  he  adds  the  encouraging 
words  of  55  f. :  'if  you  find  that 
he  makes  it  a  little  hard  at  first, 
that  will  be  only  because  he  is 
conscious  of  his  weakness.' 

56.   dero:  =  deero. 

59  f .  deducam  :  escort  him  from 
his  house  to  the  Forum,  a  mark 
of  respect  to  men  of  eminence. 
Cicero  mentions  deduct,  rednci 
among  the  attentions  paid  to  old 
men.  —  Nil  .  .  .  mortalibus:  a 


maxim  of  proverbial  philosophy, 
by  which  the  social  struggler  en- 
courages himself  to  renewed  efforts. 
61.  Fuscus  Aristius :  Carm.  I, 
22,  Integer  -vitae  and  Epist.  i,  10, 
are  addressed  to  him.  He  is  men- 
tioned in  Sat.  i,  10.  83,  among 
Horace's  most  valued  friends. 
The  varying  tradition  of  the 
scholiasts  calls  him  grammaticus 
(i.e.  a  literary  critic)  and  a  writer 
of  plays. 

62  f.    pulchre :   colloquial,    like 
belle,   valide,   misere.  —  qui   .  .  . 
nosset:    a    characterizing   clause, 
parallel   to  the  adj.  cants ;  -  and 
perfectly  well  acquainted  with  my 
companion.'  —  Vnde  .  .  .  tendis: 
i.e.  the  usual  questions  are  asked 
and   answered.     So  Sat.  2,  4.   I, 
nude  et  yt/i>  Catius  ' 

63  f.   vellere  :  to  pull  his  toga.  — 
lentissima  :  unfeeling  ;  i.e.  Fuscus 
gave  no  sign  that  he  understood 
what  Horace  wanted. 


1 28 


SKRMi'M-S 


['.9,75 


65      distorquens  oculos,  ut  me  eriperet.     Male  salsus 
ridens  dissimulare  ,  meum  iecur  urere  bills. 
'Certe  nescio  quid  secreto  velle  loqui  te 
'tajebas  mecum.'     '  Memini  bene,  sed  meliore 
tempore  dicam  ;  hodie  tricesima  sabbata  :  vin  tu 

70      curtis  ludaeis  oppedere  ?  '     '  Nulla  mihi,'  inquam, 
'  religio  est.'     '  At  mi ;  sum  paulo  infirmior,  unus 
multorum.     Ignosces ;  alias  loquar.'     Huncine  solem 
tarn  nigriim  surrexe  mihi  !     Fugit  improbus  ac  me 
sub  cultro  linquit.     Casu  venit  obvius  illi 

75      adversarius,  et,  '  Quo  tu,  turpissime  ? '  magna 

65.    Male  salsus:  the  wretched      cesima  sabbata  to  be  an  invention 


joker.     The  Integer  vitae  is  evi- 
dence that  he  loved  a  joke. 

66.  ridens :  i.e.  with  the  exas- 
perating smile  of  a  friend  who 
perceived  nothing  unusual  in  the 
situation.  The  rest  of  the  line 
points  the  contrast ;  <  but  I,  for 
my  part,  was  in  a  perfect  fury/  — 
iecur  .  .  .  bilis  :  the  supposed  seat 
of  the  emotions,  as  the  heart  in 
modern  times. 

68.  Memini   bene :     the    reply 
is  intended    to    show   that    Fus- 
cus     understood     perfectly     that 
Horace  was  inventing  the  engage- 
ment. 

69.  tricesima  sabbata  :  this  and 
the  illusion  to  circumcision  (Cur- 
tis') show  a  surprising  knowledge 
on  Horace's  part  of  Jewish  cus- 
toms,   but    it    is    not  possible   to 
identify  this  with  any  known  Jew- 
ish feast    I  ndeed,  it  would  increase 
the  humor  of  the  solemn  scruples 
of  Fuscus,  if  we  suppose  the  tri- 

HOR.  SAT.  —  9  J2Q 


of  the  moment. 

70  f.  oppedere  :  insult.  —  Nulla 
.  .  .  religio :  in  the  eagerness  of 
desperation  Horace  is  willing  to 
declare  that  he  hasn't  a  single  re-i 
ligious  scruple. 

73.  surrexe  =  surrexisse;    the 
infin.  in  exclamation,  either  with 
or  without  -tie,  is  colloquial  and  is 
very  common  in  Terence. 

74.  sub  cultro :  like  a  helpless 
victim  under  the  uplifted  knife  of 
the  priest. 

75  ff.  adversarius  :  his  opponent 
in  the  suit  which  he  had  aban- 
doned, vs.  41.  If  a  party  to  a 
suit  failed  to  appear,  his  opponent 
could  summon  him  and,  calling 
upon  a  bystander  to  act  as  witness, 
could  take  him  by  force  into  court. 
The  law  of  the  XII  Tables  was  '  si 
in  ius  vocat,  ito,  ni  it  (if  he  does 
not  come),  antestarnino  (call  a 
witness);  igitur,  em  (=eum)cap- 
ito.'  The  question  licet  ant  est  art? 


l,  9,  7°]  HORATI 

inclamat  voce,  et  '  Licet  antestari  ? '     Ego  vero 
oppono  auriculam.     Rapit  in  ius  ;  clamor  utrimque, 
unclique  concursus.     Sic  me  servavit  Apollo. 

is  addressed  to  Horace  and  his  as-  78.   Apollo,  as  the  guardian  of 

sent  was  expressed,  according  to  poetry    and    poets.      The    satire 

the  legal   procedure,  by  allowing  thus   closes   with  a    reminiscence 

the  other  person  to  touch  his  ear.  of  its  opening  lines,  nescio  quid 

The   short   sentences    hurry    the  meditans  nugarum. 
scene  to  its  conclusion. 


10 

There  are  many  allusions  in  this  satire  to  persons  and  events,  but 
none  sufficiently  definite  to  fix  the  date  of  composition.  Evidently  it 
was  written  after  Sat.  4  and  therefore  after  2,  7,  and  8,  somewhere 
between  38  B.C.  and  35.  The  large  circle  of  friends  whose  names  are 
mentioned  in  the  closing  lines  would  indicate  a  late  date,  and  the 
general  tone  is  that  of  an  epilogue  to  the  whole  collection,  as  the  first 
satire  is  an  introduction  to  the  whole.  This  interpretation  also  har- 
monizes with  the  last  line  of  the  satire  (see  notes). 

'  It  is  quite  true  that  I  said  that  Lucilius  was  a  rough  verse  writer. 
His  power  as  a  satirist  I  acknowledge,  but  that  alone  does  not  make  a 
poet.  Many  other  qualities  are  necessary  to  a  poetic  style,  brevity, 
variety,  wit,  such  polished  wit  as  is  found  in  the  Old  Comedy,  of  which, 
indeed,  some  of  my  critics  seem  never  to  have  heard.  The  mingling 
of  Greek  with  Latin  in  Lucilius  is  not  a  merit,  but  a  defect ;  no  serious 
Roman  writer  mixes  the  two  languages  or  writes  in  Greek  at  all. 

'  The  grand  style  I  leave  to  others  to  attempt,  successfully  or  not. 
My  aim  is  less  ambitious.  The  fields  of  comedy  and  tragedy,  of  epic 
and  bucolic  poetry,  are  well  occupied  and  I  have  turned  to  satire,  not, 
however,  to  be  the  rival  of  Lucilius  or  to  lessen  his  glory.  But  it  is 
true  that  I  have  mentioned  his  defects,  as  he  had  noticed  the  defects 
of  Ennius  and  Accius.  The  copiousness  of  Lucilius  and  his  lack  of 
finish  are  real  defects,  which,  if  he  were  writing  now,  he  would  himself 
perceive  and  correct. 

'For  finish  of  style  appeals  to  the  only  public  worth  considering. 
Hermogenes  may  not  like  my  work,  but  if  Plotius  and  Varius,  Maecenas 
and  Vergil,  approve,  I  need  no  other  defence  and  can  publish  this  book 
of  satires  without  misgivings.' 

130 


SERMON  KS  [i,  10 

In  the  fourth  satire  Horace  had  defended  himself  against  the  charge 
that  he  was  malicious  and  was  seeking  notoriety.  The  reply  was  in 
general  direct  and  convincing,  but  in  the  course  of  his  argument  he 
happened  to  say  (vss.  6-13)  that  his  prototype,  Lucilius,  had  written 
too  profusely  and  with  too  little  attention  to  finish.  This  chance  re- 
mark —  which  is  abundantly  justified  by  the  extant  fragments  of 
Lucilius  —  had  brought  upon  him  some  censure  from  that  school  of 
literary  critics  in  Rome  whose  cardinal  doctrine  was  the  excellence 
of  the  early  Latin  poetry,  and  had  at  the  same  time  exposed  him  to  the 
less  sincere  attacks  of  others  who  seized  the  opportunity  to  renew  their 
personal  and  unfriendly  criticisms.  This  satire  is  a  reply  to  both 
classes.  To  the  serious  admirers  of  early  Latin  poetry  he  replies  with 
a  serious  discussion  of  the  nature  and  causes  of  the  defects  of  Lucilius 
and  with  candid  praise  of  his  merits.  To  the  little  clique  of  personal 
enemies  he  scarcely  replies  at  all,  brushing  them  aside  with  contemptu- 
ous brevity  and  twitting  them  (17-19)  with  their  ignorance  of  the  very 
poetry  about  which  they  were  pretending  to  be  solicitous. 

Prefixed  to  the  text  of  this  satire  in  some  Mss.  are  eight  verses :  — 

Lucili,  quam  sis  mendosus,  teste  Catone, 

defensore  tuo,  pervincam,  qui  male  factos 

emendare  parat  versos ;  hoc  lenius  ille, 

quo  vir  est  melior,  longe  subtilior  illo, 

qui  multum  puer  et  loris  et  funibus  udis 

exhortatus,  ut  esset  opem  qui  ferre  poetis 

antiquis  posset  contra  fastidia  nostra, 

grammaticorum  equitum  doctissimus.     Vt  redeam  illuc: 

These  lines  contain  Horatian  phrases  (cf.  loris  et  funibus  with 
Epod.  4.  3,  Epist.  i,  16,  47)  and  opinions  (cf.  vs.  7  with  Epist.  2,  r, 
1 8  ff.) ;  the  reference  to  P.  Valerius  Cato,  though  not  exactly  identical 
with  the  statement  in  Sueton.  de  Gram.  2,  is  a  similar  bit  of  gram- 
matical tradition;  the  satirical  allusion  in  vss.  5  flf.  is  obscure  and  con- 
tradictory, but  comes  evidently  from  the  same  school  of  literary  and 
personal  gossip ;  the  phrasing  is  stiff  (Jioc  lenius  ille,  ille  and  illo  refer- 
ring to  different  persons,  the  apposition  of  doctissimus  to  gut),  and  the 
joining  of  the  lines  to  vs.  I  of  the  satire  by  the  \\ords  ut  redeam  illuc  is 
very  awkward.  These  facts  all  point  to  one  conclusion,  that  the  verses 
were  written  by  a  grammarian  who  saw  in  the  abruptness  of  nempe  di.vi 
an  opportunity  to  perpetuate  a  bit  of  his  own  learned  satire  by  prefixing 
it  to  the  text  of  Horace. 


I,   10,  I] 


IIORATI 


Ncmpc  incomposito  dixi  pede  currere  versus 

Lucili.     Quis  tarn  Lucili  fautor  inepte  est 

ut  non  hoc  fateatur  ?     At  idem,  quod  sale  multo 

urbem  defricuit,  charta  laudatur  eadem. 

Nee    tamen,  hoc    tribuens,  dederim    quoque    cetera; 

nam  sic 

et  Laberi  mimos  ut  pulchra  poemata  mirer. 
Ergo  non  satis  est  risu  diducere  rictum 


1.  Nempe :  yes,  I  did  say,  with 
intentional    abruptness,   as    if    in 
immediate    reply    to    a    critic. — 
incomposito    .  .  .    pede    currore : 
the  exact  words   are  dnrus  com- 
poncre  "versus,  Sat.  I,  4,   8,   and 
c inn  flueret  lutnlentus,  1,4,  1 1 . 

2.  fautor :  with  a  tinge  of  the 
meaning  that  it  has   in   Plautus, 
Am  ph.   67,  78,   claqueur,  a   man 
hired  to  applaud  in  the  theater,  so 
partisan.      As   a  verbal  noun  in 
combination  with  est  it  takes  the 
adv.  inepte.  —  tarn :  with  inepte. 

3  f.  idem  .  .  .  eadem :  empha- 
sizing the  adversative  connection 
expressed  in  at ;  so  in  English 
but  at  the  same  time.  —  sale  multo 
defricuit  .  .  .  scoured  down  the  city 
with  strong  brine.  Individually 
the  words  are  to  be  taken  in  their 
literal  sense,  but  the  phrase  as  a 
whole  implies  the  common  com- 
parison of  wit  to  salt .  —  charta  :  i.e. 
in  the  same  satire;  cf.  Sat.  I,  5, 
104  and  membrana,  Sat.  2,  3,  2. 

5.  sic :    on   that  principle,    by 
such    reasoning,    i.e.    if     it    were 
granted  that  wit  alone  made  poetry. 

6.  Laberi :    Decimus    Laberius 


was  a  knight,  who  had  died  some 
fen  years  before  the  date  of  this 
satire.  He  was  one  of  two  or 
three  successful  writers  of  mimes, 
popular  farces  which  were  put 
into  literary  form  in  the  Cicero- 
nian period.  About  150  lines  or 
fragments  from  Laberius  are  pre- 
served (see  Ribbeck.  Com.  Rom. 
Fragm?,  pp.  279  ff.),  including  a 
large  part  of  the  prologue  spoken 
by  Laberius  when  he  was  com- 
pelled by  Caesar  to  act  in  one  of 
his  own  farces.  Some  of  the  lines 
of  this  are  well  known  :  — 


Ego  bfs  tricenis  annis  actis  sine  nota 
Eques     Roinanus   e     Lare    egressus 

meo 
Domum  revertar  mfmus. 

Necessc  est  multos  tfmeat  quern  nuiltl 
timent. 

But  such  farces  were  of  course 
not  pnlchra  poemata. 

7.  Ergo :  the  mere  mention  of 
Laberius  is  enough  to  prove  that 
witty  verse  is  not  necessarily 
poetry.  —  diducere  rictum:  a 
slightly  contemptuous  colloquial- 
ism ;  to  make  your  hearer  grin. 


SKRMoNKS 


[i,  10,  14 


auditoris  —  et  est  quaedam  tamen  hie  quoque  virtus; 
est  brevitate  opus,  ut  currat  sententia  neu  se 
impediat  verbis  lassas  onerantibus  auris ; 
et  sermone  opus  est  tnodo  tristi,  saepe  iocoso, 
defendente  vicem  modo  rhetoris  atque  poctae, 
interdum  urbani,  parcentis  viribus  atque 
extenuantis  eas  consulto.     Ridiculum  acri 


8.  et  .  .  .  virtus :  a  concession 
in  the  form  of  a  parenthetic 
statement. 

9  ff.  In  these  lines  Horace 
again  discusses  the  nature  of  satire, 
as  he  had  already  done  in  Sat. 
1,4,39-61.  Tliis  argument,  how- 
ever, since  its  main  purpose  is  to 
justify  the  criticism  of  Lucilius, 
is  less  general  and  only  those 
qualities  are  mentioned  in  which 
it  is  implied  that  Lucilius  was 
lacking.  These  are  specifications 
under  the  general  statement  itiirus 
componere  versus  and  are,  in  form, 
two  in  number  —  brevity  and  va- 
riety. But  the  idea  of  variety  is 
expressed  by  contrasting  two 
styles,  the  serious  and  the  light, 
and  the  contrast  is  carried  on 
through  vs.  15;  in  a  very  gen- 
eral way  tristi,  rhetoris  atque 
poctae  and  acri  express  one  side, 
and  iocoso,  urbani,  and  ridiciiluin 
the  other.  The  implication,  how- 
ever, is  not  merely  that  Lucilius 
was  monotonous,  but  also  and  es- 
pecially that  he  lacked  the  lighter 
and  more  polished  forms  of  wit. 
The  quality  of  nrbanitas  is  there- 
fore brought  into  greater  promi- 


nence both  by  the  definition/to/-- 
centis,  extenuantis,  and  by  the 
carrying  over  of  the  thought  into 
the  next  sentence.  The  reference 
to  the  Old  Comedy,  as  a  standard 
of  polished  wit,  is  then  used  to 
clinch  the  argument,  as  in  Sat. 
i,  4  it  had  been  used  to  open 
it. 

9.  brevitate:  that  condensation 
of  style  which  is  secured  by  the 
selection  of  words  that  carry  the 
meaning  adequately  (ut  currat 
sententia)  and  by  the  avoidance  of 
commonplace  and  meaningless 
phrases.  The  quality  is  admir- 
ably exemplified  by  Horace  in  the 
Odes,e.g,  I,  5;  i,  24;  i,  31. 

12.  defendente  vicem :  playing 
the  part,  using  the  dignified  and 
serious  style  of  the  orator  or  poet. 
Horace  has  also  partes  defendere, 
A.  P.  193  f.,  and  rice  fungi,  A.  /'. 
304.     Strictly    defendente    should 
agree,  not  with  sermone  but  with 
some  word  like  script  ore. 

13.  urbani:     first    used    as    a 
technical    term     of    rhetoric     by 
Cicero.  —  parcentis    viribus  :     ex- 
pressed in  Episf.  i.  9.  9  by  dissi- 
mulator opis  propi  iae. 


'33 


i,  10,  15] 


HORATI 


15      fortius  et  melius  magnas  plerumque  secat  res. 
Illi,  scripta  quibus  comoedia  prisca  viris  est, 
hoc  stabant,  hoc  sunt  imitandi ;  quos  neque  pulcher 
Hermogenes  umquam  legit,  neque  simius  iste 
nil  praeter  Calvum  et  doctus  cantare  Catullum. 

20      'At  magnum  fecit,  quod  verbis  Graeca  Latinis 
miscuit.'     O  seri  studiorum  !  quine  putetis 
difficile  et  mirum,  Rhodio  quod  Pitholeonti 


15.  secat:  decides,  settles.    Cio 
ero,  expressing  the  same  thought 
(lie  Orat.  2,  58,  236),  uses  dissolvit. 

16.  An  intentional  repetition  of 
i,  4,   2,   in  order  to  remind   the 
reader  that  Horace  is  maintaining 
the  opinion  there  expressed. 

17  ff.  '  But  the  men  who  are 
pretending  to  be  so  disturbed  by 
my  criticism  of  Lucilius  know 
nothing  of  the  best  standards  or 
even  of  the  earlier  Latin  writers.' 

—  pulcher :  the  point  of  applying 
this    adj.    to   Hermogenes  is    not 
known,  but  it  is  meant  to  contrast 
with  simius.  —  simius  :    the  scho- 
liast says  that  this  is  Demetrius, 
mentioned  also  in  vs.  90. 

19.  Calvum:  C.  Licinius  Cal- 
vus,  the  orator  and  poet,  an  in- 
timate friend  of  Catullus.  He  had 
a  high,  perhaps  an  exaggerated, 
reputation  with  his  contemporaries. 

—  Catullum:  C.  Valerius  Catullus, 
one  of  the  four  great  Roman  poets, 
inferior  to  Horace   in  sanity  and 
judgment,   but   superior    in    spon- 
taneity  and    brilliancy.      This   is 
the  only  allusion  to  him  in  Horace, 
and,    while    the    contempt  is   di- 


rected against  simiiis  iste,  it  can- 
not be  denied  that  the  allusion  is 
slighting  in  tone. 

20.  Graeca  Latinis :  to  judge  by 
the  extant  fragments  the  Greek 
words  are  sometimes  technical 
terms,  sometimes  quotations,  and 
only  occasionally  used  for  comic 
effect.  Lucilius  himself  ridicules 
the  use  of  Greek  words  in  common 
conversation  (vss.  88-94,  Marx). 

21.  seri  studiorum :  a  translation 
of  oi/ajrxa&is,   men  who  have  just 
learned  something  that  everybody 
else  has  known  before   and  who 
parade    their    new  knowledge.  — 
qui-ne  :  nom.plur.  The  appending 
of  -ne  to  a  relative  is   not  unfre- 
quent.     Translate  oh,  pedants,  to 
think  ...     [I  will  not  add  to  the 
mass  of  commentary  on  this  pas- 
sage, but  will  refer  to  A.J.P.  XI,  i 
(41),  pp.  17-19,  and  Schmal/.,  B. 
Ph.  W.,  1907,  Sp.  1292.] 

22.  Pitholeonti :  probably  Pith- 
olaus,  a  barely   known   writer   of 
epigrams.      The  context  supplies 
all  that  is  necessary  to  understand 
the  point  ;  he  used  Greek  words 
in  his  verse  and  yet  was  so  poor  a 


134 


SERMONES 


[i,  10,  29 


contigit  ?     '  At  sermo  lingua  concinnus  utraque 
suavior,  ut  Chio  nota  si  commixta  Falerni  est.' 
25      Cum  versus  facias,  te  ipsum  percenter,  an  et  cum 
dura  tibi  peragenda  rei  sit  causa  Petilli  ? 
scilicet  oblitus  patriaeque  patrisque  Latini 
cum  Pedius  causas  exsudet  Poplicola  atque 
Corvinus,  patriis  inter miscere  petita 


poet  that  the  mere  mention  of  his 
name  is  an  argument.  Cf.  the 
similar  condensed  argument  in 
vs.  6. 

23  f.  concinnus  :  blended ;  the 
word  anticipates  the  following 
comparison.  —  nota:  label,  brand; 
the  mark  attached  to  the  amphora 
to  tell  the  vintage.  —  Chio,  Falerni : 
a  slight  flavor  of  the  sweet  Greek 
wines  was  thought  to  improve  the 
native  Falernian  ;  cf.  Cartn.  I,  20, 
2  f.,  where  Horace  speaks  of  put- 
ting his  wine  into  a  jug  that  had 
held  Greek  wine. 

25  f.  '  Are  you  not  thinking  too 
exclusively  of  verse  writing  ? 
Would  you  mix  Greek  with  Latin 
if  you  were  arguing  a  difficult  case 
at  law  ?'  That  is,  the  use  of  an 
occasional  Greek  word  is  an  arti- 
fice of  style  which  no  one  would 
employ  in  serious  speech ;  cf. 
vice  in  rhetor  is,  vs.  12.  —  versus 
facias  :  in  your  verse  making,  with 
a  slight  tone  of  depreciation.  The 
subjv.  is  used  because  the  omitted 
main  clause  would  be  subjv., — 
nnm  senno  .  .  .  suavior  sit.  — 
causa  Petilli :  see  note  on  Sat.  I, 
4-94- 


27.  patrisque  Latini :  Father  La- 
tinus,  from  whom  our  language 
gets  its  name.  Cf.  the  reference 
to  Quirinus,  vs.  32. 

28.  Pedius  Poplicola :  perhaps  a 
brother  of  Messalla  (vs.  85),  who 
had  been  adopted  by  Q.  Pedius, 
a  nephew  of  Julius  Caesar.      Al- 
most  nothing  is   known   of  him, 
but  Horace  uses  him   here   as   a 
type  of  the  great  lawyer. 

29.  Corvinus:  M.  Valerius  Mes- 
salla Corvinus,  the   friend   of  Ti- 
bullus  and  one  of  the   important 
personages  of  the  Augustus  period, 
distinguished  as  an  orator.     It  is 
known  that  he  took  special  pains 
(exsudet)  to  preserve  a  pure  Latin 
style,  excluding  Greek  derivatives. 
—  intermiscere ;      to     thrust     in 
among.     This  is  the  proper  mean- 
ing of  intermiscere  with  the  dative, 
not    merely    to  mix  together;   cf. 
Verg.  Eel.  10,  5,  sic  tibi,  .  .  .  Doris 
amara  suam  non  inter  tnisceat  un- 
dam,  'not  intermingle  her  waters 
with  yours'  ;  Livy,  4,  56,  3  ;   io. 
20,  8.     The  sense  is,  '  would  you 
actually  be  so  forgetful  of  the  very 
name  of  your  country  that,  when 
Pedius  and  Corvinus  are  working 


135 


i,  10,  30] 


HOKATl 


35 


verba  forls  malis,  Canusini  more  bilinguis  ? 
atque  ego  cum  Graecos  facerem,  natus  mare  citra, 
versiculos,  vetuit  me  tali  voce  Ouirinus, 
post  mediam  noctem  visus,  cum  somnia  vera  : 
*  In  silvam  non  ligna  feras  insanius,  ac  si 
magnas  Graecorum  malis  implere  catervas.' 

Turgidus  Alpinus  iugulat  dum   Memnona,  dumque 
defingit  Rheni  luteum  caput,  haec  ego  ludo, 
quae  neque  in  aede  sonent  certantia  iudice  Tarpa, 


out  a  speech  in  pure  Latin,  you 
would  wish  to  thrust  in  among 
their  native  words  (patriis)  your 
imported  Greek  phrases  (petita 
verba  fort's)  ? '  [This  gives  the 
sense  which  Bentley,  interpreting 
the  passage  correctly,  but  not  dis- 
tinguishing intermisceo  with  the 
dat.  from  t/iiscev,  sought  to  get  by 
supplying  eos.~] 

30.  for  is  :  from  abroad,  from  the 
Greek.  —  Canusini    bilinguis  :     at 
Canusium  and  in  Apulia  generally 
both  Greek  and  Latin  (or,  earlier, 
Oscan)  were  native  languages,  as 
both  German  and  French  are  na- 
tive in  parts  of  Switzerland.     This 
seemed  odd  to  a  Roman,  who  was 
obliged  to  learn  Greek  in  school ; 
probably,   also,    neither   language 
was  spoken  in  strict  purity. 

31.  atque    ego:    -I     too     once 
thought  of  making  Greek  verses, 
but  Quirinus  forbade  it.1  —  Quiri- 
nus  :  the  deified  Romulus,  as  head 
of  the  Roman   race.     Cf.  Latini, 
vs.  27. 

33.    cum   somnia  vera :    this  su- 
perstition is  often  referred  to. 


34.  In  silvam  .  .  .  ligna  :  prover- 
bial, like  yAavK*  es  'A07/i/us,  '  carry- 
ing coals  to  Newcastle.'  —  ac  si: 
than  if. 

36  ff.  The  connection  of  thought 
is  somewhat  elliptical ;  '  giving  up 
Greek,  therefore,  and  leaving  to 
others  their  high  and  mighty  epics, 
I  turn  to  a  humbler  style.1  — 
Alpinus :  this  satirical  side-stroke 
would  have  been  immediately  in- 
telligible to  Horace's  contempora- 
ries. Probably  Alpinus  is  a  nick- 
name for  M.  Furius  Bibaculus.  the 
author  of  a  poem  on  Gaul  from 
which  the  bombastic  line  \Jttppi- 
ter~\,  hibernas  cana  nive  cons  pint 
Alpis  is  quoted,  Sat.  2,  5,  41.  He 
wrote  also  an  epic  which  included 
the  killing  of  Memnon  by  Achilles, 
here  alluded  to  with  a  play  upon 
the  double  meaning  of  iugulat, 
'murders.1  The  phrase  defingit .  .  . 
caput, '  misshapes  the  muddy  head 
of  the  Rhine,'  contains  a  similar 
play  upon  some  passage  in  the  poem 
on  Gaul,  but  the  point  is  lost  to  us. 

38.  aede :  called  by  the  scholi- 
asts aedes  Mnsaruw,  a  temple  in 


136 


SKKM'iNKS 


[I,  10,45 


nec  redeant  iterum  atque  iterum  spectanda  theatris. 

40      Arguta  meretrice  potes  Davoque  Chremeta 
eludente  senem  comis  garrire  libellos 
unus  vivorum,  Fundani ;  Pollio  regum 
facta  canit  pede  ter  percusso ;  forte  epos  acer, 
ut  nemo,  Varius  ducit ;  molle  atque  facetum 

45      Vergilio  adnuerunt  gaudentes  rure  Camenae. 


which  Sp.  Maeciiis  Tarpa,  perhaps 
as  public  censor  of  plays  and  as 
head  of  the  collegium  poetarum, 
passed  judgment  upon  new  poetry. 
Tarpa  is  referred  to  with  respect 
in  Ars  Poet.  387.  —  sonent:  re- 
sound, as  the  poets  read  aloud 
their  own  verses;  cf.  i,  4,  76. 

40 ff.  'Other  fields  were  already 
occupied,  but  satire  was  open  to 
me.1 

40  f.  meretrice,  Davo,  Chremeta : 
typical  figures  in  comedy ;  the 
commonest  plot  in  Plautus  and 
Terence  is  one  in  which  a  young 
man's  confidential  slave  (Davus) 
with  the  help  of  his  mistress 
(meretrix)  deceives  the  father 
(Chremeta  senem).  The  ablatives 
go  with  eludente,  of  which  Chre- 
meta is  the  object. — comis  libel- 
los :  ace.  of  the  inner  object  after 
garrire. 

42.  Fundani :  unknown  except 
by  the  references  to  him  in  Sat. 
2,8. — Pollio:  C.  Asinius  Pollio, 
statesman,  orator,  and  poet,  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  men  of  his 
time.  Vergil  dedicated  the  Fourth 
Eclogue  to  him,  and  Horace  ad- 
dressed to  him  one  of  his  finest 


odes  (Carm.  2,  i).  His  writings 
are  all  lost,  but  his  history  of  the 
Civil  Wars  was  famous,  and  the 
tragedies  here  alluded  to  were 
highly  esteemed. 

43.  pede  ter  percusso :    iambic 
trimeter,    the    ordinary    verse    of 
tragedy,  which  has  the  heavy  ictus 
on  the  first,  third  and   fifth   feet. 
—  forte,  acer:  the   two  adjectives 
express  the  same  quality  from  two 
sides,   the  power  of  epic    poetry 
and  the  lofty  spirit   of  the   epic 
writer. 

44.  ducit :  shapes,  fashions,  used 
of  the  work  of  the  artist  or  poet. 
The   three   verbs,  garrire,   canit, 
ducit,    are    carefully     selected. — 
molle  atque   facetum :   tenderness 
and   elegance.      On  facetum    cf. 
Sat.  i,  4,  7  n.     Vergil  had  not  yet 
written  the  Aeneid  nor  published 
the  Georgics;  he  was  the  poet  of 
the     Eclogues    and    of    the    still 
lighter   poems,  which,  with  more 
or  less  doubt  of  their  authentic- 
ity, have  come  down  to  us  under 
his  name. 

45.  adnuerunt  :  with  short 
penult,  as  in  a  few  places  in 
Vergil. 


137 


It  10,  46] 


HORATI 


Hoc  erat,  experto  frustra  Varrone  Atacino 
atque  quibusdam  aliis,  melius  quod  scribere  possem, 
inventore  minor ;  neque  ego  ill!  detrahere  ausim 
haerentem  capiti  cum  multa  laude  coronam. 

At  dixi  fluere  hunc  lutulentum,  saepe  ferentem 
plura  quidem  tollenda  relinquendis.     Age,  quaeso, 
tu  nihil  in  magno  doctus  reprehendis  Homero  ? 
nil  comis  tragic!  mutat  Lucilius  Acci  ? 


46.  Hoc:  satire.  —  Varrone:  M. 
Terentius  Varro,  called  Atacinus 
from  the  river  Atax,  in  southern 
Gaul,  where  he  was  born,  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  the  great  anti- 
quarian and  scholar  of  the  same 
name.     He  wrote  in  several  styles, 
but   without    marked    success  '  in 
any. 

47.  quibusdam  aliis :    it   is   not 
to  be  supposed  that  Horace  stood 
alone    in    writing    satire    in    the 
Augustan  period ;    the  names   of 
some  of  the  alii  are  known,   but 
all  knowledge  of  their  writings  is 
lost. 

48  f .  inventore  minor :  conces- 
sive; 'even  though  I  fall  short  of 
Lucilius.'  It  was  an  accepted 
doctrine  of  literary  history  that 
Lucilius  was  the  inventor  of  satire, 
that  is,  was  the  first  to  put  it  into 
hexameter  and  give  it  the  distinct 
form  which  it  thereafter  retained. 
—  The  thought  of  these  verses,  48- 
49,  is  connected  with  the  preced- 
ing, hoc  crat  .  .  .  posse  in,  as  if  it 
was  a  natural  consequence  of  his 
choice  of  satire.  If  it  had  been 
put  into  a  separate  sentence,  it 


would  have  been  strongly  adver- 
sative ;  '  but  I  do  not  claim  to  be 
his  equal  nor  desire  to  lessen  his 
credit.1 

50  f.  At  dixi :  repeating  with  em- 
phasis dixi  of  vs.  I .  —  fluere :  the 
figure  used  in  1,4,  1 1,  as  tollenda 
repeats  erat  guod  t oiler e  velles.  — 
relinquendis:  abl.  after  the  corn- 
par,  plura.  The  rubbish  seemed 
often  more  in  amount  than  the 
water  which  swept  it  along.  But 
the  figure  is  not  very  clearly  con- 
ceived. 

52.  doctus:  with  all  your  learn- 
ing; the  word   frequently  implies 
a  slur.       The    Alexandrians    and 
their  followers  (thertW/)  criticized 
Homer  freely. 

53.  comis  :  genial,  kindly.     The 
word  is  used  as  if  it  were  quoted 
from  the  admirers  of  Lucilius,  as 
below,    vs.    65,    and    is    selected 
for     the     partial     contrast     with 
tragici. —  mutat:      not     actually, 
but       by       implication.  —  Acci: 
L.     Accius,   the    greatest   of    the 
early   writers    of  tragedy.      Only 
fragments   of   his   works    are    ex- 
tant. 


138 


SERMONES 


LI,  to,  04 


non  ridet  versus  Enni  gravitate  minores, 
55      cum  de  se  loquitur  non  ut  maiore  reprensis  ? 
Quid  vetat  et  nosmet  Lucili  scripta  legends 
quaerere,  num  illius,  num  rerum  dura  negarit 
versiculos  natura  magis  factos  et  euntis 
mollius,  ac  si  quis,  pedibus  quid  claudere  senis, 
60      hoc  tan  turn  contentus,  amet  scripsisse  ducentos 
ante  cibum  versus,  totidem  cenatus ;  Etrusci 
quale  fuit  Cassi  rapido  ferventius  amni 
ingenium,  capsis  quem  fama  est  esse  librisque 
ambustum  propriis.     Fuerit  Lucilius,  inquam, 


54  f .  gravitate  minores :  as 
inferior  in  dignity,  less  dignified 
than  the  subject-matter  demanded. 
The  unrhythmical  verse  sparsis 
/lastts  longis  campus  splendet  et 
horret  Lucilius  proposed  to  change 
to  horret  et  alget.  —  cum  .  .  . 
loquitur  :  while  at  the  same  time 
he  claims  no  superiority  for  him- 
self. —  reprensis  :  than  those  whom 
he  criticized,  Accius  and  Ennius. 

57.  quaerere:  the  simplest  con- 
clusion   of    the  argument    would 
have  been  something  likeZ.w«'//>//# 
reprehendere,  but  that  is  expanded 
and  at  the  same  time  made  milder 
by     substituting    quaerere     with 
its   dependent    questions.  —  num 
.  .  .  num :  parallel  questions,  not 
alternative.  —  rerum:  in  the  most 
general    meaning,  .  circumstances, 
including  his  difficult  subject-mat- 
ter and   the   imperfection   of  his 
times  in  verse-writing. 

58.  magis   factos :     more   pol- 
ished;    factus     is    used    in    this 


sense  by  Cicero  (de  Orat.  3,  48, 
184;  Brut.  30)  with  a  slight 
apology  for  the  novelty  of  the 
use. 

59  f.  ac  si  quis  .  .  .  contentus : 
'  than  a  man  would  write  if,  con- 
tent with  merely  getting  what  he 
had  to  say  within  six  feet,  he  was 
in  a  hurry  to  .  .  .'  —  pedibus 
senis :  a  hexameter,  i.e.  merely 
making  a  verse  that  would  scan. 
So  in  I,  4,  40,  concludere  versum. 
—  claudere:  appos.  of  hoc. 

61.  ante  cibum  .  .  .  cenatus : 
a  humorous  variant  upon  stans 
pede  in  uno,  I,  4,  10. 

62  f.  Cassi :  nothing  is  known 
of  him  except  what  is  implied  here, 
that  he  was  so  prolific  that  his 
books  and  their  cases  (capsis) 
were  sufficient  for  his  funeral 
pile. 

64.  Fuerit :  suppose  that  Lu- 
cilius was,  i.e.  -granting,  for 
the  moment,  that  Lucilius  was  all 
you  claim,  genial  and  witty.' 


139 


If  »0,  65] 


IIORAT1 


65      comis  et  urbanus,  fuerit  limatior  idem 

quam  rudis  et  Graecis  intacti  carminis  auctor, 
quamque  poetarum  seniorum  turba ;  sed  ille, 
si  foret  hoc  nostrum  fato  dilatus  in  aevum, 
detereret  sibi  multa,  recideret  omne  quod  ultra 

70      perfectum  traheretur,  et  in  versu  faciendo 

saepe  caput  scaberet,  vivos  et  roderet  unguis. 
Saepe  stilum  vertas,  iterum  quae  digna  legi  sint 


65.  comis    et    urbanus :    these 
words  describe   one  quality  from 
two  sides  and  are,  like  contis   in 
vs.    53.    a     quotation ;    they    are 
admitted  with  reserve,  having  been 
already  denied  by  implication  (vs. 
13),  in  order  to   show  that  they 
would     not     disprove      Horace's 
criticism. 

66.  quam    .    .    .    auctor :    the 
thought    is    altogether    general ; 
carmen  is  not  satire  and  \\\z  auctor 
is  not  Lucilius   or   Ennius.     The 
statement  of  Quintilian  (10,  1,93), 
satira  tot  a   nostra   est,    is,   in    a 
way,  correct,  but  it  represents  an 
entirely  different  literary  tradition 
from  that  which  Horace  is  follow- 
ing.    His  doctrine,  expressed  with 
an  even  exaggerated  emphasis  in  i, 
4, 1-6.  was  that  satire  came  directly 
from  the  Greeks  of  the  Old  Comedy ; 
in  fact,  the  error  of  underestimating 
the  force  and  value  of  the  purely 
Italic  influences  runs  through  all 
his  literary  criticism.      With    the 
opening  words  of  1.4  in  mind  — 
and  they  are  distinctly  in  his  mind 
all  through  this  satire  —  he  could 
not    have    called    satire    rude    et 


Graecis  intact  nut  carmen.  The 
thought  is  quite  different  :  '  Lu- 
cilius did  not  invent  satire  out 
of  nothing;  the  way  had  been 
already  prepared  by  the  Greeks 
and  he  learned  from  them.  I 
grant,  therefore,  that  he  had  a 
certain  degree  of  polish,  more,  of 
course,  than  a  writer  composing 
some  entirely  new  (rude)  kind  of 
poetry,  some  poetry  untouched  by 
the  Greeks,  would  have  had,  more 
even  than  the  early  poets  gener- 
ally, but  if  he  had  lived  .  .  .' 

67.  seniorum:  scue.r\s  frequently 
used  of  the  early  Latin  writers.  — 
ille :  emphatic. 

68.  nostrum  dilatus  in  aevum  : 
prolonged  in  life  down  to  our  time. 
So     Ovid,    J/.    12,   76,   decimiiin 
dilatus  in  annum  Hector  erat . 

69.  detereret :    would   file    off 
many     roughnesses;     the     same 
figure  as  that  in  limatior.  —  omne 
quod  ultra  :  i.e.  the  plura  tollcnda 
of  vs.  51. 

72  ff.  From  the  completed  ar- 
gument in  support  of  his  criticism 
of  Lucilius,  Horace  turns  first  to  a 
general  truth  and  then  to  his 


140 


SKKMONKS 


[i,  io,  79 


75 


scripturus,  neque  te  ut  miretur  turba  labores, 
contentus  paucis  lectoribus.     An  tua  demens 
vilibus  in  ludis  dictari  carmina  mails? 
non  ego ;  nam  satis  est   equitem    mihi    plaudere,   ut 

audax, 

contemptis  aliis,  explosa  Arbuscula  dixit. 
Men'  moveat  cimex  Pantilius,  aut  cruciet  quod 
vellicet  absentem  Demetrius,  aut  quod  ineptus 


less  worthy  assailants,  Hermogenes 
and  his  friends. 

72.  stilum   vertas :     the   blunt 
upper  end  of  the  stilus  was  used  to 
smooth  out  the  marks  made  in  the 
wax  of  a  tablet,  as  a  lead-pencil  is 
reversed  to  use  the  eraser. 

73.  scripturus :  with  the  effect 
of  a  condition  ;  if  you  hope  to  write. 

74.  contentus  :   continuing  the 
advice  ;  but  be  content  with. 

75.  vilibus  .  .  .  dictari :  poetry 
to  be  learned  was  dictated  by  the 
teacher  and  taken   down  by   the 
pupils.        So     Orbilius     dictated 
Livius     Andronicus    to     Horace, 
Epist.  2.  i.  70  f.  and  Vergil  and 
Horace  were  in  the  curriculum  of 
schools   in   the    time   of  Juvenal 
(7,  226  f.) .     Horace,  of  course,  did 
not,  as  is  sometimes  said,  '  dread 
this  fate  ' ;  he  is  merely  saying  in 
a  humorous  way,    '  do  not  aim  at 
popularity  :   don't  try  to  be  one  of 
the  "  best  sellers.'' ' 

76.  equitem:  the  educated  class  ; 
so   Epist.    2,   i.  187.     It  is  quite 
possible,  too,  that  the  word  would 
be    taken     as    a     complimentary 
reference  to  Maecenas.  —  audax  : 


undismayed  by    the    disapproval 
expressed  by  the  crowd. 

77.  Arbuscula :     an   actress  in 
mimes  like  those  of  Laberius  (vs. 
6).     Cicero  wrote   to  Atticus  in 
54  B.C.,  quaeris  nunc  de  Arbus- 
cula ;  -valde  placuit  (4,  15,  6). 

78.  cimex :  as  this  is  not  used 
by  us  as  a   term  of  reproach,  a 
modern  equivalent,  beast,  reptile. 
may  be   substituted.  —  Pantilius  : 
unknown ;  but  the  name  actually 
occurs   and     there     is     no    good 
reason     for     connecting    it    with 
TTO.V  Ti'AAciv  or  supposing  it  to  be 
fictitious.  —  cruciet:    the   subj.    is 
quod  vdlicet. 

79  ff.  Demetrius  is  unknown  ; 
cf.  vs.  1 8.  Most  of  the  other 
names  in  this  list  have  been  men- 
tioned before  :  Fannius,  i,  4,  21  ; 
Hermogrnes,  I,  3,  4;  Plotius,  I, 
5,40;  Varius,  i,  5,  40;  Fuscus,  i, 
9,  61  ;  Viscus,  1,9,  22  ;  Pollio,  vs. 
42 ;  Messalla,  vs.  29.  Of  the 
others,  C.  Valgius  Rufus  was  an 
elegiac  poat  and  a  friend  to  whom 
Horace  addressed  Carm.  2,  9. 
Octavius  Musa  (the  emperor  is 
called  by  Ho.ace  either  Caesar  or 


141 


I,   10,  80] 


HORATI 


So      Fannius  Hermogenis  laedat  conviva  Tigelli  ? 
Plotius  et  Varius,  Maecenas  Vergiliusque, 
Valgius,  et  probet  haec  Octavius,  optimus  atque 
Fuscus,  et  haec  utinam  Viscorum  laudet  uterque! 
Ambitione  relegata  te  dicere  possum, 

85      Pollio,  te,  Messalla,  tuo  cum  fratre,  simulque 
vos,  Bibule  et  Servi,  simul  his  te,  candide  Furni, 
compluris  alios,  doctos  ego  quos  et  amicos 
prudens  praetereo  ;    quibus  haec,  sint  qualiacumque, 
arridere  velim,  doliturus  si  placeant  spe 

90      deterius  nostra.     Demetri,  teque,  Tigelli, 
discipularum  inter  iubeo  plorare  cathedras. 
I,  puer,  atque  meo  citus  haec  subscribe  libello. 


Augustus)  was  a  poet  and  his- 
torian, mentioned  in  the  Catalecta, 
14,  i.  Bibulus  is  probably  L. 
Calpurnius  Bibulus,  a  son  of 
Caesar's  colleague  in  the  consul- 
ship and  a  fellow-student  with 
Horace  in  Athens.  Servius  may 
be  a  son  of  Servius  Sulpicius 
Kufus,  referred  to  several  times  by 
Cicero.  C.  Furnius  is  mentioned 
by  Plutarch  as  an  orator. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that,  with 
scarcely  an  exception,  all  the  men 
here  named  as  friends  are  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  be  referred  to 
by  other  writers  than  Horace. 

84.  ambitione  relegata :  with- 
out flattery,  without  fear  that  he 
may  be  suspected  of  boasting ;  the 
phrase  is  put  in  here  because  the 
men  whose  names  follow  were  all 
of  high  rank  and  social  standing. 

86.  simul :  here  used  as  a  prep- 
osition governing  his. 


87.  doctos:  good  critics,  with- 
out the  slur  which   doctus  often 
implies. 

88.  prudens:    intentionally,  to 
avoid  too  long  a  list.  —  sint  quali- 
acumque :  perhaps  a  reminiscence 
of  Catull.    I,   8    f.,   qitidquid  hoc 
libelli,  qnalecnmqiie. 

89.  arridere:    be  pleasing;    cf. 
Car  in.    2,  6,  13   f.,  Hie  terrarum 
mihi  .  .  .  anguhts  ridet. 

91.  discipularum   .    .    .   cathe- 
dras :  the  easy-chairs  of  the  women 
to  whom  you  give  lessons.  —  iubeo 
plorare :     with    double    meaning, 
first  with  reference  to  their  singing 
and  also  as  a  humorous  substitute 
for  valere  iubeo. 

92.  meo  .  .  .  libello:   this  can 
mean  nothing  else  than  the  whole 
book  qf  satires  and  indicates  that 
this  satire  was  a  kind  of  epilogue 
to  the  collection.  —  puer :  the  slave 
who  was  acting  as  his  secretary. 


142 


LIBER    SECVNDVS 

The  Second  Book  of  the  Satires  was  published»in  30  B.C.,  five  years 
after  the  First  Book,  and  the  changes  which  the  interval  had  produced 
in  the  temper  and  in  the  art  of  Horace  are  quite  evident ;  his  tone  is 
less  personal  and  more  mellow  and  he  has  adopted  the  dialogue  form 
instead  of  the  monologue.  In  both  respects  the  change  is  an  advance. 
The  earlier  satires,  with  all  their  geniality,  are  touched  here  and  there 
with  sensationalism,  and  even  the  later  work  betrays  at  times  a  certain 
uneasiness  about  his  own  position  and  success.  But  by  the  year  30 
B.C.  Horace,  now  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  had  won  recognition  as  a 
writer.  He  was  secure  in  the  esteem  of  a  circle  of  friends  ;  he  had  accom- 
modated himself,  not  indeed  without  difficulty,  but  quite  sincerely,  to 
the  great  political  changes  which  he  had  at  first  opposed,  and  he  writes 
like  a  man  at  peace  with  himself  and  with  his  world.  He  is  not  less 
serious ;  in  his  treatment  of  philosophy  he  is  more  serious ;  but  he  is 
less  insistent,  less  urgent,  and  his  touch  is  lighter.  With  this  change  in 
tone  the  change  in  form,  from  monologue  to  dialogue,  and  especially  to  a 
dialogue  in  which  Horace  himself  plays  only  a  subordinate  part,  is  quite 
in  harmony.  A  tendency  toward  informal  dialogue  is  evident  in  some 
of  the  satires  of  the  First  Book  (e.g.,  i,  i,  30  ff. ;  1, 4,  38  ff.),  but  the  step 
from  this  to  the  formal  dialogue  of  2,  i  and  2,  5  is  a  long  one,  and  the 
change  was  undoubtedly  regarded  by  Horace  as  a  distinct  advance  in 
the  form  of  satire. 


There  are  no  allusions  in  this  satire  which  fix  the  date  of  composi- 
tion. The  reference  to  the  Parthians  (vs.  15)  is  entirely  general  and 
might  have  been  made  before  the  battle  of  Actium,  while  Antonius  was 
still  master  of  the  East.  But  it  is  probable  that  this  satire  was  written 
after  the  rest  of  the  book  was  completed,  in  accordance  with  the  custom 
which  Horace  had  begun  in  Sat.  I,  I  and  which  he  afterward  followed 
in  Epod.  1,1,  Carm.  I,  i,  and  Epist.  I,  I.  This  would  fix  the  date  about 
30  B.C.,  after  the  battle  of  Actium,  to  which  Caesaris  invicti  (vs.  u) 
may  be  an  allusion. 

143 


HORATI 

'Trebatius,  people  say  that  my  satire  is  worthless.  What  shall  I  do 
about  it?  —  Keep  still!  —  What,  not  write  at  all?  —  Yes.  —  By  Jove, 
you  may  be  right.  But  I  can't  go  to  sleep.  —  Can't  sleep?  Take  some 
exercise  and  drink  a  bottle  of  wine  just  before  bed-time  and  you  will 
sleep  perfectly  well.  Or,  if  what  you  mean  is  that  you  can't  stop  writing, 
then  write  about  Caesar;  that  is  work  that  will  pay  you.  —  I  wish  I 
could,  my  dear  sir.  but  I  am  not  equal  to  describing  battles.  —  Then 
write  about  his  justice  and  his  energy.  —  Some  other  time,  per- 
haps ;  just  now  I  dqn't  think  I  will  try  it.  —  It  would  be  a  great  deal 
better  than  the  things  you  do  write,  which  make  enemies  on  all  sides.. 
—  I  can't  help  myself.  Writing  is  my  hobby.  I  have  fighting  blood 
in  my  veins,  as  Lucilius  had  in  his.  But  I  never  attack :  I  simply  de- 
fend myself  with  my  natural  weapon,  as  a  bull  does  with  his  horns.  I  can't 
help  myself;  write  I  must.  —  You  won't  live  long  if  you  stick  to  that 
course.  Some  of  your  great  friends  will  turn  a  cold  shoulder  to  you. — 
What,  did  Lucilius's  friends  desert  him?  I  am  not  as  great  a  man 
as  he  was,  but  if  any  man  attacks  me,  he  will  find  that  I  am  no  easy 
prey  —  unless,  of  course,  you  advise  differently.  —  No,  I  don't  think  I 
can  say  anything  against  that.  But  there  are  libel  laws  for  the  writers 
of  bad  verses.  —  Bad  verses!  Yes,  but  mine  are  not  bad  ;  they  are  very 
good.  Can  I  be  sued  for  writing  good  verses?  —  Certainly  not.  Good 
poetry  is  above  all  law.1 

In  issuing  a  second  collection  of  writings  in  the  same  style  as  that  by 
which  he  had  already  won  both  friends  and  enemies,  Horace  thought  it 
well  to  preface  it  with  a  further  defence  of  satire,  continuing  the  subject 
of  I,  4  and  I,  10.  But  as  i,  10  is  at  once  less  serious  and  more  assured 
than  i,  4,  so  this  satire  is  less  obviously  argumentative  than  i.  10.  Its 
underlying  purpose  is  self-defence  and  explanation,  but  under  the  cover 
of  pure  burlesque.  It  represents  a  consultation  between  Horace  and  his 
legal  adviser,  C.  Trebatius  Testa.  The  latter  is  well  known  to  us 
through  the  group  of  letters  addressed  to  him  by  Cicero  (ad  Fain.  7.  6- 
22)  ;  he  was  a  distinguished  jurisconsult  and  a  man  of  much  humor,  and 
therefore  a  suitable  figure  for  a  burlesque  consultation.  The  dialogue 
is  managed  with  great  skill;  Trebatius,  in  a  dry.  legal  manner,  gives 
prudent  advice,  which  Horace  rejects  as  fast  as  it  is  given,  arguing  with 
much  heat  in  favor  of  the  course  that  he  had  already  determined  upon 
before  he  went  through  the  form  of  consulting  the  lawyer.  The  argu- 
ments, too,  by  which  Horace  defends  his  course  are  all  farcical:  Mi- 
lonius  gets  drunk  .ind  dances,  therefore  1  may  write  satire:  the  bull 
gores,  the  wolf  bites,  and  Scaeva  poisons  his  mother,  therefore  1  may 
use  my  satire  to  wound  and  poison.  From  beginning  to  end  there  is 

144 


not  an  argument  that  is  meant  to  he  taken  seriously  and  the  satire  be- 
comes thus  a  kind  of  proclamation  by  Horace  of  his  assurance  that  his 
writings  need  no  serious  defence. 

Horatius.    Sunt  quibus  in  satira  videor  nimis  acer  et 

ultra 

legeni  tendere  opus  ;  sine  nervis  altera,  quicquid 
composui,  pars  esse  putat,  similisque  meorum 
mille  die  versus  cleduci  posse.     Trebati, 
5,       quid  faciam  praescribe.   Trebatins.  Quiescas.  Hor.  Ne 

faciam,  inquis, 
omnino  versus  ?     Treb.  Aio.     Hor.     Peream  male,  si 

non 
optimum   erat;    verum  nequeo   dormire.     Treb.    Ter 

uncti 


X 


1 .  satira :    here    used    for  the 
first   time    by    Horace    and    in  a 
general,  not  a  concrete,  sense ;  in 
the  writing  of  satire. 

2.  legem:    i.e.  the  artistic  law 
which  should  govern  this  kind  of 
writing;  cf.  vs.  63  and  operis  le*\ 
Ars  Poet.   135. —  tendere:     bend, 
force,   of  bending  a   bow.  —  sine 

nervis :  without  vigor ;  cf.  the 
adj.  enervis.  Nervits  is  usually 
sinew,  muscle,  not  nerve.  The 
two  criticisms,  nimis  acer  and  sine 
nervis,  are  direct  opposites  and, 
therefore,  mutually  destructive. 

4.  deduci :  spun  out,  reeled  off. 

5.  praescribe :  a  rather  formal 
word,  used  especially  in  legal  lan- 
guage.—  Quiescas:    with    senten- 
tious brevity,  as  befits  an  eminent 
legal  authority,  and  with  a  humor- 
ous double  meaning,  since  it  may 


be  either  '  never  mind  your  critics,' 
or  'stop  your  writing.1 

6.  Peream  male,   si:    cf.   I,  9, 
38  and  47. 

7.  optimum    erat :    would  not 
be  best.     The  impf.  indie,  of  neg- 
lected duty  or  opportunity,  espe- 
cially common  with  impersonals ; 
see  any  grammar. — dormire:  go 
to  sleep,  i.e.  give  up  writing  and, 
it  is  implied,  all  activity. 

7-9.  Trebatius  is  represented 
as  pretending  to  understand  dor- 
mire literally  (somno  qidbus  est 
opus  alto)  and  as  giving  a  favor- 
ite remedy  for  insomnia,  in  which 
Horace  touches  two  hobbies  or  foi- 
bles of  the  great  lawyer.  He  was 
very  fond  of  swimming  (Cicero,  ad 
Fa»i.  7,  10,  2,  calls  him  studio- 
sissitnns  homo  natandi)  and  was 
not  disinclined  to  the  bottle  (cf. 


145 


2,  I,  8] 


1IORATI 


transnanto  Tiberim,  somno  quibus  est  opus  alto, 
irriguumque  mero  sub  noctem  corpus  habento. 
Aut,  si  tantus  amor  scribendi  te  rapit,  aude 
Caesaris  invicti  res  dicere,  multa  laborum 
praemia  laturus.     Hor.  Cupidum,  pater  optime,  vires 
deficiunt;  neque  enim  quivis  horrentia  pilis 
agmina  nee  fracta  pereuntis  cuspide  Gallos 
aut  labentis  equo  describat  volnera  Parthi. 


ad  Fatn.  7,  22,  written  after  a 
night  with  Trebatius, ////w.Wtf.r/W7 
inter  scyphos,  and  dotnum  dene 
potns  seroque  redieratrf) .  —  Ter : 
a  sacred  number,  used  to  give 
formality  to  the  prescription.  — 
uncti :  oil  was  used  by  athletes  to 
soften  the  skin.  —  transnanto,  ha- 
bento :  old  forms  used  in  laws  and 
in  medical  recipes.  —  irriguum: 
one  of  many  euphemisms  (inadi- 
ihis,  ttviduS)  etc.),  like  the  Engl. 
'full,' 'tight.' 

10.  tantus  amor :  Trebatius  now 
recognizes  the  real  meaning  of  dor- 
mire,  which  he  had  pretended  to 
take  literally.  —  aude  :  it  would  re- 
quire some  courage  to  write  an 
epic. 

u.  Caesaris:  the  nephew,  not 
the  uncle,  as  below,  vs.  19,  and 
everywhere  in  the  Satires  except 
I,  9,  18.  —  invicti :  this  may  be  a 
reference  to  the  battle  of  Actium, 
but  the  word  might  fairly  have 
been  used  before  that  event  with 
reference  to  the  earlier  victories  in 
the  civil  war. 

12.  praemia  :  it  may  perhaps  be 
a  little  hit  at  the  legal  profession 


to  represent  Trebatius  as  thinking 
first  of  the  payment  which  epic 
poetry  might  bring.  —  Both  la- 
tiirus  and  ctipidnm  should  be  ren- 
dered in  English  by  clauses,  as 
Greenough  remarks. — pater:  a 
term  of  respect  from  a  younger 
man  to  an  older.  Cf.  p/ter,  vs.  60. 
31-15.  Here,  as  in  Cartn.  1,6, 
and  elsewhere,  in  professing  his 
inability  to  write  of  warlike  scenes, 
Horace  cannot  refrain  from  a  few 
phrases  of  description  which  sug- 
gest that  his  real  reason  for  re- 
fusing is  not  so  much  conscious 
inability  as  disinclination.  —  pilis : 
the  Roman  weapon.  —  fracta  .  .  . 
cuspide,  pereuntis :  the  signs  of  de- 
feat ;  the  broken  spear  is  merely 
one  of  the  evidences  of  rout  and 
disaster,  not  a  reference  to  the 
detached  head  of  the  piliun,  to 
which  fracta  would  not  be  appli- 
cable. So  labentis  equo  indicates 
the  defeat  of  the  Parthian  cavalry. 
The  Gauls  and  the  Parthians  are 
selected  merely  as  conspicuous 
among  the  enemies  of  Rome, 
without  reference  to  particular 
campaigns. 


146 


SERMONES 


[2,  i,  22 


Trcb.  Attamen  et  iustum  poteras  et  scribere  fortem, 
Scipiadam  ut  sapiens  Lucilius.     Hor.  Haud  mihi  dero, 
cum  res  ipsa  feret.     Nisi  dextro  tempore,  Flacci 
verba  per  attentam  non  ibunt  Caesaris  aurem, 
cui  male  si  palpere,  recalcitrat  undique  tutus. 
Trcb.     Quanto  rectius  hoc,  quam  tristi  laedere  versu 
Pantolabum  scurram  Nomentanumque  nepotem, 


1 6.  poteras :  you  might ;  cf.  opti- 
mum erat,  vs.  7.  —  iustum,  fortem : 
i.e.    in  his   capacity  as   law-giver 
(iustuni)  and  administrator  (jor- 
teiti) . 

17.  Scipiadam :  for  Sciploncm, 
which  could  not  be  used  in  hexam- 
eter ;  there  is  no  patronymic  force 
in  the  ending.    The  younger  Scipio 
was  a  contemporary  and  friend  of 
Lucilius;  cf.  vss.  65  f.  —  sapiens: 
pred.,  '  like  a  man  of  sense,'  with 
an  indirect  reflection  uponHorace's 
lack  of  worldly  wisdom.  — Lucilius : 
the  mention  of  Horace's  model  in 
satire  of  course  implies  that  Tre- 
batius  is  no  longer  advising  him 
to  give  up  satire  for  epic,  but  only 
to  turn  his  satire  to  more  profitable 
uses.  —  Haud  mihi  dero :  cf.  1, 9,  56, 
where  the  context  shows  that  cum 
res  ipsa  feret  means  the  same  thing 
as  de\tro  tempore,  ( when  a  proper 
opportunity  shall  present  itself.1 

18.  Flacci :   a  Flaccus ;  a  man 
of  so  humble  a  name  as  Flaccus, 
in  contrast  with  Caesaris. 

19  f.  attentam  .  .  .  aurem :  the 
comparison  of  Caesar  to  a  high- 
spirited  horse  is  suggested  in  these 
words,  to  be  expressed  more  fully 


in  the  next  line. —  non:  with  the 
whole  phrase,  not  with  attentam 
alone  or  ibunt  alone.  —  ibunt :  the 
future  implies  intention.  As  there 
is  no  English  phrase  correspond- 
ing to  ire  per  aurem.  the  construc- 
tion must  be  shifted  in  translation  ; 
'  the  words  of  a  Flaccus  shall  not 
try  to  reach  the  ear  of  a  Caesar.1  — 
tutus  :  to  protect  himself. 

22.  Quoted,  with  change  of 
case,  from  Sat.  i,  8,  n.  The 
effect  is  therefore  as  if  he  had  said, 
'  than  to  write  such  a  savage  verse 
as  that  in  the  Eighth  Satire.' 
Cf.  I,  4,  92,  where  a  line  of  simi- 
lar character  is  quoted  from  i, 
2,  27.  That  quotation  is  intro- 
duced by  ego  si  risi  and  the  argu- 
ment, there  seriously  made,  is  that 
the  line  is  a  harmless  jest.  It  is 
almost  a  necessary  inference  that 
here  also  the  verse  quoted  by  Tre- 
batius  was  regarded  by  Horace  as 
in  fact  quite  harmless.  This  could 
be  true  only  if  the  persons  referred 
to  were  either  fictitious,  as  the 
name  Pantolahus  certainly  is.  or 
already  notorious,  as  was  probably 
the  case  with  Nomentanus  (cf. 
i,  i,  102  note). 

147 


2,  I,  23] 


HORATI 


cum  sibi  quisque  timet,  quamquam  est  intactus,  et 
Hor.     Quid  faciam  ?     Saltat  Milonius,  ut  semel  icto 

25      accessit  fervor  capiti  numerusque  lucernis ; 
Castor  gaudet  equis,  ovo  prognatus  eodem 
pugnis  ;  quot  capitum  vivunt,  totidem  studiorum 
milia  :  me  pedibus  delectat  claudere  verba 
Lucili  ritu,  nostrum  melioris  utroque. 

30      I  lie  velut  fidis  arcana  sodalibus  olirn 

credebat  libris,  neque,  si  male  cesserat,  usquam 


93.  timet  .  .  .  etodit:  a  repe- 
tition of  the  charge  made  in  1,4, 
33.  The  purely  farcical  character 
of  the  reply  here  shows  how  secure 
Horace  felt  himself  to  be. 

24-29.  '  I  can't  help  writing, 
any  more  than  Milonius  can  help 
getting  drunk  and  dancing.  Every- 
body has  his  little  weakness ;  mine 
is  satire.1 

24.  icto:    with    capiti ;    a   eu- 
phemism for  intoxication,  like  irri- 

gllltllt,  VS.  9. 

25.  accessit:  in  a  double  sense 
with  fervor   and    nit //terns.  —  lu- 
cernis :   i.e.    when    he   has   drunk 
so  much    that   he   begins   to   see 
double. 

26.  'Even  twin  brothers  differ 
in  their  interests.'    The  contrast 
is  emphasized  by  using  ovo  pro- 
gnatits  eodem  for  Pollux,  and,  in 
accordance  with  tin-  general  char- 
acter of  the  argument,  two  of  the 
lower  gods  with  lower  interests  are 
selected  instead  of.  e.g.,  Apollo  and 
Mercury. 

27.  quot    capitum :    proverbial 
and  better  expressed  by  Terence, 


Phorm.  454,  quot  homines,  tot 
sententiae ;  '  many  men  of  many 
minds.' 

28.  pedibus  .  .  .  claudere  verba  : 
a  repetition  of  the  phrase  pedibus 
quid  claudere  senis,  used  in  Sat. 
I,  10,  59  to  describe   the  merely 
mechanical  construction  of  hexam- 
eters.     Here   also,  with  a   differ- 
ent purpose,  it  puts  the  matter  in 
its  lowest  terms.  k  I  amuse  myself 
by  stringing  together  verses  that 
will  scan.' 

29.  melioris :  not  in  the  moral 
or  social  sense,  but  a  better  judge, 
a  better  authority.  —  utroque  :  as 
if  the  thought  began  very  mod- 
estly— '  a  better  authority  than  I 
am '  —  and  then  went  on  to  a  little 
hit  at  his  advisor —  'or  than  you, 
either.' 

30-34.  The  Scholiasts  note  that 
this  is  a  bit  of  traditional  literary 
criticism,  going  back  to  Aristoxe- 
nus.  who  had  said  that  Alcaeusand 
Sappho  1'oliitnina  sna  loco  soda- 
liiini halntisse.  — arcana:  his  deep- 
est and  most  intimate  thoughts 
about  the  events  (si  male  cesse.- 


148 


SERMONES 


[2,  I,  42 


35 


40 


decurrens  alio,  neque  si  bene ;  quo  fit  ut  omnis 
votiva  pateat  veluti  descripta  tabella 
vita  senis.     Sequor  hunc,  Lucanus  an  Apulus  anceps  : 
nam  Venusinus  arat  finem  sub  utrumque  colonus, 
missus  ad  hoc,  pulsis,  vetus  est  ut  fama,  Sabellis, 
quo  ne  per  vacuum  Romano  incurreret  hostis, 
sive  quod  Apula  gens  seu  quod  Lucania  bellum 
incuteret  violenta.     Sed  hie  stilus  haud  petet  ultro 
quemquam  animantem,  et  me  veluti  custodiet  ensis 
vagina  tectus  ;  quern  cur  destringere  coner, 
tutus  ab  infestis  latronibus  ?     O  pater  et  rex 


rat,  st  dene)  of  life  ;  not  secrets.  — 
votiva  .  .  .  tabella:  such  a  pic- 
ture as  is  referred  to  in  Carm. 
l>  5>  I3  f->  where  the  successive 
scenes  of  some  event  like  an 
escape  from  shipwreck  were  rep- 
resented in  a  single  picture.  Cf. 
the  scenes  from  the  Trojan  War 
in  Aen.  i.  4566°.  —  senis:  the 
word  senex  was  sometimes  applied 
to  writers  of  the  early  period  as  a 
synonym  for  TV///J,  antiqitus,  with- 
out reference  to  the  age  of  the 
individual.  [The  opposite  opinion 
may  be  found  in  M  tiller,  Liicil. 
p.  288.] 

34-39.  The  expression  is  el- 
liptical :  '  I  take  Lucilius  for  my 
leader,  for  I  too  come  of  fighting 
stock.  But  I  fight  only  in  self- 
defence.'  The  digression  upon  the 
question  whether  Venusia  is  prop- 
erly Lucanian  or  Apulian  is  sub- 
ordinate to  the  main  line  of 
reasoning.  —  anceps:  nom,  masc., 
with  the  subj.  of  sequor  ^  the 


phrase  should  be  rendered  freely. 

—  ad  hoc  :  antec.  of  the  clause  quo 
ne   .    .       incitrreret.  —  Sabellis  : 
the      Samnites.       Venusia      was 
founded     in     291     B.C.,    in    the 
Third    Samnite    War.  —  quo    ne  : 
for  ut  ne  or  ut  eo  tie;   but  this 
use  of  quo  is  without  a  parallel. 

—  quod :  after  si-ve  and  with  bel- 
lum. 

39  Sed :  adversative  to  the 
underlying  thought  of  the  preced- 
ing sentence.  —  hie  stilus :  this 
pen  of  mine,  but  with  some  refer- 
ence to  the  fact  that  the  sharp 
metal  stilus  could  be  actually  used 
as  a  weapon. 

40.  animantem :    living  being, 
to  generalize  the  thought. 

41.  vagina   tectus :    these    are 
the  important  words  in  the  com- 
parison ;  '  as  a  sword  is  a  defence, 
even  though  it  is  not  drawn  from 
its  scabbard.' 

42.  tutus:    i.e.  'as   long  as   I 
am  not  attacked.' 


149 


2,  I,  43] 


HORATI 


luppiter,  ut  pereat  positum  robigine  telum, 
nee  quisquam  noceat  cupido  mihi  pacis !     At  ille 
45      qui  me  commorit  ('melius  non  tangere  !'  clamo), 
flebit,  et  insignis  tota  cantabitur  urbe. 
Cervius  iratus  leges  minitatur  et  urnam, 


43.  ut  pereat :  a  wish  intro- 
duced by  ut  exactly  as  wishes  are 
introduced  by  utinatn,  which  is 
nothing  but  a  strengthened  form 
of  uti  (cf.  guts,  quisnam)  •  in- 
stances are  not  infrequent.  The 
verse  is  in  form,  though  not  in 
sentiment,  a  reminiscence  of  Ca- 
tull.  66,  48,  luppiter,  ut  Chalybon 
omne  genus  pereat.  —  positum ;  a 
part  of  the  wish  ;  '  may  I  be  able 
to  put  it  away  and  let  it  rust ; ' 
almost  the  same  as  vagina  tectus. 

44-46.  In  these  lines  the  hu- 
morous exaggeration  and  affected 
solemnity  of  the  satire  reach  a 
climax.  Whatever  Horace  may 
have  been  in  his  earlier  years,  he 
was  at  this  time  as  far  removed  as 
possible  from  a  bragging  swash- 
buckler, whose  war-cry  {clamo)  was 
'  Better  not  touch  me ! '  He  is,  in 
fact,  setting  up  here  the  figure  of 
himselfwhich  his  earlier  critics  had 
constructed,  exaggerating  it  and 
making  it  ridiculous  by  a  burlesque 
defence,  in  the  confident  assurance 
that  his  real  purpose  in  satire 
was  by  this  time  fully  recognized. 

45.  commorit :  =  c<>  turnover  it . 
There  is  a  kind  of  progress  in 
pretended  touchiness  from  itrfestis 
laironibus  to  comtnorit  (*/tr  me  up) 
and  tangere  (lay  a  finger  on  me). 


46  cantabitur :  i.e.  the  whole 
town  shall  be  repeating  the  satiri- 
cal verses  that  I  will  write  about 
him. 

47-56.  These  lines  serve  a 
double  purpose.  As  a  part  of 
the  ironical  argument  they  pre- 
tend to  justify  the  determination 
(44-46)  to  continue  the  writing  of 
satire  ('  Canidia  poisons  her  ene- 
mies and  I  will  poison  mine ;  the 
wolf  bites  and  therefore  I  will 
write  biting  satire '),  and  they 
illustrate  the  general  principle 
(vss.  24-28)  that  men  are  not  to 
be  blamed  for  yielding  to  their 
special  weaknesses  (;  and  satire  is 
my  weakness,1  vs.  28).  At  the 
same  time,  these  allusions,  which 
a  reader  of  Horace's  time  would 
at  once  understand,  show  how 
harmless  and  impersonal  his 
satire  really  was.  For  no  one 
of  the  five  persons  named  was 
really  an  enemy  of  Horace.  Cer- 
vius, Albucius,  and  Scaeva  are 
names  which  occur  elsewhere 
(Sat.  2,  6,  77  ;  2,  2,  67  ;  Epist.  i, 
17,  l),  but  with  quite  different 
characteristics ;  they  are  merely 
Roman  names  which  do  not  refer 
to  individuals.  Canidia  is  fre- 
quently mentioned  (Sat.  \.  8, 
2,  8,  95;  Epod.  3,  8;  5,  17)  in 


si.  KM  ONES 


[2,  I,  56 


Canidia  Albuci  quibus  est  inimica  venenum, 
grande  malum  Turius,  si  quid  se  iudice  certes. 

50      Vt  quo  quisque  valet  suspectos  terreat,  utque 
imperet  hoc  natura  potens,  sic  collige  mecum  : 
dente  lupus,  cornu  taurus  petit :  unde  nisi  intus 
monstratum  ?     Scaevae  vivacem  crede  nepoti 
matrem  ;   nil  faciet  sceleris  pia  dextera:  minim, 

55      ut  neque  calce  lupus  quemquam  neque  dente  petit  bos: 
sed  mala  toilet  anum  vitiato  melle  cicuta. 


a  way  which  shows  that  she  was 
already  notorious.  Turius  appears 
to  have  been  a  character  of  the 
Ciceronian  period,  long  since 
dead,  whose  abuse  of  his  judicial 
office  was  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge.  The  whole  passage, 
therefore,  savage  as  the  personal 
allusions  are  made  to  appear,  is 
in  reality,  like  the  quotation  in 
vs.  22,  a  reminder  of  Horace's 
moderation  in  satire  and  of  his 
avoidance  of  personal  attacks 
upon  contemporaries. 

47.  Cervius :   an   informer ;    cf. 
Sal.    I,  4,   65    n.  —  urnam :      the 
vase   from    which    the    names  of 
jurymen  were  drawn  and  in  which 
their  votes  were  deposited. 

48.  Albuci :    with   venenum.  — 
quibus:   the  antec.  is  the  obj.  of 
minitatitr  to  be  supplied  from  vs. 

47- 

49.  grande  malum :  i.e.  a  heavy 

penalty  without  regard  to  the  jus- 
tice of  the  case. 

50.  Vt :  how,  introducing  terreat 
and  imperet. 


51.  sic:  from  the  following,  vs. 
52.  —  collige :  you  may  judge ;  the 
potential   use   of  the   impv..  like 
scito.  —  mecum :     as  I  (iff,  i.e.  by 
following    the    line    of   argument 
which  I  now  present. 

52.  dente,  cornu :  the  emphatic 
words.  —  intus  :     from     within, 
the  usual  Plautine  and  colloquial 
meaning. 

53.  vivacem:  too  long-lived,  so 
that  the  son's  inheritance  of  his 
property  is  delayed. 

54  f .  sceleris :  crime  of  violence. 
—  pia :  filial.  He  would  not  cut 
her  throat  or  strangle  her ;  his 
little  weakness  is  poisoning,  not 
bloodshed.  —  minim,  ut :  as  aston- 
ishing as  it  is  that,  i.e.  no  more 
astonishing. — calce:  suggesting 
the  contrast  of  the  wolf  to  a  kick- 
ing horse  (cf.  vs.  20)  as  a  slight 
variation  from  vs.  52. 

56.  mala :  a  standing  epithet 
with  poisons. — toilet:  euphemis- 
tic, as  the  whole  line  is ;  the 
matter  will  be  managed  quietly, 
without  publicity. 


2,  i,  57] 


HORATI 


Ne  longum  faciam,  sen  me  tranquilla  senectus 
exspectat  seu  Mors  atris  circumvolat  alis, 
dive^  inops,  Romae,  seu  fors  ita  iusserit,  exul, 

60      quisquis  erit  vitae,  scribam,  color.      Trcb.    O  puer,  ut 

sis 

vitalis  metuo,  et  maiorum  ne  quis  amicus 
frigore  te  feriat.     Hoi:  Quid,  cum  est  Lucilius  ausus 
primus  in  hunc  operis  componere  carmina  morem, 
detrahere  et  pellem,  nitidus  qua  quisque  per  ora 

65  cederet,  introrsum  turpis,  num  Laelius  aut  qui 
duxit  ab  oppressa  meritum  Carthagine  nomen 
ingenio  offensi  aut  laeso  doluere  Metello 


57.  Ne  longum  faciam :  the 
same  words  in  i,  3,  137,  and  cf. 
ne  te  ttiorer,  i,  i,  14. 

60.  vitae  .  .  .  color:  this  fig- 
urative use  of  color  is  especially 
common  in  rhetorical  writings, 
e.g.  Ars  Poet.  86,  236. 

61  f.  vitalis:  long-lived]  Tre- 
batius  goes  back  to  58,  Mors  .  .  . 
circumvolat ;  '  I  am  afraid  that 
you  won't  live  long,  if  that's  your 
spirit.'  —  maiorum:  with  amicus. 
The  reference  is  to  the  friends  of 
high  station  mentioned  by  Horace 
with  pride  in  Sat.  i,  10,  81  ff., 
Maecenas,  Pollio,  Messalla.  — 
frigore  .  .  .  feriat  :  a  little 
more  forcible  than  strike  you 
with  a  chill ;  ferire  is  used 
of  striking  an  enemy  dead, 
'striking  down'  and  frigus  sug- 
gests the  dangerous  fever  and 
chill. 

63.  primus :  i.e.  Lucilius  began 
this  kind  of  writing:  I  am  merely 


a  follower  and  therefore  less  liable 
to  suffer  for  it. 

64  f .  pellem :  an  allusion  to  the 
fable  of  the  Ass  in  the  Lion's 
Skin;  cf.  Sat.  I,  6,  22  and  Epist. 
I,  1 6,  45,  introrsittn  turpem, 
speciosnni  pelle  decora.  — per  ora  : 
among  men ;  the  phrase  occurs 
only  a  few  times,  but  the  meaning 
is  clear.  —  cederet :  colloquial  for 
incfderet.  —  introrsum  turpis  :  i.e. 
under  the  skin  is  an  ugly  ass. 

65.  Laelius :  C.  Laelius,  consul 
in  140  i?.c.,  a  friend  of  Terence, 
used  by  Cicero  as  a  speaker  in  the 
two  dialogues  de  Senectute  and  de 
Amicitia. 

66.  The   younger   Scipio  Afri- 
canus,  whose  friendship  with  Lae- 
lius was  historic. 

67.  offensi :      sc.    stint.  —  laeso 
.  .  .  Metello:  Q.  Caecilius  Metel- 
lus   Macedonians,   consul    in    143 
B.C.,    a     political     opponent     of 
Scipio. 


SERMONES 


[2.  '.  74 


famosisque  Lupo  cooperto  versibus  ?     Atqui 
primores  populi  arripuit  populumque  tributiin, 
70      scilicet  uni  aequus  virtuti  atque  eius  amicjs— 
Quin  ubi  se  a  volgo  et  scaena  in  secreta  remorant 
virtus  Scipiadae  et  mitis  sapientia  Laeli, 
nugari  cum  illo  et  discincti  ludere,  donee 
decoqueretur  olus,  soliti.     Quicquid  sum  ego,  quamvis 


68.  Lupo :  L.  Cornelius  Lentu- 
lus   Lupus,    consul    in     156   B.C., 
also    an    enemy    of    Scipio    and 
attacked    by   Lucilius    apparently 
with  special  bitterness.  —  famosis  : 
which    made    them    notorious.  — 
cooperto  :  overwhelmed ;  the  verses 
fell  upon  him  like  a  volley  of  jave- 
lins. 

The  argument  of  vss.  62-68  is 
ironical,  though  less  broadly  so 
than  that  of  47-56 ;  •  do  you  sup- 
pose that  Scipio  and  Laelius  were 
greatly  disturbed  when  Lucilius 
turned  his  satire  upon  their  politi- 
cal opponents  ? '  —  Atqui :  and  yet 
Lucilius  was  much  more  daring 
and  more  sweeping  in  his  satire 
than  I  am. 

69.  arripuit :    a  technical   term 
of  law  ;  summoned  to  court.  —  tri- 
butim :  a  tribe  at  a  time.     This  is 
a  reference  to  a  political  satire  in 
which      Lucilius      tribus     omnes 
XXXriaceravit  (Schol.  to  Pers. 
i,    114);    of  this   two   fragments 
remain,  containing  the  names  of 
two  of  the  tribes  attacked,  J-'apiria 
and  Oufentina. 

70.  scilicet :     of  course.      The 
line   is  a  humorous   afterthought. 


really  in  direct  contradiction  of 
the  preceding  statement,  just  as  in 
vss.  43  flf.  and  below  in  vss.  77  f. 
an  exaggerated  pugnacity  and  a 
regard  for  the  proprieties  are  set 
in  contrast ;  '  he  attacked  every- 
body, high  and  low.  and  the  whole 
people,  tribe  by  tribe,  but  of 
course,  you  understand,  he  at- 
tacked only  bad  people  (cf.  vs.  85) 
and  never  satirized  the  virtuous  — 
any  more  than  I  do.1 

71.  Quin:    why;    corrective  of 
the  insufficient  expression   in  of- 

fensi,  doluere.  —  scaena  :  the  stage 
of  public  life. 

72.  virtus  Scipiadae :  Homeric 
circumlocutions ;      '  the     virtuous 
Scipio  and   the  wise  and  gentle 
Laelius.1 

73.  discincti:    i.e.  laying   aside 
all    the    formalities    of    city   life. 
There  are  other  references  (Schol. 
and  Cic.  de  Oral.  2.  6.  22)  to  this 
distinct  tradition  that  Scipio  and 
Laelius  enjoyed  the  opportunities 
of  relaxation  in  the  country. 

74.  olus :    i.e.   a  simple  coun- 
try meal,  <a  dinner  of  herbs.'  — 
soliti :  sc.  sinit,  as  with  offensi  in 
vs.  67. 


»  if  75] 


HORATI 


75      infra  Lucili  censum  ingeniumque,  tamen  me 
cum  magnis  vixisse  invita  fatebitur  usque 
invidia,  et,  fragili  quaerens  illidere  dentem, 
offendet  solido,  —  nisi  quid  tu,  docte  Trebati, 
dissentis.     Trcb.  Equidem  nihil  hinc  diffindere  possum. 

80      Sed  tamen  ut  monitus  caveas,  ne  forte  negoti 
incutiat  tibi  quid  sanctarum  inscitia  legum  : 
si  mala  condiderit  in  quern  quis  carmina,  ius  est 
iudiciumque.     Hor.  Esto,  si  quis  mala ;  sed  bona  si  quis 


75.  censum :    rank.      Lucilius 
was  an  eqnes  and  therefore  natu- 
rally connected  with  men  of  sta- 
tion. 

76.  invita :    i.e.   even  against 
its  will,  in  spite  of  itself. 

77  f.  fragili,  solido :  dat.  neut. ; 
alluding  to  the  fable  of  the  Viper 
and  the  File.  —  illidere  :  to  dash 
in,  expressing  the  eagerness  of 
the  bite. 

78.  nisi  .  .  .  dissentis :  cf.  70 
note.     Horace  represents  himself 
as  suddenly  remembering,  at  the 
very  climax  of  his  bragging,  that 
he  is  supposed  to  be  asking  advice. 

79.  hinc  diffindere  :  lit., '  to  cut 
off  anything  from  this,1  with  the 
figure  of  fragili  .   .  .  solido  still 
in  mind ;    translate,  '  I  can't  find 
anything  in  this  to  take  exception 
to.1     [But  the  text  is  not  sure.] 

80.  ut  .   .  .  caveas:  not  a  final 
clause  and  not  to  be  explained  by 
supplying  a  main  clause.     This  is 
the  use  of  ///  (more  often  ////)  in 
sentences   of    command,    parallel 
to  the  use  of  uti-nam  in  wishes  ; 
it   is    not    infrequent    in    Plautus 


(Bacch.  739,  proin  tu  ab  eo  ut 
caveas  tibi;  Capt.  115,  etc.)  and 
Terence  {Ad.  280,  Phorm.  212), 
but  survives  especially  in  legal  for- 
mulas (C.I.L.  i,  196,  23  and  in 
quotations  in  Livy)  and  is  used 
here  to  give  a  formal  tone  to  the 
injunctions  of  the  lawyer ;  cf.  vs. 
8  f.  transnanto,  habettto,  and  vs. 
82.  —  negoti:  trouble*  a  common 
colloquial  meaning ;  gen.  partitive 
with  quid. 

81.  sanctarum:    sacred,   as    a 
lawyer     would     naturally     think 
them. 

82.  si  mala  .  .  .  carmina :  this 
is  almost  the  phraseology  of  the 
law  of  the  XII  Tables  as  quoted 
by  Pliny,  H.  AT.   28,   4,    18,   qui 
main m   carmen    incantassit,    and 
by  Cicero  de  Rep.  4,  10,  I2,.sit>e 
(quis)    carmen    condidisset.  —  ius 
est  iudiciumque :    there  is  right  of 
action  and  a  legal  remedy;   the 
offended  party  has  a  legal  right  to 
sue. 

83.  mala :    Horace    represents 
himself    as     understanding     this 
word,   which    in    the    law   meafls 


154 


SERMONES  £2,  I,  86 

iudice  concliderit  lauclatus  Caesare  ?  si  quis 
85      opprobriis  dignum  latravcrit,  integer  ipse  ? 

Treb.  Solventur  risu  tabulae,  tu  missus  abibis. 


injurious,  abusive,  in  the  esthetic  will  go  free,'  and  the  figure  in 

sense,  bad  poetry.  solvent ur  is  used  elsewhere 

84.  Caesare :  Caesar  is  named  (Quint.  5,  10,  67,  cum  risu  tola 

rather  than  some  recognized  critic  res  solvitur ;  Cic.  de  Orat.  2, 

like  Quintilius  Varus  because  he  58,  236,  res  .  .  .  ioco  risuque 

would  be  accepted  by  a  lawyer  as  dissolvit),  but  the  exact  meaning 

the  highest  authority.  of  tabulae  (the  indictment,  the 

86.  The  sense  of  this  line  is  voting  tablets,  the  benches  of 

perfectly  clear,  '  the  case  will  be  the  jury-men)  cannot  be  deter- 

laughed  out  of  court  and  you  mined. 


There  is  no  internal  evidence  to  fix  the  date  of  this  satire;  it  was 
written  between  35  and  30  B.C. 

'The  advantages  of  plain  living  —  I  am  repeating  what  I  once  heard 
from  a  wise  old  farmer  —  cannot  be  properly  set  forth  in  an  after-dinner 
conversation ;  only  a  hungry  man  can  know  how  good  plain  food  may 
be.  At  a  dinner  party  your  judgment  is  confused  by  the  elaborate 
cookery  and  —  still  worse  —  by  the  rarity  or  the  novelty  of  the  viands. 
Indeed,  the  very  over-abundance  sometimes  drives  you  back  in  disgust 
to  simple  flavors.  For  it  is  only  lately  that  you  have  learned,  in  obedi- 
ence to  fashion,  to  like  stork ;  roast  sea-gull  will  be  the  next  whim,  I 
suppose. 

'But  you  must  not  think  —  says  my  old  farmer  —  that  simplicity 
means  stinginess.  Do  not  rusli  to  the  other  extreme ;  keep  to  the 
middle  course  of  a  plain  neatness. 

'  Consider,  now,  the  advantages  of  such  a  way  of  living :  health,  vigor, 
the  pleasure  of  occasional  indulgence,  hospitality,  good  repute,  money 
left  in  your  purse,  and,  chief  of  all,  readiness  to  meet  the  buffets  of  for- 
tune. I  used  to  hear  the  old  farmer,  then  a  hired  laborer  on  the  farm 
he  had  once  owned,  discoursing  about  this  to  his  sons  :  "  I  have  lived 
a  temperate  life  and  my  wants^re  few.  Let  Fortune  do  her  worst ;  he 
that  is  down  need  fear  no  fall.1" 

In  form,  this  satire,  like  3,  4,  7,  8  of  this  book,  consists  of  a  main 
body  of  didactic  discourse  set  in  an  introductory  framework.  In  the 

'55 


2,  2,  i]  ,  HORAT1 

other  satires,  however,  the  framework  is  in  dialogue,  generally  very 
skilfully  adapted  to  its  special  purpose,  while  here  the  setting  is  not 
clearly  conceived  (cf.  vs.  7  note),  the  introduction  is  too  brief  (vss.  2  f.). 
and  the  quotation  passes  from  indirect  to  direct  without  sufficient  mo- 
tive and  with  a  second  and  superfluous  introduction  (vss.  112-115). 
In  the  main  discourse  also  there  is  a  similar  lack  of  clearness  of  outline. 
The  change  from  the  plural  (vss.  1-7)  to  the  vague  ///  breaks  the  con- 
tinuity. The  reference  to  Ofellus  in  vs.  53  is  not  distinct  enough  to 
preserve  the  illusion  of  quotation.  The  knowledge  of  places,  fashions, 
and  persons  in  Rome  is  quite  inconsistent  with  the  circumstances  of  an 
Apulian  peasant;  this  is  in  part  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  the 
whole  satire  is  a  parody  of  a  Stoic  sermon,  in  which  allusions  to  Roman 
affairs  would  be  quite  in  place,  but  the  inconsistency  remains  and  adds 
nothing  to  the  humor.  The  explanation  of  these  incongruities  in  struc- 
ture is  that  Horace  is  here  experimenting  with  a  form  of  satire  which  is 
a  compromise  between  the  dialogue  form  of  Satires  3,  4.  7,  and  8  and  the 
frankly  personal  monologue  of  Satire  6,  and  is  inferior  to  either. 

There  is  a  similar  compromise  or  combination  in  the  subject-matter; 
on  the  one  hand,  the  satire  contrasts  country  life  with  the  life  of  the 
city,  as  is  done  in  greater  fulness  and  with  greater  effectiveness  in 
Satire  6 ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  luxuries  and  fashions  of  the  table, 
which  are  ridiculed  here,  are  treated  more  fully  and  more  humorously  in 
Satires  4  and  8.  But  the  two  subjects  harmonize  more  easily  than 
the  two  forms.  The  combination,  however,  is  marked  enough  to  sug- 
gest the  hypothesis  that  this  satire  is  the  earliest  of  the  book  in  date  of 
composition,  and  that  both  form  and  subject  were  worked  out  to  greater 
perfection  in  the  later  satires. 

Quae  virtus  et  quanta,  boni,  sit  vivere  parvo 

(nee  meus  hie  sermo  est,  sed  quae  praecepit  Ofellus 

rusticus,  abnormis  sapiens,  crassaque  Minerva), 

1.  boni:    wya&n,  as  a  friendly  sect.     So  Cicero,  rtfc  Amic.  5,  18, 
form  of  address.  says  that  certain  Roman  worthies 

2.  nee  meus  .  .  .  est:   the  same  were  not  philosophers,  ad istornin 
phrase,  KOVK  c/xos  6  /xr$os,  occurs  nor  main.  —  crassa  Minerva:  of  a 
in  a  fragment  of  Euripides  and  is  rmgh-and-ready  wit.     Cf.  pitigni 
quoted  by  Plato,  Syinp.  177  A.  _  .\finerva,   Cic.    de  Amic.    5.    19. 

3.  abnormis :    unschooled,    not  Minerva  is  the  goddess  of  intelli- 
bound    by    the  doctrines   of  any  gence. 

156 


SKRMuM  - 


[2,  2,   12 


cliscite,  non  inter  lances  mensasque  nitentis, 
cum  stupet  insanis  acies  fulgoribus  et  cum 
acclinis  falsis  animus  meliora  recusat, 
verum  hie  impransi  niecum  disquiritc.     'Cur  hoc?' 
Dicam,  si  potero.     Male  verum  examinat  omnis 
corruptus  index.     Leporem  sectatus  equove 
lassus  ab  indomito,  vel,  si  Romana  fatigat 
militia  adsuetum  graecari,  sen  pila  velox, 
molliter  austerum  studio  fallente  laborem, 


4  f .  nitentis,  fulgoribus :  the 
gleaming  of  silver  plate,  which  the 
Romans  used  very  freely,  is  often 
alluded  to  in  descriptions  of  the 
tables  at  a  banquet,  e.g.  Catull. 
64,  44  ft".  —  stupet  acies  :  the  eyes 
are  dazzled,  of  course  in  a  figura- 
tive sense,  'the  judgment  is  dis- 
tracted.' 

7.  hie  impransi :    here,  not  at 
a  table,  and  fasting,  hungry,  not 
after  an    elaborate   dinner.      The 
two  words  seem  to  suggest  a  par- 
ticular scene  and  certain  definite 
circumstances —  a  group  of  friends 
or    neighbors    waiting    for    their 
lunch, —  but    if    such    a    setting 
for  the  discourse  was  in  Horace's 
mind,  it  is  lost  sight  of  at  once  and 
not  again  alluded  to  in  the  satire. 
Cf.    note  on   vs.    17.  —  Cur  hoc: 
i.e.  'why  impransi  f 

8.  si  potero  :  this  gives  the  air 
of  a  lecturer :  '  I  will  endeavor  to 
tell  you.'  —  Male  :    with  examinat. 
The  sentence  can  be  best  trans- 
lated by  turning  it  into  the  negative 
form ;    '  no  judge   who  has  been 
bribed  .  .  .' 


9-16.  The  outline  of  this  loosely 
constructed  sentence  is  simple ; 
'  get  an  appetite  by  hard  exercise, 
and  then  see  whether  you  are  dis- 
posed to  refuse  plain  food.'  But 
after  mentioning  two  kinds  of 
Roman  exercise,  hunting  (cf.  Epod. 
2.  29  ff.;  Car  in.  i,  i,  25  ff.)  and 
riding  (Carm.  1, 8,  5  ft".),  he  intro- 
duces as  an  alternative  two  kinds 
of  Greek  athletics,  ball-playing  and 
the  throwing  of  the  discus,  each 
in  a  conditional  clause,  sen  pila 
(te  agit},  sen  discus  te  agit ;  the 
first  is  left  without  a  formal  apod- 
osis,  but  pete  is  the  apodosis  to 
the  second.  Then  as  the  formal 
structure  of  the  sentence  has  been 
disturbed,  the  substance  of  9-13  is 
condensed  into  cum  .  .  .  extmierit 
and  repeated  in  siccus,  inanis. — 
militia1:  with  special  reference  to 
riding. — graecari:  there  is  a 
suggestion  of  effeminacy  in  this 
verb.  —  velox :  the  game  consisted 
in  rapid  passing  of  the  ball  from 
one  player  to  another.  —  molliter 
.  .  .  laborem:  i.e.  '  in  which  the 
interest  in  the  game  makes  the 


157 


2,  2, 


1IORATI 


seu  te  discus  agit,  pete  cedentem  aera  disco ; 
cum  labor  extuderit  fastidia,  siccus,  inanis 

15      sperne  cibum  vilem  ;  nisi  Hymettia  mella  Falerno 
ne  biberis  diluta.     Foris  est  promus,  et  atrum 
defendens  piscis  hiemat  mare  :  cum  sale  panis 
latrantem  stomachum  bene  leniet.     Vnde  putas  aut 
qui  partum  ?     Non  in  caro  nidore  voluptas 

20      summa,  sed  in  te  ipso  est.     Tu  pulmentaria  quaere 
sudando  ;  pinguem  vitiis  albumque  neque  ostrea 
nee  scarus  aut  poterit  peregrina  iuvare  lagois. 
Vix  tamen  eripiam,  posito  pavone,  velis  quin 


player  enjoy  the  exercise,  forget- 
ting how  severe  it  is.'  This  abl. 
abs.  clause  takes  the  place  of  an 
apodosis  to  sen  pila.  —  discus  :  a 
large  flat  quoit,  thrown  for  dis- 
tance, not  for  accuracy.  —  agit : 
stirs,  rouses,  attracts.  A  rare  use, 
but  exactly  paralleled  in  Cic. 
Arch.  7,  1 6,  haec  stndia  adulescen- 
tiam  agunt,  senectutem  oblectant. 
—  pete  :  strike.  —  disco  :  abl.  — 
extuderit :  i.e.  '  has  knocked  the 
nonsense  out  of  you ' ;  a  collo- 
quial use.  —  Hymettia,  Falerno : 
the  finest  honey  and  wine.  — 
promus :  the  butler  or  steward, 
who  keeps  the  keys  of  the  store- 
room. 

17.  hiemat  mare:  this  has  been 
taken  to  indicate  that  the  scene  of 
the  discourse  was  a  villa  on  the 
seashore,  where  Horace  repeats 
the  precepts  of  Ofellus  to  a  group 
of  friends.  But  the  reference  is 
too  general  for  that ;  tisli  are  men- 
tioned here,  as  in  31  if.,  48  f.,  95, 


merely  as  other  kinds  of  food  are 
specified. 

18.  leniet:  the    future   implies 
'you  will  find  that  it  will  soothe.' 

19.  qui    partum :     whence    or 
how    do  you    suppose    that    this 
comes  about,  that  you  are  glad  to 
get  the  plainest  food? 

20.  Tu:    emphatic,  with  refer- 
ence   to    te   ipso. — pulmentaria: 
the  Scholiasts   refer  to  the  story 
that   Socrates,   being    asked   why 
he  was  taking  such  a  long  walk, 
replied    wf/ov    <rwdyo>,    which    is 
almost     pulmentarium      quaero. 
Cf.  also  the   saying  fames   opti- 
mum condimentnm. 

21  f.  vitiis:  excesses  in  eating 
and  drinking.  —  ostrea,  scarus, 
lagois  :  three  expensive  delicacies. 
But  neither  the  scarus,  a  kind  of 
fish,  nor  the  lagois,  a  game  bird, 
can  be  precisely  identified.  —  iu- 
vare: to  give  you  pleasure. 

23.  eripiam :  with  prohibitive 
force  and  therefore  followed  by 


158 


SERMONES 


t*.  2,  32 


hoc  potius  quam  gallina  tergere  palatum, 
25      corruptus  vanis  rerum,  quia  veneat  auro 

rara  avis,  et  picta  pandat  spectacula  cauda ; 

tamquam  ad  rem  attineat  quicquam.    Num  vesccris  ista 

quam  laudas  pluma  ?     Cocto  num  adest  honor  idem  ? 

carne  tamen  quamvis  distat  nihil,  hanc  magis  ilia 
30      imparibus  formis  deceptum  te  petere  esto, 

unde  datum  sentis,  lupus  hie  Tiberinus  an  alto 

captus  hiet,  pontisne  inter  iactatus  an  amnis 


quin. — posito :  on  the  table,  as 
in  Sat.  i,  3,  92. — pavone:  the 
peacock  was  first  used  as  an  article 
of  food  by  Hortensius  the  orator 
and  was  afterward  regarded  as  a 
necessary  part  of  a  banquet.  Cf. 
Cic.  ad  Fam.  9,  20,  2,  scd  vide 
aitdaciain ;  etiam  Hirtio  cenam 
dedi  sine  pavone, 

24.  tergere  :  almost  exactly  like 
the  English  to  tickle  the  palate. 

25.  corruptus  :  cf.  vs.  9.  —  vanis 
rerum:  =  vanis   rebus  ;    so  fictus 
rerum,  Sat.   2,   8,   83. — veneat: 
the     subjv.      suggests     the    real, 
though    unexpressed,   motive   for 
the  preference. 

28.  Cocto  .  .  .  idem:  the  pea- 
cock was  cooked  with  its  plumage, 
but  the  brilliancy  of  the  feathers 
would  be  lost.  —  num  adest :  mon- 
osyllabic hiatus  with  a  word  end- 
ing in  -in  or  a  long  vowel;  cf.  si 
me  ainas,  Sat.  i,  9,  38. 

29-32.  '  You  pretend  to  prefer 
peacock  to  fowl,  .but  it  is  a  mere 
pretence;  you  could  not  tell  them 
apart  if  it  were  not  for  the  differ- 
ence in  size.  Let  me  try  you  with 


two  pike  of  the  same  size  and  see 
if  you  can  distinguish  the  one 
caught  in  the  Tiber  —  which  you 
epicures  consider  so  much  better 

—  from  one  caught  in  the  sea.'  — 
quamvis  :    frequently  with  the  in- 
die, in  Horace,  e.g.  Sat.  1.3,  129. 

—  hanc  ilia  :  sc.  car  item,  carne.  — 
imparibus  .  .  .  deceptum :  this  does 
not  mean  that  the  epicure  could 
not  distinguish  fowl  from  peacock, 
but  that  he  allowed  the  fact  that 
the  peacock  was  bigger  to  delude 
him  into  thinking  that  it  was  also 
better.      It   is   the   same  as    cor- 
rupt us  vanis  rerum,  vs.  25  ;  mis- 
led by  the  false  standard  of  size.  — 
esto :   grant  that.  —  unde    datum 
sentis :     whence  do  you   get    the 
power  to  distinguish  ;  i.e.   '  when 
there  is  no  difference  in  size,  there 
is  no  way  in  which  you  can  distin- 
guish, as  you  pretend  to  do.1     Cf. 
vs.  1 8  and  unde  pet  it  urn  )wc  in  me 
tact's?    Sat.  i,  4,  79.  — hiet :  this 
should  be  made  subordinate  in  the 
translation ;     k  whether  this    pike 
with  its  mouth   open    was  caught 
.  .  .' —  pontis  inter  :    bet-ween  the 


159 


2,  2,  33] 


1  [<)R  ATI 


ostia  sub  Tusci  ?     Laudas,  insane,  trilibrem 

mullum,  in  singula  quern  minuas  pulmenta  necesse  est 
35      Ducit  te  species,  video  :  quo  pertinet  ergo 

proceros  odisse  lupos  ?     Quia  scilicet  illis 

maiorem  natura  modum  dedit,  his  breve  pondus. 

leiunus  raro  stomachus  volgaria  temnit. 

'  Porrectum  magno  magnum  spectare  catino 
40      vellem,'  ait  Harpyiis  gula  digna  rapacibus.     At  vos, 

praesentes  Austri,  coquite  horum  obsonia !    Quamquam 


bridges,  i.e.  from  the  shore  of  the 
island  which  was  connected  by 
bridges  with  the  two  banks.  The 
fish  caught  in  the  swift  current 
here  (iactatiis)  were  thought  to 
have  a  finer  flavor.  This  passage 
is  reminiscent  of  Lucilius,  1176 
(Manc}f  j^tfttfef  Tiber  inns  duo  inter 
captus  catillo  (scavenger,  i.e.  a 
pike). 

33.  insane :    a   Stoic  form  of 
address;     cf.   Sat.   2.  3,  81,   and 
326.  —  trilibrem :    the  mullet  was 
usually  a  small  fish,  rarely  weigh- 
ing as  much  as  two  pounds,  and 
enormous     sums    were    paid    for 
those  of  abnormal  size. 

34.  pulmenta  :  helps,  portions. 
—  minuas  .  .  .  necesse  est :  para- 
taxis,   as   often   with    necesse  est. 
The  argument  is  that  there  is  no 
real  reason  for  preferring  the  large 
mullet,  since  it  must   be  divided 
into  portions  to  be  served. 

35  ff.  The  sententious  brevity 
of  the  clauses  is  in  parody  of  the 
Stoic  manner.  —  Quia  scilicet : 
giving  the  real  reason  in  an  ironi- 
cal form ;  'it  is  mere  fashion  with- 


out taste  which  leads  you  to  prefer 
the  rare  and  unnatural  —  small 
pike  and  large  mullets.'  The 
modern  parallel  to  this  is  serving 
fruits  out  of  season. 

38.  raro:  with  ieiunus ;    'it    is 
because  you  seldom  feel  real  ap- 
petite   that  you    seek    for    such 
varieties.' 

39.  magno  magnum :  a  sort  of 
outcry  as  if  from  some  one  who 
feels  himself  free  from  the  whims 
of  fashion ;  '  but   I  should  really 
like  to  see  a  big  fish  in  a  big  dish.' 
The  answer  is,  'your  gluttony  is 
no  more  natural  than  the  caprices 
of  fashion.' 

40.  At :    not  adversative,  but, 
as  frequently  in  curses,  a  particle 
of  transition. 

41.  praesentes:       i.e.      'come 
yourselves  and   cook  (taint)    the 
food  of    such    people.'  —  Austri: 
the  warm    south   winds.  — Quam- 
quam :    *  ii>i<f  yet  I  need   scarcely 
saythis,  for  tliosa  whose  appetites 
are  spoiled    with    an    over-abun- 
diince  of  rich  viands  cannot  distin- 
guish fresh  food  from  tainted.1 


1 60 


SKKMnM  - 


t*.  2.  54 


putet  aper  rhombusque  recens,  mala  copia  quando 
aegrum  sollicitat  stomacbum,  cum  rapula  plenus 
atque  acidas  mavolt  inulas.     Necdum  omnis  abacta 

45      pauperies  epulis  regum  ;  nam  vilibus  ovis 

nigrisque  est  oleis  hodie  locus.     Hand  ita  pridem 
Gallon!  praeconis  erat  acipensere  niensa 
infamis.     Quid  ?  turn  rhombos  minus  aequor  alebat? 
Tutus  erat  rhombus,  tutoque  ciconia  nido, 

50      donee  vos  auctor  docuit  praetorius.     Ergo 
si  quis  nunc  merges  suavis  edixerit  assos, 
parebit  pravi  docilis  Romana  iuventus. 

Sordidus  a  tenui  victu  distabit,  Ofello 
iudice;  nam  frustra  vitium  vitaveris  illud,  V 


42.  quando:  since]  the  more 
common  use  in  Horace. 

43  f .  sollicitat :  disturbs,  troubles. 
—  rapula,  inulas :  radishes  and 
pickles.  The  root  of  the  elecam- 
pane (initla)  is  no  longer  used  as 
a  food.  — Necdum :  not  even  yet ; 
i.e. '  we  still  use  some  simple  kinds 
of  food,  for  it  is  not  so  very  long 
ago  that  these  absurd  fashions 
were  introduced.' 

45.  pauperies :  plain  food,  the 
food  of  a  poor  man ;  contrasted 
with  regum,  the  rich. 

46-52.  '  It  is  not  long  since  the 
introduction  of  the  sturgeon  made 
Gallonius  notorious.  Now  a  tur- 
bot  or  a  stork  is  the  proper  thing 
for  a  fine  dinner.  Such  fashions 
have  not  even  the  excuse  of  a 
love  of  good  food  j  they  are  noth- 
ing but  silly  caprices.'  —  Galloni: 
Publius  Gallonius,  satirized  by 
Lucilius  for  having  set  the  fashion 


of  serving  a  large  sturgeon  at  din- 
ner. —  Quid  ?  .  .  .  alebat :  the 

exclamation  of  a  person  to  whom 
the  present  fashion  of  having  tur- 
bot  for  a  fish-course  seems  like  a 
law  of  nature.  —  auctor  .  .  .  prae- 
torius :  his  name  is  variously  given 
by  the  Scholiasts,  who  quote  an 
anonymous  epigram  upon  him, 
alluding  to  his  setting  the  fashion 
of  eating  storks  and  to  his  defeat 
for  the  praetorship.  Praetorius 
would  then  be  ironical.  —  mergos  : 
some  sea  bird  whose  flesh  was  not 
fit  for  eating.  —  edixerit :  issue  an 
edict,  as  a  praetor  did ;  another 
hit  at  the  auctor  praetorius.  — 
pravi  docilis :  quick  to  learn  cor- 
ruption. 

53  f.  *  But  Ofellus  did  not  rush 
to  the  other  extreme  ;  it  was  sim- 
plicity, not  stinginess,  that  he 
recommended.'  The  mention  of 
Ofellus  is  a  reminder  of  vss.  2  f. 


HOR.  SAT.  —  ii 


161 


2,  55] 


HORATI 


55      si  te  alio  pravum  detorseris.     Avidienus 

cui  Canis  ex  vero  ductum  cognomen  adhaeret, 
quinquennia  oleas  est  et  silvestria  corna, 
ac  nisi  mutatum  parcit  defundere  vinum,  et 
cuius  odorem  olei  nequeas  perferre,  licebit 

60      ille  repotia,  natalis,  aliosve  dierum 

festos  albatus  celebret,  cornu  ipse  bilibri 

caulibus  instillat,  veteris  non  parcus  aceti. 

Quali  igitur  victu  sapiens  utetur,  et  horum 

utrum  imitabitur  ?     Hac  urget  lupus,  hac  canis,  aiunt. 


55.  alio :     adverb.  —  pravum : 
with  te,  but  to  be  rendered  freely. 
—  Avidienus :      a    coined     name, 
probably  with  a  vague  suggestion 
of  dvidus,  in  spite  of  the  difference 
in  quantity. 

56.  Canis  :  i.e.  KiW ;  a  depre- 
ciatory reference  to  the  rival  sect 
of  the  Cynics,  in  the  manner  of  a 
Stoic  preacher.  —  ex  vero  ductum : 
deservedly  applied,  based  on  the 
actual   facts   of   his    temper    and 
habits.     The   phrase  occurs  else- 
where ;  Plautus,  Stick.  242,  mine 
Miccotrogns  nomine  e  vero  vocor ; 
Ovid,  Fast.  2,  859. 

57.  est :  from  edo.  —  silvestria 
corna :     i.e.    such    poor    food   as 
primitive    man    used    before   the 
cultivation   of    grain ;    cf.     Verg. 
Georg.  I,  r,  147  ff. 

58.  mutatum :  turned,  soured. 

59.  olei :     attracted    from    the 
ace.  after  instillat  into  the  relative 
clause.  —  licebit:      p.uutactically 
with    celebret ;     there    are    many 
cases  where  the  pres.  licet  is  felt 


as  a  verb  rather  than  as  a  con- 
junction. 

60.  repotia:     wedding  feasts, 
occasions   when  the  best  of  food 
would  be  served. 

61.  albatus:  wearing  the  white 
toga  of  ceremony ;    he  would  ob- 
serve  the   proprieties    where   the 
observance  cost  nothing.  —  cornu 
.  .  .  bilibri :  i.e.  the  oil  was  served 
in  a  large  vessel  of  the  cheapest 
material,  instead  of  a  guttus  (Sat. 
I,  6,  118),  and  the  host  poured  it 
with  his  own  hand  {ipse)  drop  by 
drop  (tnslillat)  that  there  might 
be  no  waste. 

62.  veteris  .  .  .  aceti :  the 
point  of  this  is  not  quite  clear. 
Old  vinegar  is  better  than  new ; 
the  implication  may  be  that  he 
was  generous  only  with  vinegar, 
which  was  cheaper  than  oil,  or 
this  may  l>e,  as  the  Scholiast  says, 
a  joke  of  the  kind  called  irapa 
TrpoaSoKiuv,  the  substitution  of 
aceti  for  an  expected  inni. 

64.    aiunt:  as  the  saying  is.  The 


162 


2.  77 


65      Mundus  erit,  qua  non  offendat  sordibus,  atque 

in  neutram  partem  cultus  miser.     Hie  neque  servis, 
Albuci  senis  exemplo,  dum  munia  didit, 
saevus  erit,  nee  sic  ut  simplex  Naevius  unctam 
convivis  praebebit  aquam  ;  vitium  hoc  quoque  magnum. 

70          Accipe  mine  victus  tenuis  quae  quantaque  secum 
adferat.     In  primis  valeas  bene  :  nam  variae  res 
ut  noceant  homini  credas,  memor  illius  escae 
quae  simplex  olim  tibi  sederit;  at  simul  assis 
miscueris  elixa,  simul  conchylia  turdis, 

75      dulcia  se  in  bilem  vertent,  stomachoque  tumultum 
lenta  feret  pituita.     Vides  ut  pallidus  omnis 
cena  desurgat  dubia  ?     Quin  corpus  onustum 


verb  aiunt  is  often  used  paren- 
thetically in  the  quotation  of  a 
proverb. 

65.  Mundus  erit,  qua  :  '  the  phi- 
losopher will  be  refined  in  his  way 
of  living,  but  will  not  carry  refine- 
ment to  such  an  extreme  that  it 
will  seem  to  be  mere  stinginess.' 
The  meaning  of  miindtts  {mundi- 
tia)  is  limited  in  the  same  way  in 
Sat.  I,  2.  123  and  in  Cic.  de  Off. 
I,  36,  130;  cf.  also  Carm.  2,  10, 
Sff. 

66.  cultus  :  with  miser,  anxious 
about  his  wiy  of  living. 

67-69.  Albucius  (not  to  be 
connected  with  the  Albucius  of 
Sat.  2.  i.  48.)  is  so  overanxious  to 
have  all  the  service  at  dinner 
perfect  that  he  scolds  his  servants 
even  when  he  is  assigning  their 
duties  ;  Naevius  (a  mere  name)  is 
so  careless  that  he  allows  his 
slaves  to  be  slovenly.  —  unctam 


.  .  .  aquam :  greasy  water  for 
rinsing  the  hands  after  the  meal. 
—  vitium  .  .  .  magnum :  this 
solemn  condemnation  of  a  rather 
trifling  fault  (cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  80  f. 
and  Sat.  2,  8)  comes  with  bur- 
lesque effect  from  the  lips  of  an 
old  farmer. 

71.  valeas:  potential,  as  is 
credas  in  the  next  line,  with 
protases  implied  in  the  general 
sense  and  in  mentor,  if  you  recall. 

73.  sederit:  like  the  colloquial 
English  Ho  set  well  on  the 
stomach.' 

75  f .  dulcia,  bilem,  lenta  .pituita  : 
phrases  of  popular  physiology,  to 
describe  indigestion.  Pituita  is 
in  three  syllables. 

77.  cena  .  .  .  dubia :  a  quota- 
tion from  Terence.  Phorm.  342, 
•  cena  dubia  adponitur.  j  quid  istuc 
verbi  est  ?  ||  ubi  tu  dubites  quid 
sumas  potissurrium.'  i.e.  a  dinner 


2,  2,  78] 


HORATI 


hesternis  vitiis  animum  quoquc  pracgravat  una, 
atque  affigit  humo  divinae  particulam  aurae. 

80      Alter,  ubi  dicto  citius  curata  sopori 

membra  dedit,  vegetus  praescripta  ad  munia  surgit. 
Hie  tamen  ad  melius  poterit  transcurrere  quondam, 
sive  diem  festum  rediens  advexerit  annus, 
seu  recreare  volet  tenuatum  corpus,  ubique 

85      accedent  anni  et  tractari  mollius  aetas 

imbecilla  volet ;  tibi  quidnam  accedet  ad  istam 
quam  puer  et  validus  praesumis  mollitiem,  seu 
dura  valetudo  inciderit  seu  tarda  senectus  ? 


so  good  that  you  don't  know 
what  to  take  first.  —  Quin:  cor- 
rective, as  often,  of  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  previous  sentence ; 
nay  more. 

78  f .  vitiis :  excesses  in  eating, 
as  in  vs.  21.  —  The  conception  of 
the  soul  as  a  part  of  the  divine 
spirit  imprisoned  within  the  body 
is  often  expressed  in  Latin  litera- 
ture ;  it  was  a  fundamental  doctrine 
of  Stoic  philosophy  and  is  intro- 
duced here,  in  words  that  are  inten- 
tionally too  elevated  for  the  context 
and  the  speaker,  to  give  a  burlesque 
of  the  Stoic  preacher. 

80  f.  Alter:  the  philosopher, 
the  man  of  simple  habits.  — dicto 
citius :  *a  colloquialism,  with  the 
exaggeration  common  in  the  lan- 
guage of  conversation.  — curata 
membra  :  i.e.  he  refreshes  himself 
with  supper;  cf.  corpora  curare, 
cibo  se  curare  and  the  frequent  use 
of  inemhra  of  health  or  strength. 
e.g. Sat.  \,  1,5.  The  whole  phrase 


curata  .  .  .  dedit  goes  together, 
as  the  order  suggests,  and  dicto 
citius  goes  with  the  whole;  'in 
less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  tell 
it  he  has  had  his  supper  and 
fallen  asleep.' 

82-88.  'A  man  who  lives  ordi- 
narily on  plain  fare  can  indulge 
himself  on  occasion,  but  the  man 
who  is  always  self-indulgent  has 
exhausted  his  possibilities  of 
pleasure.' 

82.  Hie:  referring  to  alter.— 
tamen :  in  spite  of  his  habitual 
self-restraint. 

83-84.  sive  .  .  .  seu  .  .  . 
ubique :  three  reasons  for  re- 
laxation, a  feast-day,  illness,  old 
age.  To  avoid  a  too  elaborate 
accuracy  in  expression,  a  different 
conjunction,  ubi-qne  for  si-ve, 
is  used  to  introduce  the  third 
clause. 

87.  praesumis  :  '  take  before 
the  time,  allow  yourself  pre- 
maturely.' 


164 


SERMON  KS 


2,  99 


Rancidum  aprum  antiqui  laudabant,  non  quia  nasus 
90     illis  nullus  erat,  sed,  credo,  hac  mente,  quod  hospes 
tardius  adveniens  vitiatum  commodius  quam 
integrum edax  dominus  consumeret.     Hos  utinam  inter 
heroas  natum  tellus  me  prima  tulisset ! 
Das  aliquid  famae,  quae  carmine  gratior  aurem 
95      occupat  humanam  ?     Grandes  rhombi  patinaeque 
grande  ferunt  una  cum  damno  dedecus  ;  adde 
iratum  patruum,  vicinos,  te  tibi  iniquum 
et  frustra  mortis  cupidum,  cum  derit  egenti 
as,  laquei  pretium.     'lure,'  inquit,  '  Trausius  istis 


89-93.  *  The  economical  farmer 
will  always  have  a  reserve  of  food 
, —  even  though  it  may  not  be  of 
the  freshest  —  for  a  chance  guest.' 

89  f .  Rancidum  .  .  .  laudabant : 
intentionally  put  in  a  paradoxical 
form  in  order  to  burlesque  the 
seriousness  of  the  speaker.  —  non 
quia  .  .  .  sed  quod :  there  is  no 
difference  between  quia  and  quod 
in  this  form  of  sentence,  but  the 
subjv.  is  used  in  the  second  clause 
because  it  gives  the  motive  of  the 
antiqni. 

91  f.  vitiatum:  —  rancidum. — 
integrum :  with  double  meaning, 
•  the  whole  of  it  while  it  was  still 
fresh.1  —  commodius  :  i.e.  they 
thought  it  more  suitable,  they 
praised  such  conduct  more. 

93.  The  wish  is,  of  course, 
comic,  though  the  Stoic  is  repre- 
sented as  uttering  it  in  all  serious- 
ness. Cf.  vitiuin  .  .  .  magiiuin.  vs. 
69. 

94-99.    '  A    display    ot     luxury 


brings  notoriety  and,  in  the  end, 
ruin.1  —  Das  aliquid  :  i.e.  l  Do  you 
consider  that  a  good  name  is  of 
some  account  ? 1  —  patruum :  the 
uncle  is  in  Latin  literature  a  type 
of  severity,  so  that  patruus  in  Sat. 
2.  3,  88,  tie  sts  patruus  mihi,  be- 
comes almost  equal  to  iniquus. 
—  iniquum  :  hateful.  —  derit : 
=  de-erit.  —  laquei  pretium :  a 
standing  comic  situation  (e.g. 
Plaut.  Pseud.  88  f.),  in  which  a 
bankrupt  tries  to  borrow  a  penny  to 
buy  rope  enough  to  hang  himself. 

99^111.  'You  may  think  that 
your  income  is  sufficient  for  any 
expenses,  but  —  if  you  do  not  care 
to  bestow  any  of  it  upon  others  — 
all  men  suffer  losses  and  your 
course  of  life  is  a  poor  preparation 
for  meeting  misfortune.' 

99.  Trausius  :  unknown  ;  a  mere 
name  to  represent  a  man  who  lives 
beyond  his  income.  For  the  form 
of  argument,  which  is  a  favorite 
one  with  Horace,  cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  52  ; 

65 


2,  2,   IOO] 


HORATI 


loo    iurgatur  verbis ;  ego  vectigalia  magna 

divitiasque  habeo  tribus  amplas  regibus.'     Ergo 
quod  superat  non  est  melius  quo  insumere  possis? 
Cur  eget  indignus  quisquam  te  divite  ?     Quare 
templa  ruunt  antiqua  deuni  ?     Cur,  improbe,  carae 

105     non  aliquid  patriae  tanto  emetiris  acervo  ? 
Vni  nimirum  recte  tibi  semper  erunt  res, 
o  magnus  posthac  inimicis  risus !     Vterne 
ad  casus  dubios  fidet  sibi  certius,  hie  qui 
pluribus  adsuerit  mentem  corpusque  superbum, 

no    an  qui  contentus  parvo  metuensque  futuri 
in  pace,  ut  sapiens,  aptarit  idonea  bello  ? 

Quo  magis  his  credas,  puer  hunc  ego  parvus  Ofellum 


i,  10,  5;  i,  10,  21-23.  I*  consists 
in  the  mere  mention  of  a  name 
which  suggests  circumstances  that 
refute  the  previous  statement. 

xoa.  quod  superat:  your  sur- 
plus. —  non  .  .  .  possis :  construe 
non  est  quo  melius,  etc. 

103-105.  Exhortations  to  charity 
or  to  the  giving  of  money  to  public 
objects  are  less  common  in  classic 
literature  than  in  modern  times  (cf., 
however,  Carm.  2,  15,  18  ff. ;  3,  6, 
2  ff. ;  Cic.  de  Off.  3,  1 5. 63),  but  such 
donations  to  individuals  and  to  com- 
munities were  not  uncommon.  Cf., 
e.g..  Sat.  1,9,  1 8  note  ;  and  Pliny's 
endowment  of  a  library  (Epist.  I, 
8,  2)  and  of  a  school  (4,  13,  5). 

106.  Vni:  with  emphatic  irony  ; 
'Do  you  expect  to  be  the  only- 
exception  to  the  general  law  of 
change  in  human  fortunes?' 

107.  Vterne:  the  interrogative 
-ne  is  occasionally  appended  even 


to  interrogative  pronouns  ;  so  2,  3, 

295>3!  7- 

109.  pluribus :  '  to  superfluities, 
to  a  variety  of  luxuries.'  —  super- 
bum  :  with  predicate  force ;  '  and 
thereby  have  made  them  his  mas- 
ters.' 

in.  This  is  a  reference  to  a 
proverbial  saying, '  in  time  of  peace 
prepare  for  war,'  which  appears  in 
Latin  in  various  forms  (si  vis  pa- 
cem,  para  helium')  and.  like  other 
proverbs,  is  still  accepted  by  the 
unsophisticated  as  the  essence  of 
wisdom. 

112-115.  At  this  point  Horace 
assumes,  more  distinctly  than  in 
vss.  2  f.  and  53,  the  person  of  the 
narrator,  adding  to  the  effective- 
ness of  the  closing  argument  (t/no 
inagis  /us  < -ruins)  by  personal  remi- 
niscence (pner  ego  parvus)  and 
specific  details  (tutnc  ace/sis,  me- 
tdto,  mercede).  The  skill  of  the 


166 


SERMONES 


[2,  2.  124 


integris  opibus  novi  non  latius  usum 

quam  nunc  accisis.     Videas  metato  in  agello 

115    cum  pecore  et  gnatis  fortem  mercede  colonum, 
'  Non  ego,'  narrantem,  '  temere  edi  luce  profesta 
quicquam  praeter  olus  fumosae  cum  pede  pernae. 
Ac  mihi  seu  longum  post  tempus  venerat  hospes, 
sive  operum  vacuo  gratus  conviva  per  imbrem 

120    vicinus,  bene  erat  non  piscibus  urbe  petitis, 

sed  pullo  atque  haedo ;  turn  pensilis  uva  secundas 
et  nux  ornabat  mensas  cum  duplice  ficu. 
Post  hoc  ludus  erat  culpa  potare  magistra, 
ac  venerata  Ceres,  ita  culmo  surgeret  alto, 


artifice  is  so  great  that  many  com- 
mentators have  taken  it  for  reality, 
but  cf.  Sat.  2,  6,  1 1  f.  for  a  similar, 
though  less  detailed,  reference.  — 
latius:  so  Juv.  14,  234,  indul- 
gent sibi  latins ;  august  us  is  fre- 
quently used  of  the  opposite.  — 
metato :  i.e.  measured  by  the.  land- 
commissioners  appointed  to  survey 
and  apportion  confiscated  land  ;  as 
in  ordinary  circumstances  farms 
were  marked  by  boundary  stones 
and  not  surveyed,  the  verb  metari 
came  to  be  used  especially  of  the 
surveys  preliminary  to  confiscation 
and  allotment.  —  mercede :  i.e.  the 
new  proprietor  hired  the  former 
owner  to  carry  on  the  farm. 

116.  Non  .  .  .  temere :  not 'with- 
out reason,  only  when  there  was 
some  special  reason  ;  the  ordinary 
sense  of  non  (hand)  femere. 

118  ff.  '  Even  on  the  rare  occa- 
sions our  food  was  still  simple.'  — 
hospes :  a  guest  from  a  distance, 


who  came  infrequently  (longum 
post  tempus).  —  vicinus  :  the  cele- 
brating of  a  neighbor's  visit  is 
excused  by  the  additional  circum- 
stances, operum  vacua,  per  im- 
brem. —  pensilis  uva  :  raisins.  — 
duplice  ficu :  split  for  drying.  The 
point  is  that  only  the  products  of 
the  farm  were  used,  even  for  special 
occasions ;  cf.  dapes  inemptas, 
Epod.  2,  48. 

123.  Post  hoc :    the  wine  was 
served   according  to  the  country 
custom  after  the  dessert  (secundae 
mensae).  and  was  drunk  without 
the  formal  etiquette  of  elaborate 
dinners    (cf.   Sat.   2,   6,   67    ff.) ; 
instead   of    selecting   a   magister 
bibendi  to  regulate  their  drinking, 
they  were  governed  only  by  their 
own  sense  of  propriety  (ctdpd). 

124.  ita  ...  surgeret :    the  in- 
direct form  of  the  prayer  ita  Ceres 
surgat  or  ita  tu  surgas,  often  fol- 
lowed by  a  statement  of  some  evi- 


167 


2,  2,  las]  HORATI 

125    explicuit  vino  contractae  seria  frontis. 

Saeviat  atque  novos  moveat  Fortuna  tumultus, 
quantum  hinc  imminuet  ?     Quanto  aut  ego  parcius  aut 

vos, 

o  pueri,  nituistis,  ut  hue  novus  incola  venit  ? 
Nam  propriae  telluris  erum  natura  neque  ilium 

130    nee  me  nee  quemquam  statuit :  nos  expulit  ille, 
ilium  aut  nequities  aut  vafri  inscitia  iuris, 
postremum  expellet  certe  vivacior  heres. 
Nunc  ager  Vmbreni  sub  nomine,  nuper  Ofelli 
dictus,  erit  nulli  proprius,  sed  cedet  in  usum 

135    nunc  mihi,  nunc  alii.     Quocirca  vivite  fortes, 
fortiaque  adversis  opponite  pectora  rebus.' 

dent  truth  in   an  «/-clause.     Cf.  there  is  abundant  evidence  that 

Sat.  2,3,  300;  Car tn.    I,  3,  I  ff.  the  veterans  who  were  suddenly 

'  And  the  wine  that  we  drank  as  changed  from  soldiers  to  farmers 

we  prayed  to  Ceres,  "so  may  you  often  made  but  poor  use  of  their 

rise  on  the  high  stalk/'  smoothed  property,  managing  it  badly,  fall- 

the  wrinkles  from  our  brows.1  ing  into  debt,  and  suffering,  per- 

126.    tumultus  :  like  the  dissen-  haps  unfairly,  from  their  ignorance 

sions  that  preceded  Philippi  and  of  civil  life. 

resulted  in  the  confiscation  of  the  132.   postremum:     ace.    masc. 

farm  of  Vergil's  father.  with  //////// ;  but  translate,  at  last. 

128.  pueri:  his  sons,  gathered  134.   proprius:  contrasted  with 
about  him  as  he  watches  the  herds  cedet  in  tisitm ;  we  merely  use  our 
(vs.    115).  —  novus    incola:    Um-  possessions,  we  do  not  really  own 
brenus,  the  veteran  to  whom  the  them. 

farm  had  been  allotted.  135  f.    These  lines  return  to  the 

129.  propriae:     predicate;     to      thought  of  vss.  107-111,35  if  to 
hold  it  as  his  own.  prove  by  an  example  the  general 

131.   nequities,    inscitia    iuris:       statement  made  there. 

3 

The  allusion  in  vs.  185.  plausus  quos  fert  Agrippa,  shows  that  the 
satire  was  written  as  late  as  the  year  33  B.C.,  when  Agrippa.  as  aedile, 
gave  the  games  with  unusual  splendor.  The  reference  to  the  Saturnalia 

1 68 


SERMONES  [2,  3 

(vs.  5)  fixes  the  time  of  year  when  the  dialogue  is  supposed  to  take 
place,  but  indicates  nothing  in  regard  to  the  time  when  it  was  composed. 

In  structure  this  is  the  most  carefully  arranged  of  all  the  satires.  The 
main  body  is  a  sermon  by  the  philosopher  Stertinius  (alluded  to  in  Epist. 
I,  12,  20,  but  otherwise  unknown  to  us)  upon  the  Stoic  Paradox  Tras 
d<j)pwv  juatvcrat,  that  all  men  except  the  Stoic  philosopher  are  mad. 
The  discourse  is  carefully  divided  into  four  parts,  taking  up  in  turn  the 
avaricious  (82-157),  the  ambitious  (158-223),  the  self-indulgent  (224- 
246,  with  a  special  subdivision,  247-280,  for  the  amorous),  and  the  super- 
stitious (281-295).  There  is  a  brief  introduction  (77-81)  and  a 
corresponding  conclusion  (296-299).  This  discourse  is  repeated  to 
Horace  by  Damasippus,  a  recent  convert  to  Stoicism,  whose  character 
and  circumstances  are  admirably  adapted  to  his  part.  He  had  been  a 
collector  of  antique  bronzes  and  a  dealer  in  real  estate  and  is  alluded 
to  by  Cicero  (ad  Fain.  7,  23,  2  :  ad  Att.  12,  29,  2  :  12,  33,  I )  in  connec- 
tion with  the  purchase  of  statuary  and  of  land  for  gardens.  But  he  had 
afterward  failed  in  business  and  in  his  despair  was  about  to  throw  him- 
self into  the  Tiber,  when  he  was  saved  by  the  intervention  of  Stertinius. 
The  logical  reasoning  by  which  Stertinius  convinced  him  that  his  mo- 
tive for  suicide  was  insufficient  is  an  excellent  bit  of  philosophical  fool- 
ing and  serves  as  an  introduction  to  the  main  sermon. 

The  circumstances  which  brought  Damasippus  into  contact  with 
Horace  are  disclosed  in  a  brief  introductory  dialogue  (1-31).  Horace 
represents  himself  as  having  gone  out  to  his  quiet  Sabine  farm  at  the 
time  of  the  Saturnalia  to  escape  the  Christmas  festivities  and  to  do  some 
work.  But  the  work  had  been  postponed  and  he  was  sitting  in  his 
study  dozing  after  a  good  dinner  (irini  sotnnique  benignits),  when 
Uamasippus  burst  in  upon  him.  uninvited,  having  come  out  from  the 
city  full  of  zeal  to  rouse  him  from  his  laziness.  To  his  exhortations 
Horace  replies  with  good-natured  irony  in  a  rather  superior  tone  and 
finally  submits  to  a  recital  of  the  long  sermon.  When  it  is  over  (300- 
326),  he  rouses  himself  to  make  further  ironical  remarks,  to  which 
Damasippus  replies  with  such  point  that  Horace  for  a  moment  loses  his 
temper  and  then  surrenders,  acknowledging  himself  to  be  as  great  a 
madman  —  almost  —  as  his  visitor.  The  opening  and  the  closing  bits 
of  dialogue  thus  form  a  framework  for  the  main  body  of  the  satire. 

To  the  carefulness  in  construction  an  equal  care  in  expression  has 
been  added.  There  are  few  passages  where  the  thought  is  not  clearly 
expressed  and  there  are  many  of  special  excellence,  like  the  farcical 
scene  from  the  camp  before  Troy  (187-207),  a  forerunner  of  Sat.  2.  5, 
or  the  brilliant  paraphrase  of  the  first  lines  of  the  Eunmhns  (262-271). 

169 


2,  3,  i]  HORATI 

The  synonyms  for  ttisanus  collected  by  Teuffel  (furiosns,  excors,  delims, 
amens,  amentia  versatus,  demens,  cerritns,  commotus,  comntotae  mentis, 
mentem  concussus,  male  tutae  mentis,  putidi  cerebri)  are  evidence  of  the 
pains  taken  to  avoid  monotony. 

As  to  the  underlying  motive  of  the  satire,  it  seems  probable  that  the 
accusations  of  idleness  in  the  opening  lines  were  not  without  founda- 
tion. After  the  publication  of  the  First  Book  there  was  probably  a 
period  in  which  Horace  was  disinclined  to  go  on  with  precisely  the 
same  kind  of  writing  and  was  perhaps  turning  toward  lyric  poetry. 
During  this  time  of  hesitation  he  may  well  have  seemed  to  be  occupied 
with  his  farm  (307  f.)  and  to  have  abandoned  his  literary  ambitions. 
To  the  doubts  of  his  friends  and  the  criticisms  of  his  enemies  this  long 
and  carefully  constructed  satire  was  intended  to  be  a  reply.  At  the 
same  time  it  is,  even  more  distinctly  than  Sat.  2,  2,  an  attempt  to  touch 
the  follies  of  mankind  with  a  lighter  touch.  The  burlesque  of  Stoic 
formalism  and  solemnity  runs  through  the  whole  and  is  in  many  places 
worked  out  in  detail,  so  that  the  satire  might  well  be  taken  to  be  a  satire 
upon  that  sect.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  absurdities  and  follies 
which  are  the  subject-matter  are  equally  the  objects  of  attack,  but  they 
are  made  ridiculous  by  exaggeration  rather  than  reproved.  If  the  first 
part  of  the  sermon  of  Stertinius  (vss.  82-157)  be  compared  with  Sat.  I,  I, 
which  deals  with  the  same  subject,  the  difference  in  manner  will  be 
apparent.  There  is  in  this  satire  none  of  the  direct  argument  which 
gives  a  serious  tone  to  Sat.  I,  i  ;  the  sermon  of  Stertinius  is  a  series  of 
absurd  illustrations,  —  Staberius,  Aristippus,  the  senseless  miser,  Orestes, 
Opimius,  —  which  ridicule  avarice  by  presenting  it  in  its  extremes!  forms. 
In  short,  the  genial  raillery  of  Horace  is  here  directed  by  turns  upon 
the  preacher,  upon  the  congregation,  and  upon  the  satirist  himself. 

Damasippus.    Sic  raro  scribis,  ut  toto  non  quater  anno 
membranam  poscas,  scriptorum  quacque  retexens, 
iratus  tibi,  quod,  vini  somnique  benignus, 
nil  dignum  scrmone  canas.     Quid  fiet  ?     At  ipsis 

1.  scribis:  the  final  long  sylla-  material  could  be  erased  and  cor- 
bie before  the  caesura  occurs  in  a  rections    made.  —  retexens:    ////- 
few  other  places ;  e.g.  Sat.  i,  4, 82.  raveling,   with   a   change   in    the 

2.  membranam:  the  parchment  figure  to  weaving.  —  scriptorum: 
upon  which  the  rougli  draft  was  neut.,  partitive  gen. 

written    out;    writing    upon    this  4.  dignum  sermone  :  worth  talk- 

170 


SEKMONES 


L*.  3.  15 


Saturnalibus  hue  fugisti.     Sobrius  ergo 

die  aliquicl  clignum  promissis  !     Incipe  !     Nil  est. 

Culpantur  frustra  calami,  immeritusque  laborat 

iratis  natus  paries  dis  atque  poetis. 

Atqui  voltus  erat  multa  et  praeclara  minantis, 

si  vacuum  tepido  cepisset  villula  tecto. 

Quorsum  pertinuit  stipare  Platona  Menandro, 

Eupolin,  Archilochum,  comites  educere  tantos  ? 

Invidiam  placare  paras  virtue  relicta  ? 

Contemnere,  miser !     Vitanda  est  improba  Siren 

desidia,  aut  quicquid  vita  meliore  parasti 


ing  about ;  likely  to  increase  your 
reputation.  —  Quid  fiet :  what  is  to 
be  the  outcome  ? 

5.  Saturnalibus :  this  feast  be- 
gan on  Dec.  17  and  was  pro- 
longed for  several  days.  It  was 
a  time  of  feasting,  of  the  giving  of 
presents,  and  of  special  freedom 
for  slaves.  —  hue  :  to  his  farm.  — 
Sobrius  ergo :  '  well  then,  since 
you  have  chosen  to  keep  out  of 
the  festivities.' 

6-8.  To  the  absurd  exhortation 
to  sit  down  at  once  and  begin  a 
poem  Horace  of  course  makes  no 
response  and  Damasippus  hastens 
to  forestall  his  excuses:  'There 
is  no  use  in  blaming  the  pens 
or  in  pounding  the  wall,  which 
doesn't  deserve  to  bear  the  re- 
sponsibility.' —  iratis  natus  dis  : 
i.e.  under  unfortunate  auspices ; 
cf.  Sat.  I,  5,  97  f.,  Gnatia  lymphis 
iratis  e.vstructa. 

9  f.  '  And  yet  just  recall  your 
determination  to  do  some  work 


if  you  could  only  escape  to  the 
quiet  of  your  farm.' 

ii  f.  The  Greek  writers  here 
named  are  poets ;  Eupolis.  Plato, 
and  Menander  as  representatives 
respectively  of  the  Old.  the  Middle, 
and  the  New  Comedy,  and  Archil- 
ochus  as  a  writer  of  iambics  like 
the  Epodes.  The  selection  of 
these  writers  is  meant  to  indicate 
that  Horace  was  turning  from 
satire,  in  the  traditional  Roman 
form,  toward  satirical  iambics. — 
stipare :  of  packing  closely  in  his 
traveling-bags. 

13.  '  Are  you  preparing  to  pa- 
cify your  enemies  by  abandoning 
satire  ? '  To  the  Stoic  reformer 
the  earnest  satirist  seemed  a  kin- 
dred spirit  and  his  attacks  upon 
the  follies  of  men  seemed  a  -virtus, 
almost  as  good  as  a  Stoic  sermon. 
15  f.  quicquid  .  .  .  parasti :  not 
exactly  his  fame  as  a  poet,  for 
which  the  Stoic  cared  nothing, 
but  his  standing  as  a  hortatory 


171 


2,  3,  1 6] 


HORATI 


ponendum    aequo   animo.     Hot:    Di    te,    Damasippe, 

deaeque 

verum  ob  consilium  donent  —  tonsore.     Sed  unde 
tam  bene  me  nosti  ?     Dam.  Postquam  omnis  res  mea 

lanum 

ad  medium  fracta  est,  aliena  negotia  euro, 
20      excussus  propriis.     Olim  nam  quaerere  amabam, 
quo  vafer  ille  pedes  lavisset  Sisyphus  acre, 
quid  sculptum  infabre,  quid  fusum  durius  esset; 

reformer,  which  he  would  lose  if      the  phrase  'in  Wall  Street.1  —  ali- 


he  turned  aside  to  the  mere  pret- 
tinesses  of  lyric  poetry.  —  aequo 
animo  :  i.e.  l  with  such  composure 
as  you  can  muster.' 

16  f .  Di  .  .  .  deaeque  .  .  .  do- 
nent :  a  solemn  formula  in  wishes 
and  curses,  though  dent  or  diiint 
is  the  more  common  verb.  —  ton- 
sore  :  i.e.  with  that  which  the 
philosopher,  with  his  long  beard, 
seemed  to  need  most.  The  reply 
is,  of  course,  an  expression  of  la/.y 
irony,  in  the  utmost  possible  con- 
trast to  the  intense  earnestness  of 
Damasippus. 

17  f.  unde  .  .  .  nosti :  with  the 
implication,  under  the  form  of  a 
polite  question,  that  Damasippus 
was  entirely  mistaken. 

18-20.  lanum  ad  medium:  the 
same  words  are  used  by  Cicero  (de 
Off.  2,  24,  87)  of  a  part  of  the 
Forum  given  up  to  the  banking 
business,  near  the  middle  one  of 
three  arches.  Such  arches  were 
frequently  consecrated  to  Janus  as 
the  god  of  openings  (cf.  ianua). 
The  expression  would  then  be  like 


ena  negotia  euro:  a  hit  at  the  re- 
forming philosophers,  who  were 
thought  of  as  busybodies  in  other 
men's  matters.  The  phrase  must 
be  supposed  to  be  used  by  the 
Stoic  without  consciousness  of  its 
double  meaning,  though  Horace 
in  some  other  places  (cf.  vss.  28- 
30  and  note)  puts  into  the  mouth 
of  Damasippus  words  that  he  would 
hardly  have  used.  —  excussus  :  the 
figure  is  that  of  a  man  knocked 
overboard  from  a  shipwrecked 
vessel,  a  figure  already  suggested 
by  fracta.  —  quaerere :  to  inves- 
tigate, as  a  skilled  expert  in  anti- 
quities. 

21.  Cf.  Sat.   I,  3,  90  f.     IJoth 
passages  touch  with  humorous  ex- 
aggeration the  inclination  of  col- 
lectors to  claim  a  fabulous  antiquity 
for  their  artistic  treasures.     Sisy- 
phus was  king  of  Corinth,  the  cen- 
ter of  artistic  work  in  bronze. 

22.  sculptum     infabre,     fusum 
durius  :    the  unskilful  carving  and 
hard  (i.e.  stiff  and  formal)   cast- 
ing, though  they  were  defects  in 


172 


SKRMONES 


[2.  3,  30 


callidus  huic  signo  ponebam  milia  centum; 
hortos  egregiasque  domos  mercarier  unus 

25      cum  lucro  noram ;  unde  frequentia  Mercuriale 
imposuere  mihi  cognomen  compita.     Hor.  Novi, 
et  miror  morbi  purgatum  te  illius.     Dam.  Atqui 
emovit  veterem  mire  novus,  ut  solet,  in  cor 
traiecto  lateris  miseri  capitisve  dolere, 

30      ut  lethargicus  hie  cum  fit  pugil  et  medicum  urget. 


the  artistic  work,  were  evidence 
to  the  collector  of  the  antiquity 
of  the  piece  and,  therefore,  in  his 
eyes,  of  its  rarity  and  value. 

23.    huic  signo :  such  a  statue. 

—  milia   centum :    i.e.    the    large 
price   which   its  age  would  com- 
mand in  the  market. 

24-26.  unus  cum  lucro  :  in  spite 
of  his  bankruptcy  and  his  adoption 
of  the  life  of  a  philosopher,  Dama- 
sippus cannot  refrain  from  speaking 
with  pride  of  his  earlier  successes 
in  business.  —  frequentia  .  .  .  com- 
pita :  the  crowds  that  gathered  at 
the  street-corners,  where  statuary 
and  bronzes  were  sold  at  auction. 

—  Mercuriale  .  .  .  cognomen :  fa- 
vorite of  Mercury,   the   god    of 
trade    (merx).      But   Mercttriales 
iriri  (Carm.  2,   17,  29  f.)  means 
the  favorites   of  Mercury  as  the 
god  of  speech. 

27.  morbi :  Horace  jokingly 
uses  the  technical  term  morbus, 
a  translation  of  Traces,  which  was 
used  to  describe  any  form  of  pas- 
sion or  any  departure  from  calm 
philosophic  reason. 

28-30.  mire  :  this  repeats  miror 


in  a  kind  of  unintentional  pun. 
Horace  had  used  miror  with  irony 
— '  a  surprising  cure ' ;  Damasip- 
pus  in  his  well-meaning  eagerness 
overlooks  the  irony  and  uses  mire 
in  the  better  sense :  '  Oh,  but 
the  wonderful  thing  is  not  the 
cure  ;  it  is  this  new  interest,  which 
effected  the  cure,  that  is  so  won- 
derful.1 But  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  explain  in  the  same  way,  as  due 
to  the  blundering  eagerness  of  Da- 
masippus,  the  comparison  of  Stoi- 
cism to  a  morbus,  even  to  a  kind 
of  frenzy.  Though  Horace  has 
not  actually  put  the  word  into  the 
mouth  of  Damasippus,  the  expres- 
sion is  still  quite  clearly  incon- 
sistent with  his  character,  and  we 
must  say  that  Horace  has  here,  as 
perhaps  in  vss.  19  and  33,  failed 
to  make  the  speech  quite  con- 
sistent with  the  character  of  the 
speaker.  —  The  illustration  in  vs. 
30  —  'as  some  man  (/tic)  in  a 
lethargy  suddenly  turns  boxer 
and  assaults  his  doctor '  —  is 
chosen  in  order  to  give  an  open- 
ing for  the  remark  in  vs.  31  and  to 
lead  up  to  the  subject  of  madness. 


173 


3.  3'J 


HORATI 


Hor.    Dum  ne  quid  simile  huic,  esto  ut  libet.     Dam. 

O  bone,  ne  te 

frustrere  ;  insanis  et  tu  stultique  prope  omnes, 
si  quid  Stertinius  veri  crepat,  unde  ego  mira 
descripsi  docilis  praecepta  haec,  tempore  quo  me 

35      solatus  iussit  sapientem  pascere  barbam 
atque  a  Fabricio  non  tristem  ponte  reverti. 
Nam,  male  re  gesta,  cum  vellem  mittere  operto 
me  capite  in  flumen,  dexter  stetit  et  '  Cave  faxis 
te  quicquam  indignum !  Pudor '  inquit  '  te  malus  angit, 

40     insanos  qui  inter  vereare  insanus  haberi. 


31.  huic:    neut.,    referring    to 
fit  pugil  et   urget.      '  I    bar  such 
conduct  as  that ;  otherwise,  have 
it    your    own    way.1      The     im- 
plication of  course  is  that  Dama- 
sippus   is   liable   to   an  attack  of 
frenzy. 

32.  ne  te  frustrere :  doitt  wake 
a  mistake',    the  common  phrase 
is  ne  sis  frnstra. — insanis  .  .  . 
omnes :    this   is   the   Stoic   Para- 
dox which  forms  the  text  of  the 
sermon. 

33.  crepat :  prates.     The  word 
is  contemptuous,  and  inconsistent 
with  296,  sapient  him  octavus,  as 
with  the  general  attitude  of  .Dama- 
sippus.      It    is   another    slip    on 
Horace's  part,  like  19  and  28.  — 
unde :  a  quo. 

35.  sapientem  pascere  barbam  : 
put  first,  as  if  this  external   sign 
were    more    important    than    the 
thing    signified.     Cf.    Sat.    i,    3, 

'33- 

36.  The  pans  Fabricius  is  still 


standing,  with  an  inscription  re- 
cording the  fact  that  it  was  re- 
built by  L.  Fabricius,  in  the  year 
62  B.C.  —  non  tristem :  not  as 
he  had  come,  but  reconciled  to 
life. 

37  f-  operto  capite :  one  who 
devoted  himself  to  the  gods  of  the 
lower  world  covered  his  face :  so 
Decius,  giving  up  his  life  to  win 
victory,  covered  his  head,  and 
(Livy,  4, 12, 1 1)  ////////  .  .  .  captibns 
obvoltitis  se  in  Tiber im  praecipita- 
verunt.  —  dexter :  the  side  of  good 
omen. — faxis:  an  old  form  (an 
optative  of  the  sigmatic  aorist) 
preserved  in  this  colloquial  com- 
bination with  cave;  'don't  do 
anything  unworthy.'  Horace  uses 
a  great  variety  of  forms  of  prohi- 
bition. 

39.  Pudor  .  .  .  malus :  not  ex- 
actly what  we  call  false  shame, 
but  a  sense  of  humiliation  which 
is  really  based  upon  a  mistake 
Malus  is  the  emphatic  word. 


174 


SEkMONES 


1.2.  3.  5° 


Primum  nam  inquiram  quid  sit  furere  :  hoc  si  erit  in  te 
solo,  nil  verbi  pereas  quin  fortiter  addam. 
Quern  mala  stultitia  et  quemcumque  inscitia  veri 
caecum  agit,  insanum  Chrysippi  porticus  et  grex 

45      autumat     Haec  populos,  haec  magnos  formula  reges, 
excepto  sapiente,  tenet.     Nunc  accipe  quare 
desipiant  omnes  aeque  ac  tu,  qui  tibi  nomen 
insano  posuere.     Velut  silvis,  ubi  passim 
palantis  error  certo  de  tramite  pellit, 

50     ille  sinistrorsum,  hie  dextrorsum  abit,  unus  utrique 


41  ff.  These  lines  illustrate  the 
double  humor  of  the  whole  satire  ; 
they  analyze  the  universal  folly  of 
men  and  at  the  same  time  they 
exhibit  the  folly  of  the  Stoic  him- 
self, who  addresses  an  elaborate 
argument  to  a  man  about  to  com- 
mit suicide  and,  in  particular,  an 
argument  which  does  not  prove 
the  hearer  sane,  but  only  no  more 
insane  than  his  fellow-men. 

41.  Primum:    in   proper   Stoic 
style,  the  argument  begins  with  a 
definition. —furere :    a    synonym 
tor  insanum  esse. 

42.  fortiter  :  Stoic  teaching  did 
not  forbid  suicide  and  Stertinius 
treats  the  question  as  one  of  pure 
logic. 

43  f .  Quern :  add  -cunique  from 
the  following  qiieincuinquc.  — 
stultitia.  inscitia :  these  are  not 
two  distinct  qualities,  but  stultitia 
is  the  general  term  of  which  in- 
scitia veri  is  a  particular  defini- 
tion, still  further  defined  by  caecum 
agit:  -madness  consists  in  being 


moved  by  blind  and  ignorant  im- 
pulse, instead  of  being  guided  by 
wisdom '  (the  opposite  of  stulti- 
tia).— Chrysippi:  Zeno  was  the 
founder  of  the  school,  which  took 
its  name  from  the  oroo,  the  Porch, 
where  he  taught.  Chrysippus  was 
the  greatest  of  Zeno's  successors 
and  was  often  spoken  of  as  the 
head  of  the  school.  —  grex :  not 
infrequently  used,  as  here,  of  a 
sect  of  philosophy,  usually  with  a 
slighting  tone.  It  is  hardly  a 
word  which  a  Stoic  would  have 
used  of  his  school.  Cf.  19,  28,  33 
and  notes. 

45  f.  formula :  the  definition 
just  given.  —  tenet :  covers,  in- 
cludes.—  Nunc:  introducing  the 
argument  based  on  the  definition 
and  corresponding  somewhat 
loosely  to  primum,  41. 

50  f .  unus,  variis :  i.e.  the 
fundamental  error  is  the  same, 
inscitia  veri  caecum  agit,  though 
the  particular  manifestations  are 
different. 


175 


2,  3,  50 


IIORATI 


error,  scd  variis  illudit  partibus  :  hoc  te 
crede  modo  insanum,  nihilo  ut  sapientior  ille, 
qui  te  deridet,  caudam  trahat.     Est  genus  unum 
stultitiae  nihilum  metuenda  timentis,  ut  ignis, 

55      ut  rupis  fluviosque  in  campo  obstare  queratur ; 
alterum  et  huic  varum  et  nihilo  sapientius  ignis 
per  medios  fluviosque  ruentis :  clamet  arnica 
mater,  honesta  soror  cum  cognatis,  pater,  uxor, 
'  Hie  fossa  est  ingens,  hie  rupes  maxima,  serva ! ' 

60      non  magis  audierit  quam  Fufius  ebrius  olim, 
cum  Ilionam  edormit,  Catienis  mille  ducentis 


51  f.  hoc  .  .  .  modo:  referring 
back  to  velitt  and  also  forward  to 
///;  'just  as  in  the  woods  men 
stray  from  the  path  in  one  direc- 
tion or  another,  —  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference which  side,  —  so  you  must 
understand  your  own  madness, 
realizing  that  it  is  no  greater  than 
that  of  others.' 

53.  caudam    trahat :    the     ex- 
planation   of    the     Scholiast     is 
'solent     enim     pueri     deridentes 
nescienti  bus  a  tergo  caudam  sus- 
pendere,   ut   velut  pecus   caudam 
trahant.'      The    conservatism   of 
boys  still   preserves  this  form  of 
humor. 

54.  nihilum :    with    metuenda, 
as    a   mere    negative.      Kiessling 
refers   to    the    statement  of    this 
thought  in  Xenophon.  Mem.  I,  I, 
14.  —  timentis  :  agreeing  with  stitl- 
titine,  but  the  concrete  stultus  is 
so  plainly  implied  that  no  subject 
is  expressed  for  qua  atin-  and  in 
the  next  sentence  the  abstract  is 


forgotten  and  ruentis  is  masc.,  as 
if  agreeing  with  stnlti. 

55.  in  campo :  i.e.  on  perfectly 
clear  and  level  ground,  where  there 
are  no  fires  or  cliffs  or  rivers. 

56.  huic  varum  :  different  from 
this;  varus  seems  to  be  very  rare 
in    this   sense   and    perhaps    has 
some  humorous  effect. 

57.  arnica :    with  mater   ('  the 
mother  who  loves  him  '),  to  bal- 
ance honesta  (•  whom  he  respects ') 
with  soror. 

59.  fossa,  rupes :  substituted 
for  ignis,  fluvios,  merely  for  va- 
riety. 

60-62.  audierit :  apodosis  to 
the  protasis  expressed  without  si 
in  clamet.  — Fufius,  Ilionam,  Ca- 
tienis :  in  the  play  of  Pacuvius 
there  was  a  scene  in  which  the 
mother.  Iliona,  is  roused  from 
sleep  by  the  spirit  of  her  murdered 
son,  who  addresses  her  with  the 
words  Hinfi'r,  te  adpelfa,  trt,  ynae 
in fn in  sontno  suspensam  levas; 


176 


SERMONES 


[2,  3.  67 


'  Mater,  te  appello'  clamantibus.     Huic  ego  volgus 
errori  similem  cunctum  insanire  docebo. 
Insanit  veteres  statuas  Damasippus  emendo  : 
65      integer  est  mentis  Damasippi  creditor  ?     Esto. 

'  Accipe  quod  numquam  reddas  mihi '  si  tibi  dicam, 
tune  insanus  eris  si  acceperis  ?  an  magis  excors 
mother    should     reply     age,      loaning   him  the   money  that    he 


the 

adsta,  mane,  audi.  But.  on  one 
occasion,  an  actor  named  Fufius, 
who  was  playing  the  part  of  Iliona, 
had  been  drinking  (ebriits)  and 
actually  fell  asleep,  so  that  the 
appeal  of  the  son  (played  by 
Catienus)  did  not  waken  him,  and 
the  audience,  seeing  the  situation, 
joined  in  repeating  the  first  words 
mater,  te  appello.  — Ilionam  edor- 
mit :  a  cognate  ace.,  like  Cyclopa 
salt  are  (Sat.  I,  5,  63),  but  with  a 
humorous  effect;  was  sleeping  the 
Part  of  Iliona.  —  mille  ducentis  : 
twice  the  usual  round  number, 
scscenti. 

62  f.  Huic  .  .  .  errori:  refers 
back  to  49  and  51  ;  the  error  is 
inscitia  vert  (43),  the  failure  to 
see  things  as  they  really  are.  — 
similem :  sc.  errorem,  which 
would  be  a  cognate  ace.  after 
insanire. 

65.  integer  mentis  :  =  sanus.  — 
esto  :  i.e.  '  grant  it  for  the  moment 
and  then  see  what  absurdities  it 
leads  to.'  The  argument  is  that  if 
Damasippus  had  proved  himself  a 
madman,  as  his  creditors  declared, 
by  losing  money  in  speculation, 
then  the  creditors  had  still  more 
proved  themselves  madmen  by 


had  lost.  The  error  was  the  same, 
though  the  manifestations  of  it 
were  different. 

67  f .  excors :  =  insanus.  —  prae- 
sens  Mercurius :  a  creditor  who 
offered  money  with  the  full  under- 
standing that  it  was  never  to  be 
repaid  would  be  to  the  debtor  like 
the  very  god  of  riches  in  per- 
son. 

67-71.  These  words  are  ad- 
dressed to  the  lender  of  the  money 
and  the  general  sense  is  plain : 
'  take  all  the  precautions  you  can, 
ten  notes  or,  if  ten  are  not  enough, 
a  hundred,  a  thousand ;  yet  you 
must  certainly  know  that  your 
debtor  can  slip  through  them  all,  as 
Proteus  slips  through  all  bonds.' 
Nerius  is  the  banker  who  pays  over 
the  money  on  an  order  from  the 
creditor.  With  decent  some  gen- 
eral word  like  script  a  was  in 
Horace's  mind,  but  the  sentence 
is  interrupted  by  the  hasty  words 
non  est  satis  and  when  the  thought 
is  resumed,  tabnlas  takes  the  place 
of  the  object ;  ten  copies  of  the 
entry  or  order  are  not  enough. 
Cicuta  is  a  money-lender  (referred 
to  only  here  and  in  vs.  175)  who 
is  especially  skilful  in  drawing  up 


HOR.  SAT.  — 12 


177 


2,  3,  68] 


HORATI 


75 


reiecta  praeda,  quam  praesens  Mercurius  fert  ? 
Scribe  decem  a  Nerio ;  non  est  satis  :  adde  Cicutae 
nodosi  tabulas  centum,  mille  adde  catenas: 
effugiet  tamen  haec  sceleratus  vincula  Proteus. 
Cum  rapies  in  ius  malis  ridentem  alienis, 
fiet  aper,  modo  avis,  modo  saxum,et,  cum  volet,  arbor. 
Si  male  rem  gerere  insani  est,  contra  bene  sani, 
putidius  multo  cerebrum  est,  mihi  crede,  Perelli 
dictantis  quod  tu  numquam  rescribere  possis. 

Audire  atque  togam  iubeo  componere,  quisquis 
ambitione  mala  aut  argenti  pallet  amore, 


legally  binding  forms  of  obliga- 
tion ;  nodosi  and  catenas  express 
the  same  figure.  The  creditor  is 
not  named  here,  though,  as  the 
thought  becomes  more  definite 
(cf.  Sat.  I,  I,  15,  and  20),  he  is 
called  Perellius.  Proteus  is  the 
sea-god  who  prophesies  only  when 
he  is  caught  and  held  and  who 
changes  himself  into  many  forms 
(vs-  73)  to  escape  his  captor. 
[The  difficulty  of  this  passage 
centers  in  scribe  decem  a  Nerio, 
and  it  is  the  desire  to  make  the 
sense  of  the  whole  passage  square 
with  our  really  insufficient  knowl- 
edge of  the  technical  terms  and 
the  method  of  procedure  that  has 
led  Bentley  and  Kiessling  into 
forced  interpretations.] 

72.  malis  ridentem  alienis:  a 
parody  of  the  Homeric  ol  8'  77877 
yva.6/j.cncri  yeXtocji/  (JAAoTpi'otcnv 
(Off.  20,  347).  But  the  phrase, 
which  is  perhaps  proverbial,  oc- 
curs onlv  once  in  Homer,  and  the 


situation  there  is  highly  tragic  and 
dramatic  ;  the  suitors  laughed  be- 
cause Athene  had  taken  away  their 
judgment,  but  woe  was  in  their 
hearts.  Some  such  sense  as  itu- 
natitral,  hysterical  laughter  would 
perhaps  fit  both  passages,  but  it  is 
possible  that  Horace  merely  trans- 
lated the  phrase  literally,  with- 
out attaching  a  definite  meaning 
to  it. 

75  f .  putidius :  another  syno- 
nym for  insanius.  —  dictantis:  i.e. 
attending  carefully  to  the  exact 
wording  of  the  document.  —  re- 
scribere :  repay  by  another  written 
document ;  cf.  scribe,  vs.  69. 

77-81.  The  introduction  to  the 
formal  sermon.  Both  in  the  elab- 
orate manner  and  in  the  matter 
it  is  a  parody  of  Stoic  teaching. 
It  is  addressed  to  other  hearers 
than  Damasippus,  but  it  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  that  Horace 
meant  to  represent  Stertinius  as 
still  standing  on  the  pons  Fabri- 


178 


SERMONES 


[2,  3,  86 


quisquis  luxuria  tristive  superstitione 
80      aut  alio  mentis  morbo  calet ;  hue  propius  me, 

dum  doceo  insanire  omnis  vos  ordine,  adite. 
Danda  est  ellebori  multo  pars  maxima  avaris ; 

nescio  an  Anticyram  ratio  illis  destinet  omnem. 

Heredes  Staberi  summam  incidere  sepulchre, 
85      ni  sic  fecissent,  gladiatorum  dare  centum 

damnati  populo  paria  atque  epulum  arbitrio  Arri, 


fftts;  rather,  this  is  some  dis- 
course noted  down  at  a  later 
time  by  the  new  convert.  — 
togam  componere :  to  intimate 
that  the  sermon  was  to  be  a 
long  one.  —  ambitione :  this  is 
taken  up  second  in  the  discourse, 
though  here  named  first.  —  pallet : 
pale  with  the  chill  of  fear,  while 
calet  refers  to  the  fever  of  passion. 
—  omnis  vos  ordine  :  all  from  first 
to  last]  this  use  of  ordine  with 
omnis  is  colloquial  and  comnton 
in  Plautus  ;  Amph.  599,  Capt. 
377,  Most.  552,  etc.  [Af.  G.  875, 
which  is  sometimes  referred  to  as 
evidence  that  ordine  goes  with 
doceo,  has  been  misunderstood  ; 
it  is  like  the  other  Plautine  pas- 
sages.] 

82  f .  ellebori :  hellebore  was  the 
recognized  medicine  for  cases  of 
insanity.  It  grew  especially  about 
Anticyra,  in  Phocis.  —  nescio  an : 
with  an  implication  of  the  affirm- 
ative, /  dorft  knmv  but.  —  ratio  : 
reason,  i.e.  philosophy,  as  in  Sat. 
\.  3,  78.  115;  here  with  special 
thought  of  philosophy  as  a  cure  of 
souls. 


84.  Staberi  :  unknown.  He 
need  not  have  been  a  real  per- 
son, but  one  such  inscription  is 
extant  and  the  rich  man  in  Pe- 
tronius  (71)  expresses  his  desire 
to  have  the  amount  of  his  fortune 
put  on  his  tombstone. 

85  f .  fecissent :  in  indirect  quo- 
tation from  the  will.  —  damnati : 
the  technical  word  to  express  the 
penalty  for  failure  to  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  a  will;  the  formula 
was  heres  meus  dare  damnas  (  = 
damnatus)  esto.  —  centum :  one 
hundred  pairs  of  gladiators  would 
be  a  very  large  number.  —  arbi- 
trio Arri :  a  public  feast  that  would 
be  extravagant  enough  to  suit  even 
Q.  Arrius,  who  had  himself  given 
a  notoriously  extravagant  funeral 
feast.  —  frumenti :  a  third  penalty, 
a  distribution  of  grain,  as  much  as 
would  be  produced  in  a  season 
from  Egypt,  the  grain-produc- 
ing center  for  Italy.  The  three 
penalties  are  made  excessive 
in  order  to  express  the  anxiety 
of  Staberius  that  the  require- 
ment of  his  will  should  not  be 
neglected. 


179 


2,  3,  8;] 


HORATI 


frumenti  quantum  metit  Africa.     '  Sive  ego  prave 
seu  recte  hoc  voltii,  ne  sis  patruus  mihi ; '  credo 
hoc  Staberi  prudentem  animum  vidisse.     Quid  ergo 

90      sensit,  cum  summam  patrimoni  insculpere  saxo 
heredes  voluit  ?     Quoad  vixit,  credidit  ingens 
pauperiem  vitium  et  cavit  nihil  acrius,  ut,  si 
forte  minus  locuples  uno  quadrante  perisset, 
ipse  videretur  sibi  nequior  ;  omnis  enim  res, 

95      virtus,  fama,  decus,  divina  humanaque  pulchris 
divitiis  parent ;  quas  qui  construxerit,  ille 
clarus  erit,  fortis,  iustus.     Sapiensne  ?     Edam,  et  rex, 
et  quicquid  volet.     Hoc,  veluti  virtute  paratum, 
speravit  magnae  laudi  fore.     Quid  simile  isti 


87  f .  Sive  ego :  a  direct  quota- 
tion from  the  will.  —  ne  sis  pa- 
truus :  dotft  refuse  me ;  cf.  Sat.  2, 
2,  77  note. 

89  f .  hoc  :  the  hesitation  of  his 
heirs  and  their  probable  desire  to 
avoid  a  requirement  which  they 
might  think  foolish  ;  shie  prave, 
seu  recte.  —  vidisse :  gets  from 
prudentem  the  sense  of  provi- 
disse ;  foresaw  in  his  'wisdom.  — 
Quid  ergo  sensit :  well,  then,  what 
was  his  idea  ? 

92.  ut :  a  clause  of  result,  with- 
out antecedent,  as  in  Sat.  I,  I,  96. 

94.  nequior:  i.e.  just  so  much 
the  worse  man  ;  he  measured  him- 
self by  his  success  in  business. 

95  f .  pulchris  divitiis  :  cf.  Sat. 
i.  I.  44,  quid  Itiibfl  pulchri  con- 
structus  acer'tnis. 

97.  Sapiensne:  this  question 
is  interjected  by  the  speaker  to 


forestall  the  thought  of  a  hearer ; 
'ah,  but  will  he  be  a  Stoic  phi- 
losopher ? '  and  the  question  is 
answered  in  the  affirmative  as  the 
strongest  possible  expression  of 
the  value  that  men  put  upon 
money.  The  best  commentary 
on  the  curt  questions  and  answers 
here  and  below,  1586°.,  i87ff.,  is 
the  remark  of  Cicero  (Parad.  \,  2). 
'  Cato  .  .  .,  perfectus  mea  senten- 
tia  Stoicus,  .  .  .  minutis  inter- 
rogatiunculis,  quasi  punctis.  quod 
proposuit  efficit.'  —  On  the  Stoic 
Paradox  here  alluded  to  cf.  Sat. 
1,3.  124  and  note.  — Etiam  :  yes ; 
often  in  colloquial  Latin. 

99.  Quid  simile  isti:  i.e.  'what 
is  the  likeness  (or  difference)  be- 
tween Staherius  and  Aristippus?' 
The  question  is  repeated  in  more 
definite  form  in  vs.  102,  nter  .  .  . 
insaniorf 


i.Xo 


SERMONES 


[2,  3, 


100    Graecus  Aristippus  ?  qui  servos  proicere  aurum 
in  media  iussit  Libya,  quia  tardius  irent 
propter  onus  segnes.     Vter  est  insanior  horum  ? 
Nil  agit  exemplum,  litem  quod  lite  resolvit. 
Si  quis  emat  citharas,  emptas  comportet  in  unum, 

105    nee  studio  citharae  nee  musae  deditus  ulli, 
si  scalpra  et  formas  non  sutor,  nautica  vela 
aversus  mercaturis,  delirus  et  amens 
undique  dicatur  merito.     Qui  discrepat  istis 
qui  nummos  aurumque  recondit,  nescius  uti 

no    compositis,  metuensque  velut  contingere  sacrum  ? 
Si  quis  ad  ingentem  frumenti  semper  acervum 


TOO.  Aristippus :  of  the  town 
of  Cyrene,  the  founder  of  the 
Cyrenaic  (or  Hedonic)  school  of 
philosophy,  whose  fundamental 
doctrine  is  stated  by  Horace, 
Epist.  I,  I,  19,  et  mihi  res,  non  me 
rebus,  sitbiungere  Conor,  'tilings 
were  made  for  man,  not  man  for 
things.1 

103.  '  There  is  no  force  in  an 
illustration     which     proposes     to 
answer   one    question    by   asking 
another.'      The     introduction    of 
Aristippus  serves   the   same   pur- 
pose in  the  argument  as  the  men- 
tion of  Naevius  and  Nomentanus 
in  Sat.  i,  i,  101  f,  and  the  reply 
there,  pergis pngna ntia  secitin  .  .  . 
coitiponere,  means   essentially  the 
same  thing  as  this  line. 

104.  emptas     comportet     in 
unum :  '  and.  as  soon  as    he  has 
bought    them,  piles   them  up    to- 
gether/   as    a    miser    stores    his 
monev.     Cf.  Livy,  I,  5,  3.  lot  rones 


.  .  .  Remum  cepisse,  captum  regi 
Aemulio  tradidisse. 

105.  musae  .  .  .  ulli :    to  any 
kind  of  music. 

1 06.  non  sutor  :  though  he  was 
not  a  shoemaker. 

107.  aversus  mercaturis  :  merely 
a  variation  in  phrase  for  non  nauta. 
The  mercator  was  a  trader  by  sea 
(Sat.  i,  i, -6). 

108.  undique:    on  all  sides,  i.e. 
by     everybody.  — Qui     discrepat 
istis :  exactly  the   same  in   effect 
as  quid  simile  isti  (99). 

109  f.  nummos  aurumque  :  since 
the  coined  money  was  chiefly  silver, 
this  double  phrase  is  like  '  silver 
and  gold,'  a  double  expression  for 
a  single  idea.  —  nescius  uti :  like 
ncscis  quo  valeat  minimus  (Sat. 
i,  I.  73),  as  met uens  .  .  .  sacrum 
repents  tamquam  parcere  sacris 
(Sat.  i,  i.  71). 

in  ff.  The  thought  of  this 
passage  —  that  mere  accumulation 


181 


2,3. 


HO  K  ATI 


porrectus  vigilet  cum  longo  fuste,  neque  illinc 
audeat  esuriens  dominus  contingere  granum, 
ac  potius  foliis  parcus  vescatur  amaris  ; 

115    si  positis  intus  Chii  veterisque  Falerni 

mille  cadis  —  nihil  est,  tercentum  milibus  —  acre 
potet  acetum  ;  age,  si  et  stramentjs  incubet,  unde- 
octoginta  annos  natus,  cui  stragula  vestis, 
blattarum  ac  tinearum  epulae,  putrescat  in  area : 

120    nimirum  insanus  paucis  videatur,  eo  quod 

maxima  pars  hominum  morbo  iactatur  eodem. 
Filius  aut  etiam  haec  libertus  ut  ebibat  heres, 
dis  inimice  senex,  custodis  ?     Ne  tibi  desit  ? 
Quantulum  enim  summae  curtabit  quisque  dicrum, 


is  folly  —  is  much  like  parts  of 
Sat.  i,  i.  In  order  to  maintain 
the  Stoic  tone,  the  details  are 
carried  out  to  the  point  of  extrav- 
agance (114,  116,  125),  but  the 
underlying  idea  is  so  distinctly 
Horace's  own  that  the  fiction  of 
the  Stoic  preacher  is  ajmost  for- 
gotten. 

112.  porrectus  vigilet:  cf.  in- 
dor  mis  inhians,  Sat.  i,  i,  71. 

1 1 7  f .  acetum :  cf.  veteris  non 
p.ircus  aceti^  Sal.  2,  2,  62.  —  age: 
as  if  a  new  and  still  more  striking 
illustration  had  suddenly  occurred 
to  him.  —  unde-octoginta  :  a  little 
more  emphatic  than  the  round 
number  would  be;  'just  short  of 
eighty/  '  all  but  eighty  years  old.' 

120.  paucis:  used  unexpect- 
edly instead  of  mult  is  <>r  omnibus, 
to  preserve  the  Stoic  doctrine  that 
only  the  sapiens  is  .sane. 


121.  iactatur:    of    the  tossing 
about  of  a  fever-stricken  man. 

122.  libertus:  the  wretched  con- 
dition of  the  old  miser  is  increased 
by  the  suggestion  (more  fully  ex- 
pressed in  Sat.  i,  i,  80  ff.)  that  he 
has  alienated  his  natural  heirs.  — 
ebibat :  with  special  reference  to  the 
preceding    illustration,   vss.     1 1 5- 
117,  though  of  course  with  general 
application  to   in  ff.  and  117  ff. 
The  same  thought  was  afterward 
more     effectively     expressed      by 
Horace  in  Carm.  2,  14,  25  ff. 

123.  dis  inimice:  God-forsaken. 

124.  enim  :  not  for,   but   like 
the  English  use  of  HOW  or  why  to 
strengthen  an  argumentative  ques- 
tion.—  summae:     dat. ;     for    the 
sense  cf.  vs.  84. —  quisque  dierum  : 
i.e.  each  of  the  few  days  still  left 
tu  a  man  of  your  age. 

126    f.    These   details   of    per- 


182 


SEKMOXES 


0,  3. 


125    unguere  si  caules  oleo  meliore  caputque 

coeperis  impexa  foeclum  porrigine  ?     Quare, 
si  quidvis  satis  est,  periuras,  surripis,  aufers 
undique  ?     Tun*  sanus  ?     Populum  si  caedere  saxis 
incipias  servosve  tuos  quos  acre  pararis, 

130     insanum  te  omnes  pueri  clamentque  puellae  : 
cum  laqueo  uxorem  interimis  matremque  veneno, 
incolumi  capita  es  ?     Quid  enim  ?     Neque  tu  hoc  facis 
Argis, 


sonal  untidiness  and  moral  obli- 
quity are  part  of  the  conventional 
picture  of  the  miser.  They  are 
used  occasionally  in  Sat.  i,  i  (e.g. 
vss.  96  if.),  but  always  with  a  hu- 
morous recognition  of  their  extrav- 
agance ;  here  the  fanatical  Stoic 
attributes  the  sins  of  the  individual 
(a  malefactor  of  great  wealth)  to 
the  whole  class,  as  if  he  were  us- 
ing a  serious  argument.  —  si  quid- 
vis  satis  est  :  i.e.  i  if  you  accept 
the  doctrine  of  philosophy  that 
enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast.1  Cf. 
Turpil.  144  R., ;//  philosophi  ainnt 
isti  quibus  quidvls  sat  est,  and  Sat. 
i,  i,  59,  qtti  taut uli  eget  quanta 
est  opus. 

128-141.  'You  in  your  senses? 
Most  certainly  not.  To  be  sure, 
the  common  judgment  is  that 
madness  shows  itself  in  violence, 
but  when  you  poison  your  mother, 
do  you  think  that  theabsence  of  vio- 
lence proves  you  sane  ?  What,  you 
think  it  does?  You  are  no  Orestes, 
you  say,  the  madman  who  went  to 
Argos  and  killed  his  mother  with 
a  sword,  for  you  did  the  deed 


without  bloodshed  and  not  in 
Argos  either.  But  it  is  the  crime, 
not  the  manner  or  the  place  of  it, 
that  proves  a  man  mad.  As  to 
Orestes,  his  madness  began  before 
his  violent  outbreak  and  in  fact, 
after  the  act  that  is  commonly 
considered  evidence  of  his  mad- 
ness, his  conduct  was  most  nor- 
mal and  exemplary —  except  a 
little  harmless  cursing.' 

129.  servos    tuos :    a  little  hit 
at  the  Jover  of  money,  who  would 
be    quite  unlikely   to    injure    the 
money-value  of  his  own  slaves. 

130.  pueri  .  .  .  puellae :    pro- 
verbial, as  in  Sat.  I,  i,  85. 

131.  cum. . . interimis :  i.e. '  when 
you  are  engaged   in    some   quiet 
crime,  all  in  the  family.1    There  is, 
of  course,  no  implication  that  any- 
such  crime  has  been  committed ; 
much  less,  as  is  generally  said,  that 
the  miser  had  murdered  his  mother 
for  her  money.     That  motive   is 
suggested  in  the  parallel  passage. 
Sat.  2,  i,  53  if.,  but  not  here. 

132.  Argis :  locat.   from   Argi. 
The   point   is   to    show   that   the 


nee  ferro  ut  demens  genetricem  occidis  Orestes. 

An  tu  reris  eum  occisa  insanisse  parente, 
135     ac  non  ante  mails  dementem  actum  Furiis  quam 

in  matris  iugulo  ferrum  tepefecit  acutuni  ? 

Quin,  ex  quo  est  habitus  male  tutae  mentis  Orestes, 

nil  sane  fecit  quod  tu  reprehendere  possis : 

non  Pyladen  ferro  violare  aususve  sororem 
140     Electram,  tantum  maledicit  utrique,  vocando 

hanc  Fiiriam,  hunc  aliud,  iussit  quod  splendida  bilis. 

Pauper  Opimius  argenti  positi  intus  et  auri, 

qui  Veientanum  festis  potare  diebus 

Campana  solitus  trulla  vappamque  profestis, 


manner  of  the  crime  is  wholly  un- 
essential, as  unessential  as  the 
place  where  it  was  committed. 

134.  occisa  insanisse  :  *  that  his 
madness     began     after    he    had 
killed  his  mother.' 

135.  dementem  actum  :  driven 
mad. 

137.  Quin:  'why,  on   the  con- 
trary.''—  male  tutae:   non  tutae] 
one  of  the  synonyms  for  insanus. 

138.  sane:   strengthening  ///'/; 
he  certainly  did  nothing. 

139  if.  Pyladen.  Electram :  the 
friend  and  the  sister  who  had 
helped  him  to  carry  out  his  pur- 
pose. The  passage  in  which  he 
calls  his  sister  a  Fury  is  in  Eurip- 
ides, Orest.  264,  but  there  is  no 
place  in  an  extant  play  in  which 
he  uses  hard  words  of  Pylades. 
The  whole  reference  in  140  f.  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  argument; 
it  may  be  introduced  as  a  bit  of 
Stoic  precision  in  trifles  or  it  may 


be  mere  burlesque  of  a  tragic  sit- 
uation. —  splendida  bilis  :  bile 
was  considered  to  be  the  cause 
of  madness  and  splendida  is  ap- 
parently used  literally,  shining, 
from  the  descriptions  in  medical 
books.  —  It  is  entirely  in  the  man- 
ner of  Horace  to  drop  the  argu- 
ment here,  without  drawing  a 
conclusion,  and  to  go  on  without 
preface  to  a  new  illustration.  Cf , 
e.g.,  Sat.  i,  i,  67  f.  and  below, 
vss.  1 86  f. 

142.  Opimius :  coined  from  opi- 
»ttts,  as  JV0VIMS,  in  Sat.  i,  6,  40, 
from  novHS,  and  contrasted  with 
pauper.  —  argenti:  gen.  with 
pauper. 

143  f.  Veientanum:  a  poor  wine, 
but  better  than  vappa,  mere  lees 
of  wine.  —  Campana :  cheap  ware, 
which  Horace  himself  used  for 
ordinary  purposes  {Sat.  i,  6,  118), 
though  perhaps  not  for  drinking. 
—  trulla.  the  ladle,  so  that  he 


184 


SERMONES 


[2,  3,  158 


145 


150 


155 


quondam  lethargo  grand!  est  oppressus,  ut  heres 
iam  circum  loculos  et  clavis  laetus  ovansque 
curreret.     Hunc  medicus  multum  celer  atque  fidelis 
excitat  hoc  pacto  :  mensam  poni  iubet  atque 
effundi  saccos  nummorum,  accedere  pluris 
ad  numerandum  ;  hominem  sic  erigit.     Addit  et  illud, 
'  Ni  tua  custodis,  avidus  iam  haec  auferet  heres.' 
'  Men'    vivo  ?  '     '  Vt    vivas,  igitur,  vigila,    hoc    age.' 

'  Quid  vis  ?  ' 

'  Deficient  inopem  venae  te,  ni  cibus  atque 
ingens  accedit  stomacho  fultura  ruenti. 
Tu  cessas  ?     Agedum,  sume  hoc  ptisanarium  oryzae.' 
'  Quanti  emptae  ?  '    '  Parvo.'    '  Quanti,  ergo  ?  '    '  Octus- 

sibus.'     '  Eheu! 

quid  refert,  morbo  an  f  urtis  pereamque  rapinis  ?  ' 
Quisnam   igitur    sanus?     Qui   non    stultus.     Quid 

avarus  ? 


did  not  need  to  have  a  drinking- 
cup. 

147.  multum  :   with   celer  and 
fidelis;  cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  57. 

148.  hoc  pacto  :  i.e.  in  the  way 
which   is   described    in  the   next 
verses. 

149  ff.  The  details  (pluris  to 
make  a  little  confusion,  tarn,  im- 
mediately,  this  very  moment)  are 
added  to  show  the  directness  of 
the  appeal  to  the  tenderest  sensi- 
bilities  of  Opimius. 

152.  vigila:  both  in  the  literal 
sense  and  in  the  freer  meaning.  — 
hoc  age  :  a  general  form  of  ex- 
hortation  to  pay  attention  ;  attend 
to  business  I 


154.  ingens:  immense,  with  in- 
tentional    exaggeration.  —  fultura 
ruenti  :  fulcire  and  its  derivatives 
are  used  in  a  half-technical  sense 
of  food  and  stimulants,  and  the 
figure  is  carried  on  in  ruenti. 

155.  Tu  cessas:  he  hesitated  at 
the    thought    of    the   expense.  — 
ptisanarium  oryzae  :   rice-gruel. 

157.  furtis  .  .  .  rapinis  :  i.e. 
the  cost,  which  seemed  to  him  so 
great,  of  the  gruel  which  the 
doctor  was  trying  to  get  him  to 
take.  —  With  this  exclamation  he 
falls  back  in  despair. 

158-160.  On  the  short  (Jues- 
tions  and  answers  cf.  vs.  97  and 
note.  They  are  all  spoken  by 


2,  3»  159] 


HORATI 


Stultus  et  insanus.     Quid,  si  quis  non  sit  avarus, 
160    continuo  sanus  ?     Minime.     Cur,  Stoice  ?     Dicam. 
Non  est  cardiacus  (Craterum  dixisse  putato)    ^ 
hie  aeger.     Recte  est  igitur  surgetque  ?     Negabit, 
quod  latus  aut  renes  morbo  temptentur  acuto. 
Non  est  periurus  neque  sordidus :  immolet  aequis 
165     hie  porcum  Laribus  ;  verum  ambitiosus  et  audax  : 
naviget  Anticyram.     Quid  enim  differt,  barathrone 
dones  quicquid  habes,  an  numquam  utare  paratis  ? 
Servius  Oppidius  Canusi  duo  praedia,  dives 


Stertinius,  but  the  questions  ex- 
press the  supposed  attitude  of  a 
listener.  The  use  of  Stoice,  how- 
ever, with  its  suggestion  of  some 
slight  scorn  (cf.  vs.  300),  is  not 
dramatically  correct ;  cf.  crepat, 
vs.  33  and  note.  —  continuo  :  i.e. 
1  may  we  at  once  conclude  that  he 
is  sane?' 

161  f.  cardiacus:  dyspeptic. — 
Craterum :  a  physician  of  the 
Ciceronian  time,  referred  to  in 
ad  Att.  12,  13,  i;  12,  14,  4,  as 
worthy  of  confidence. —  Recte  est : 
sc.  et,  but  translate  personally. 

163.  temptentur :  a  half-tech- 
nical word  of  illness.  The  subjv. 
is  used  to  imply  that  this  is  the 
reason  given  by  Craterus  for  his 
refusal  to  let  the  patient  get  up. 

164-167.  The  application  of  the 
story  and  the  transition  from  the 
folly  of  avarice  to  the  folly  of 
ambition.  —  periurus.  sordidus  : 
these  adjectives  go  hark  in  par- 
ticular to  vss.  125  flf..  l>ut  with  a 
general  reference  to  the  avaricious 


man.  — immolet  .  .  .  porcum:  i.e. 
'let  him  thank  the  gods  for  his 
sanity  —  so  far.'  In  Platitus, 
Men.  289  ff.,  a  pig  is  to  be  of- 
fered to  the  gods  to  bring  about 
a  recovery  from  insanity :  here  it 
is  in  gratitude  for  exemption  from 
insanity  ;  the  two  ideas  are  essen- 
tially the  same.  —  ambitiosus  et 
audax  :  recklessly  ambitions.  — 
naviget :  •  he  may  as  well  engage 
passage  for  the  land  of  helle- 
bore ; '  i.e.  he  is  beyond  question 
a  mad-man.  —  barathro  dones  :  the 
emphasis  through  vs.  186  is  upon 
the  heavy  expense  of  a  political 
career,  so  that  this  paragraph 
serves  as  a  transition  from  avarice, 
through  its  opposite,  to  ambition. 
—  numquam  utare  :  cf.  nescitis  nti 
com  posit  is,  vss.  109  f. 

168.  Canusi :  Canusium  was 
not  far  from  Venusia  and  this 
story  of  Servius  Oppidius  (of>f>i- 
t/f/tti.')  belongs  in  the  same  class 
as  the  Ofellus  satire  (2,  2)  and 
the  story  told  by  Cervius  (Sat. 


1 86 


SERM<>\  I  S 


[2,3.  »79 


antique  censu,  gnatis  divisse  cluobus 
170    fertur,  et  hoc  moriens  pueris  dixisse  vocatis 
ad  lectum  :  'Postquam  te  talos,  Aule,  nucesque 
ferre  sinu  laxo,  donare  et  ludere  vidi, 
te,  Tiberi,  numerate,  cavis  abscondere  tristem, 
extimui  ne  vos  ageret  vesania  discors, 
175    tu  Nomentanum,  tu  ne  sequerere  Cicutam. 
Quare  per  divos  oratus  uterque  Penatis, 
tu  cave  ne  minuas,  tu  ne  mains  facias  id 
quod  satis  esse  putat  pater  et  natura  coercet. 
Praeterea  ne  vos  titillet  gloria,  iure 


2,  6,  77  ff.).  They  are  bits  of  prac- 
tical philosophy  which  are  most 
appropriately  clothed  in  the  guise 
of  homely  tales  from  the  country. 
169  f.  antiquo  censu :  accord- 
ing to  old-fashioned  standards. 

—  pueris :    they  were  still  young 
enough  for  boyish  games. 

171.  talos.  nuces :  for  games 
like  jack-stones  and  marbles.  So 
Augustus  (Suet.  Oct.  83)  :  animi 
laxandi  causa  .  .  .  talis  ant  ocel- 
latis  nucibiisqtie  ludebat  cum  pueris 
minutis. 

172  f.  sinu  laxo:  the  fold  of 
the  toga  served  as  a  pocket ;  in 
this  case  a  pocket  with  a  hole  in 
it.  —  donare:  with  careless  gener- 
osity. —  ludere :  i.e.  to  gamble 
and.  occasionally,  to  lose.  —  tris- 
tem :  with  anxious  look. 

174.   ageret :    cf.   agit,  vs.   44. 

—  vesania  discors :    two  different 
kinds  of  madness.     There   is    no 
suggestion  of  discord  between  the 
brothers. 


175.  Nomentanum:    Sat.   I,  I, 
1 02.  —  Cicutam  :  above,  vs.  69. 

176.  oratus :      agreeing      with 
nterqite,  but  the  words   must   be 
freely  rendered  ;  '  wherefore  I  be- 
seech you  both.' 

177.  minuas,  maius  facias  :  the 
same  idea  of  frugal  contentment 
with    a     modest    patrimony    was 
urged  upon  Horace  by  his  father 
(Sat.  i,  4.  107  f.)  and,  he  says, 
became  his  rule  of  life    (Sat.   2, 
6,  7f.). 

178.  natura  coercet :  i.e.  within 
the  limits  set  by  natural  desires ; 
cf.  Sat.    I,    I,   50.     Strictly,  quod 
is  the  obj.  of  coercet ;   '  the  patri- 
mony which  nature  limits.' 

179  ff.  The  warning  against 
political  ambition  is  apparently 
addressed  to  both  sons,  but  it 
has  little  meaning  in  its  applica- 
tion to  Tiberius  and.  indeed,  no 
connection  at  all  with  the  first 
part  of  the  story,  the  point  of 
which  is  the  vesania  discors,  the 


,87 


2,  3, 


ItORAll 


180    iurando  obstringam  ambo :  uter  aedilis  fueritve 
vestrum  praetor,  is  intestabilis  et  sacer  esto. 
In  cicere  atque  faba  bona  tu  perdasque  lupinis, 
latus  ut  in  Circo  spatiere  et  aeneus  ut  stes, 
nudus  agris,  nudus  nummis,  insane,  paternis  ? 

185     Scilicet  ut  plausus,  quos  fert  Agrippa,  feras  tu, 
astuta  ingenuum  volpes  imitata  leonem  ! ' 

'  Ne  quis  humasse  velit  Aiacem,  Atrida,  vetas  cur?' 
'  Rex  sum.'     '  Nil  ultra  quaero  plebeius.'     '  Et  aequam 


contrast    between     the    different 
dispositions  of  the  two  boys. 

181.  intestabilis:  'shall  forfeit 
his    legacy.'  —  sacer    esto :     the 
common    legal    formula    for  one 
who  violates  a  law ;  here  a  part 
of  the  oath  which  the  sons  were 
to  take. 

182.  cicere.  faba,  lupinis :  gifts 
of  food  to  the  common  people  to 
win  favor  and  votes.     The  refer- 
ence  is  to  customs  in  Rome,  as 
the     other    local     and     personal 
allusions    show    (175,    183,    esp. 
185). 

183.  latus  .  .  .  spatiere :    such 
a  man  is  described  in  Epod.  4,  7  f. : 
Sacram   inetiente    te    viam  \  cum 
bis  trium  ulnarum  toga.  —  aeneus : 
i.e.    may   have    a   bronze    statue 
of   you  erected    in    some   public 
place. 

185  f .  Agrippa :  see  introd. 
to  this  satire.  Agrippa  was  one 
of  the  really  influential  men  of 
the  period. —  The  next  line  can- 
not be  an  allusion  to  the  fable 
of  the  Ass  in  the  Lion's  Skin 
(Sat.  2.  i,  64  f.),  and  there  is 


apparently  no  fable  which  quite 
corresponds  to  this ;  it  may  very 
well  be  general,  '  like  a  fox  who 
tries  to  act  a  lion's  part.' 

187-207.  A  scene  in  the  camp 
before  Troy.  Ajax.  having  been 
defeated  in  the  contest  for  the 
arms  of  Achilles  and  becoming 
insane  from  disappointment,  at- 
tacks the  flocks  of  sheep  under 
the  delusion  that  they  are  his 
rivals  and  finally  takes  his  own 
life.  Agamemnon  forbids  the 
burial  of  the  body  and  a  common 
soldier  comes  to  remonstrate. 
There  is  no  attempt  to  avoid 
anachronisms ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  humor  consists  largely  in  the 
introduction  into  a  Homeric  situa- 
tion of  modern  words,  like  ple- 
beius, consulere,  and  of  Stoic  forms 
of  sentence  and  methods  of  argu- 
ment. 

187.  Ne  quis  .  .  .  velit :  legal 
phraseology,  in  which  the  perf. 
infin.  is  often  used. 

188  f .  Et  aequam :  the  pre- 
tended humility  of  the  soldier 
obliges  the  king  to  add  a  further 


1 88 


SE  KM  ONES 


\2,  3,  201 


rem  imperito;  ac  si  cui  videor  non  iustus,  inulto 
KJO    dicere  quod  sentit  permitto.'     '  Maxima  regum, 
di  tibi  dent  capta  classem  reducere  Troia  ! 
Ergo  consulere  et  mox  respondere  licebit  ? ' 
'  Consule.'     '  Cur  Aiax,  heros  ab  Achilla  secundus, 
putescit,  totiens  servatis  clarus  Achivis  ? 
195    Gaudeat  ut  populus  Priami  Priamusque  inhumato, 
per  quern  tot  iuvenes  patrio  caruere  sepulchre  ? ' 
'  Mille  ovium  insanus  morti  dedit,  inclutum  Vlixen 
et  Menelaum  una  mecum  se  occidere  clamans.' 
'  Tu,  cum  pro  vitula  statuis  dulcem  Aulide  gnatam 
200    ante  aras,  spargisque  mola  caput,  improbe,  salsa, 

rectum  animi  servas  ? '     '  Quorsum  ? '     '  Insanus  quid 
enim  Aiax 


justification  ;  '  and,  besides,  what 
I  am  ordering  is  just.1  The  rest 
of  the  sentence  is  a  still  more 
rapid  descent  from  rex-  sum.  — 
inulto :  with  impunity. 

191.  A  complimentary  wish,  to 
introduce  the  request  with  a  cour- 
teous formula  :  translated  from  the 
Iliad,  i,  1 8  f. 

192.  consulere :     the   technical 
term    for   consulting    a    jurist. — 
mox  respondere :    the  jurist   then 
gave   his    formal    '  opinion '   upon 
the   case.      Strictly,   the   thought 
would    require   tibi  libebit  instead 
of  licebit  with  respondere. 

194.  putescit :  i.e.  lie  unburied. 

195.  Gaudeat :    from  the  Iliad, 
i,  255. 

197.  Mille :  a  subst.  with  the 
gen.  This  construction  is  common 
in  early  Latin,  but  is  retained  in  the 


classical  period  only  rarely  in  the 
singular.  —  insanus  :  this  turns  the 
dialogue  in  the  desired  direction. 

199.  pro  vitula:  the  important 
words  and  the  basis  of  the  argu- 
ment   that    follows  ;     '  of    course 
Ajax  was  mad  when  he  mistook 
a  sheep  for  a  man.   but   so   also 
were  you  when  you  mistook  your 
daughter  for  a  heifer.' 

200.  mola    .    .    .    salsa :       the 
sprinkling  of  salted  meal   on  the 
head  of  the  victim  was  a  part  of 
the  ordinary   ceremonial,  but    its 
mention  here  serves  to  make  the 
scene  more  vivid. 

201.  rectum  animi  servas  :    an- 
other    periphrasis    for     the     fre- 
quently recurring  idea    of  sanity. 
—  Quorsum:    tJie   point  f      Short 
for  quorsum  haec  tendunt  ?     Cf. 
Sat.  2,  7.  21. 


189 


2,  j,  202] 


HO  R  ATI 


fecit,  cum  stravit  ferro  pecus  ?     Abstinuit  vim 
uxore  et  gnato ;  mala  multa  precatus  Atridis, 
non  ille  aut  Teucrum  aut  ipsum  violavit  Vlixen.' 
'  Verum  ego,  ut  haerentis  adverse  litore  navis 
eriperem,  prudens  placavi  sanguine  divos.' 
'  Nempe  tuo,  furiose.'     '  Meo,  sed  non  furiosus.' 
Qui  species  alias  veris  scelerisque  tumultu 
permixtas  capiet,  commotus  habebitur,  atque 
stultitiane  erret  nihilum  distabit  an  ira. 
Aiax  immeritos  cum  occidit  desipit  agnos : 
cum  prudens  scelus  ob  titulos  admittis  inanis, 


203.  mala  .  .  .  precatus:     as 
the   violent   language   of  Orestes 
to   his  sister  and  his  friend  was 
not  inconsistent  with  sanity  (vss. 
140  f.). 

204.  ipsum :    Ulysses   was   his 
successful  rival  in  the  contest  for 
the  arms. 

205  f .  adverse  :  hostile,  '  on  a 
lee-shore.1  —  prudens  :  intention- 
ally, after  careful  deliberation,  not 
on  a  mad  impulse.  '  And  the 
act  was  a  pious  one ;  I  pacified 
the  gods.' 

207.  furiose :  a  much  stronger 
word  than  itisaims.  —  At  this 
point  the  dialogue  ends  as  ab- 
ruptly as  it  had  begun  and  the 
following  lines  (208-213)  are  the 
comment  of  Stertinius. 

208  f .  The  terms  here  used  are 
colored  with  Stoic  meanings. 
Sfiecies  are  the  impressions  re- 
ceived through  the  senses  ;  if  they 
do  not  correspond  to  the  reality 
(u  lifts  veris),  that  fact  is  evidence 


of  illusion,  as  in  vss.  53-58.  If 
they  are  still  further  distorted  by 
passion  (tumult it  permixtas),  the 
evidence  of  insanity  is  complete 
(coiHHiotus  habebitur) .  The  sense 
of  scelus  also  is  technical,  for  the 
Stoic  refused  to  distinguish  crime 
from  madness  (ct.  vss.  278  ff.)  ; 
sceleris  tiiiiniltii  is  hardly  more 
than  insano  tnmnltn. 

210.  stultitia  :  the  fault  of  Aga- 
memnon, who  claimed  pnuientia. 
—  ira  :  the  cause  of  the  madness 
of  Ajax. 

212.  titulos :  the  inscriptions 
under  the  masks  in  the  atrium  of 
a  Roman  house.  They  recited 
the  public  offices  held  by  each 
person  represented  and  consti- 
tuted the  claim  of  the  owner  of 
the  house  to  nobility.  —  admittis: 
the  contrast  with  vs.  211  suggests 
that  this  is  addressed  to  Agamem- 
non, as  if  he  were  present,  but  it 
is  also  addressed  to  the  hearer, 
the  ambitious  man:  'when  you 


190 


SERMONES 


[2,  3.  225 


stas  animo,  et  purum  est  vitio  tibi,  cum  tumidum  est, 

cor  ? 
Si  quis  lectica  nitidam  gestare  amet  agnam, 

215    huic  vestem,  ut  gnatae,  paret,  ancillas  paret,  aurum, 
Rufam  aut  Pusillam  appellet,  fortique  marito 
destinet  uxorem,  interdicto  huic  omne  adimat  ius 
praetor,  et  ad  sanos  abeat  tutela  propinquos. 
Quid  ?  si  quis  gnatam  pro  muta  devovet  agna, 

220    integer  est  animi  ?     Ne  dixeris.     Ergo  ubi  prava 
stultitia,  hie  summa  est  insania  ;  qui  sceleratus, 
et  furiosus  erit ;  quem  cepit  vitrea  fama, 
hunc  circumtonuit  gaudens  Bellona  cruentis. 

Nunc  age,  luxuriam  et  Nomentanum  arripe  mecum  ; 

225    vincet  enim  stultos  ratio  insanire  nepotes. 


commit  such  a  crime  for  empty 
honors  .  .  .' 

213.  stas  animo :  the  same 
figure  as  that  in  commotus,  219. — 
tumidum :  absolute  ;  •  when  it  is  in 
the  tumult  of  passion.1  For  this 
contrast  with  philosophic  calm  see 
Cic.  THSC.  3,9, 19,  where  intumore, 
tmnidits,  and  tutnens  are  all  used 
absolutely,  and  esp.  sapient  is  autem 
animus  semper  vocat  vitio,  niiin- 
quatn  turgescit,  numquam  titmet. 

214  ff.  gestare:  i.e.  to  have  it 
carried.  —  Rufam,  Pusillam:  or- 
dinary feminine  names,  taken  at 
random.  —  interdicto  :  to  be  trans- 
lated as  a  verb  ;  *  the  praetor  would 
lay  his  interdict  upon  him  and 
.  .  .'  This  was  a  regular  pro- 
ceeding under  Roman  law  and  this 
is  only  an  elaborate  way  of  saying 
that  he  would  be  adjudged  insane. 


221.  sceleratus:  cf.  scelcris  tu- 
multu,  vs.  208  ;  the  same  contrast 
as  that  between  stultitia  and  ira, 
vs.  210. 

222.  vitrea :  not  infrequent  in 
this  general  sense,  glittering,  daz- 
zling. —  fama  :  =  gloria,  \  79. 

223.  Bellona :  an  eastern  god- 
dess whose  rites  were  celebrated 
with  crazy  orgies  and  self-inflicted 
wounds  (gaudens  cruentis}. 

224-280.    The  third  head  of  the 
discourse,  the  folly  of  luxury. 

224.  Nomentanum:  cf.  vs.  175. 
—  arripe   mecum :  =  arripiamus, 
'let    us    attack.1       The    verb    is 
suited  either  to  the  Stoic  preacher 
or  to  the  satirist,  2.  i.  69. 

225.  vincet  .  .  .  ratio:  cf.  vs. 
83  and  Sat.   I,  3,  115.  —  stultos: 
with  insanire;  are  fools  and  mad- 
men . 


191 


Ill  )R ATI 


Hie  simul  accepit  patrimoni  mille  talenta, 
edicit,  piscator  uti,  pomarius,  auceps, 
unguentarius,  ac  Tusci  turba  impia  vici, 
cum  scurris  fartor,  cum  Velabro  omne  macellum, 

230  mane  domum  veniant.  Quid  turn  ?  Venere  frequentes. 
Verba  facit  leno  :  '  Quicquid  mihi,  quicquid  et  horum 
cuique  domi  est,  id  crede  tuum,  et  vel  mine  pete  vel 

eras.' 

Accipe  quid  contra  iuvenis  respondent  aequus  : 
'  In  nive  Lucana  dormis  ocreatus,  ut  aprum 

235    cenem  ego  ;  tu  piscis  hiberno  ex  aequore  verris  ; 
segnis  ego,  indignus  qui  tantum  possideam :  aufer  ! 


226-238.  A  picture  of  the  Rake\s 
Progress,  not  inferior  in  its  irony 
and  its  real  moral  power  to  Ho- 
garth's engravings.  The  effec- 
tiveness of  it  lies  in  the  artifice  of 
representing  the  essentials  of  a 
spendthrift's  career  as  if  the  events 
had  actually  occurred  in  this  bare 
form.  For  Horace  does  not  mean 
that  such  a  gathering  as  this  took 
place  or  that  these  words  were 
uttered,  but  that  this  is  what  the 
whole  story  really  amounts  to,  if 
we  go  below  the  surface.  There 
is  a  grave  irony  in  the  lines  and 
the  burlesque  of  the  Stoic  manner 
is  dropped. 

227  ff.  edicit :  proclaims  by  his 
attitude  and  conduct.  Cf.  Sat.  2, 
2.  51  for  a  similar,  ironical  use 
of  this  formal  word  —  piscator, 
pomarius.  .  .  .  :  purveyors  of  va- 
rious luxuries.  —  Tusci  .  .  .  vici:  a 
street  leading  from  the  Forum 
toward  the  river,  one  of  the  dis- 


reputable quarters  of  the  city. — 
scurris  :  a  scnrra  was  a  hanger-on 
of  some  richer  man,  a  professional 
diner-out  who  lived  by  his  wits.  — 
fartor :  perhaps  the  sausage-maker. 
—  Velabro  :  a  street  opening  from 
the  Titscus  victts,  a  center  of  the 
trade  in  various  kinds  of  pro- 
visions.—  Quid  turn  :  what  next? 
231.  leno:  the  procurer  is  the 
suitable  spokesman. 

233.  aequus:  fair-minded;  for 
their  valuable  services  he  proposes 
to  make  a  fair  return. 

234.  Lucana  :  the  boars  of  Lu- 
cania  were  especially  esteemed  for 
food.  —  ocreatus  :     greaves     were 
worn  to  protect  the  hunter  from 
the  tusks  of  the  boar.     These  de- 
tails of  hardship  and  danger  carry 
on  the  irony  of  aeqnus. 

235.  hiberno  :  cf.  Stif.  2,  2,  16  f. 
237.    deciens  :  sc.  centena  in  ilia 

sestertium,  a  million,  of  course  an 
absurd  sum. 


192 


SERMONES 


[2,  3.  247 


sume  tibi  deciens ;  tibi  tantundem  ;  tibi  triplex, 
unde  uxor  media  currit  de  nocte  vocata.' 
Filius  Aesopi  detractam  ex  aure  Metellae, 

240    scilicet  ut  deciens  solidum  absorberet,  aceto 
diluit  insignem  bacam  :  qui  sanior  ac  si 
illud  idem  in  rapidum  flumen  iaceretve  cloacam  ? 
Quinti  progenies  Arri,  par  nobile  fratrum, 
nequitia  et  nugis  pravorum  et  amore  gemellum, 

245     luscinias  soliti  impenso  prandere  coemptas, 

quorsum  abeant  ?     Sanin'  creta,  an  carbone  notandi  ? 
Aedificare  casas,  plostello  adiungere  mures, 


238.  unde :  -  a  quo.  —  Notice 
again  the  abrupt  ending  of  one 
story  and  beginning  of  another. 

239.  Aesopi :    a    distinguished 
actor  of  Cicero's  time,  of  whose 
follies   some    reports    have    come 
down  to  us.     He  left  to  his  son, 
however,  a   large   fortune   and    a 
taste    for    extravagance.  —  Metel- 
lae:   probably   the   wife    of  Cor- 
nelius Lentulus  Spinther,  several 
times     referred     to     in    Cicero's 
letters. 

240.  solidum :    agreeing    with 
deciens  as  a  substantive ;  'a  whole 
million,'  somewhat  as  we  say  '  a 
lump   sum.'  — This   story  is  also 
connected  with  Antony  and  Cleo- 
patra.    But  pearls  do  not  dissolve 
in  wine  or  vinegar. 

243.  Arri:  cf.  vs.  86  and  note. 
—  par  nobile  fratrum :  often  quoted 
as  if  nobile  meant  noble  and  were 
used  here  ironically.  It  is  the  not 
infrequent  use  of  nobilis  in  pre- 
cisely the  sense  of  no/us,  with 

HOR.  SAT.  —  13  193 


either  a  good  or  a  bad  sense; 
here  notorious. 

244  f .  pravorum :  with  amore. 
—  gemellum:  agreeing  with  par, 
but  to  be  rendered  freely-  —  im- 
penso :  at  vast  expense.  Stories 
quite  incredible  have  come  down 
to  us  of  the  cost  of  a  single  night- 
ingale. 

246.  quorsum  abeant :  into 
which  class  shall  they  be  put?  — 
creta,  carbone:  so  albus  el  ater, 
Epist.  2.  2,  189,  and  albus  an  ater 
homo.  Catull.  93,  2.  All  these  are 
merely  expressions  of  the  natural 
association  of  black  with  evil  and 
white  with  good.  For  complete- 
ness insani  would  be  used  with 
carbone,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to 
supply  it. 

247-280.  The  madness  of  lovers. 
This  subject  is  not  announced  in 
the  introduction  (vss.  77-81),  but 
may  be  considered  to  be  included 
under  the  third  heading,  the  pas- 
sion for  luxury. 


HORATI 


ludere  par  impar,  equitare  in  arundine  longa, 
si  quern  delectet  barbatum,  amentia  verset. 

250    Si  puerilius  his  ratio  esse  evincet  amare, 

nee  quicquam  differre  utrumne  in  pulvere,  trimus 
quale  prius,  ludas  opus,  an  meretricis  amore 
sollicitus  plores,  quaero,  faciasne  quod  olim 
mutatus  Polemon,  ponas  insignia  morbi, 

255    fasciolas,  cubital,  focalia,  potus  ut  ille 
dicitur  ex  collo  furtim  carpsisse  coronas, 
postquam  est  impransi  correptus  voce  magistri  ? 
Porrigis  irato  puero  cum  poma,  recusat : 
'  Sume,  catelle  !  '  negat ;  si  non  des,  optet :  amator 


247-249.  The  children's  games 
here  mentioned  are  still  in  vogue. 

—  barbatum :     i.e.  after    he    had 
come  to  manhood.  —  amentia  ver- 
set :  synonym  for  insanns  sit. 

250.  amare:  subj.  of  esse,  of 
which  puerilius  is  predicate. 

251  f.  in  pulvere:  in  the  sand, 
with  a  suggestion  of  the  waste  of 
labor  which  is  again  expressed  in 
Indas  opus,  l  fool  away  your  labor.' 

—  prius :  agreeing  with  opus  to  be 
supplied  and  referring  back  to  vss. 
247  ff. 

254.  Polemon :  an  example  of 
the  reforming  power  of  philoso- 
phy, often  referred  to  by  Greek 
and  Latin  writers.  He  was  a 
young  clubman  in  Athens  who,  as 
he  was  returning  from  a  drinking- 
bout,  heard  the  voice  of  Xenocrates 
expounding  the  philosophy  of  the 
Academic  school.  He  entered  the 
room,  was  immediately  converted 
(mutatus)  by  the  doctrine,  and 


afterward  became  the  successor  of 
Xenocrates  as  head  of  the  school. 

255.  fasciolas:  bindings  about 
the  ankle,  a  kind   of  decorative 
garter. — cubital :  an  elbow-cushion^ 
apparently  carried  about   for  use 
at  any  time.  —  focalia:  wrappings 
for  the  throat,  neckcloths.      These 
are   all    signs  of  that   effeminacy 
an  affectation  of  which  was  fash- 
ionable in  the  Augustan  period ; 
it  is  difficult  to  tell   in  regard  to 
Maecenas,  for  example,  how   far 
it  was  real  and  how  far  assumed. 

256.  furtim:    as    he  began  to 
realize  how  the  signs  of  dissipation 
looked  to  serious  people.  —  coro- 
nas: he  was  still  wearing  flowers 
from  the  banquet. 

257.  impransi:  cf.  Sat.  2,  2.  7. 
259.   catelle :  a  humorous  term 

of  mingled  reproval  and  endear- 
ment, without  any  of  the  sugges- 
tions of  the  English  '  puppy '  or 
'whelp '  ;  little  scamp,  little  rogue. 


194 


SEKMONES  [2,  3,  270 

260    exclusus  qui  distat,  agit  ubi  secum  eat  an  non, 
quo  rediturus  erat  non  arcessitus,  et  haeret 
invisis  foribus  ?     '  Nee  mine,  cum  me  vocat  ultro, 
accedam,  an  potius  mediter  finire  dolores  ? 
Exclusit ;  re  vocat :    redeam  ?   Non,  si  obsecret.'    Kcce 

265    servus,  non  paulo  sapientior  :  '  O  ere,  quae  res 

nee  modum  habet  nequc  consilium,  ratione  modoque 
tractari  non  volt.     In  amore  haec  sunt  mala,  bellum, 
pax  rursum  :  haec  si  quis  tempestatis  prope  ritu 
mobilia  et  caeca  fluitantia  sorte  laboret 

270    reddcre  certa  sibi,  nihilo  plus  explicet  ac  si 

260.   qui  distat:  cf.  quid  sit/rile,  262  ff.  This  passage  is  a  trans- 

vs.  99;  qui  discrepat  istis,  vs.  108.  position  of  the  first  lines  of  Ter- 

The  endeavor  to  prove  all    men  ence's     Eunuchiis     from     iambic 

equally  mad  leads  to  the  frequent  senarii  into  hexameters.    The  cor- 

use  of  this  kind  of  phrase.  —  agit :  responding  verses  of  the  Eunuchns 

considers,  argues.  (46  ff.)  are  as  follows  :  — 

Phaedria,  the  lover,  speaks  :  — 

Quid  i'gitur  faciam?     ndn  earn  ne  mine  quidem 
quam  accersor  ultro?     an  p6tius  ita  me  cdmparem, 
non  perpeti  meretricum  contumelias? 
exclusit;  revocat:  redeam?     non,  si  me  6bsecret. 

Parmeno,  the  slave,  replies  (vss.  57  ff.)  :  — 

ere,  quad,  res  in  se  ndque  consilium  ndque  modum 

habet  ullum,  earn  consilio  regere  n6n  potes. 

in  am6re  haec  omnia  insunt   vitia :    iniuriae, 

suspfciones,  mimicitiae.  indutiae, 

bellum,  pax  rursum  ;    incdrta  haec  si  tu  pdstules 

rati6ne  certa  facere,  nihilo  plus  agas 

quam  si  des  operam  ut  ciim  ratione  insanias. 

265.  sapientior :  the  confiden-  changeable  as  the  weather.  In 
lial  slave  in  the  comedies  is  usually  this  use  ritu  is  no  more  than  nwiia. 
in  the  position  of  advisor  to  his  — caeca  .  .  .  sorte:  the  direct  op- 
young  master.  posite  of  certa  ratione. 

267.  non  volt :  i.e.  cannot,  does  270.  explicet :  untangle. 

not  submit  to  such  treatment.  straighten  out,  i.e.  reduce  the 

268  f.   tempestatis    .    .    .    ritu:  matter  to    system    and    certainty. 

195 


2,  3.271  J 


IIOKATI 


insanire  paret  certa  ratione  modoque.' 
Quid  ?  cum,  Picenis  excerpens  semina  pomis, 
gaudes  si  cameram  percusti  forte,  penes  te  es  ? 
Quid  ?  cum  balba  feris  annoso  verba  palato, 

275     aedificante  casas  qui  sanior?     Adde  cruorem 

stultitiae,  atque  ignem  gladio  scrutare.    Modo,  inquam, 
Hellade  percussa  Marius  cum  praecipitat  se, 
cerritus  fuit  ?     An  commotae  crimine  mentis 
absolves  hominem,  et  sceleris  damnabis  eundem, 

280    ex  more  imponens  cognata  vocabula  rebus  ? 


272  f.  Picenis :  specified  merely 
for  vividness.  Picenum  was  a  re- 
gion of  good  orchards.  —  The 
moist  appleseeds  were  pinched 
out  between  the  thumb  and  the 
forefinger ;  if  one  could  be  made 
to  strike  the  ceiling  (cameram),  it 
was  an  omen  of  success  in  love. 

274  f.  feris  :  the  words  of  love 
are  stammering  because  the  organs 
of  speech  (palato)  are  those  of 
an  old  man  and  the  sounds  stum- 
ble over  them.  For  the  rather 
forced  feris  Persius,  imitating  this 
passage  (in  i,  35).  uses  tenero 
supplantat  ('trips  up')  verba  pa- 
lato.—  aedificante:  this  refers 
back  to  vs.  247. 

275.  cruorem :  i.e.  the  violent 
crimes  into  which  men  are  led  by 
love. 

276  f .  ignem  .  .  .  scrutare :  a 
reference  to  the  Pythagorean  say- 
ing TTiyj  fj.u\a>'pa  fir]  <rKiiA£vcti/.  but 
with  a  different  sense,  like  oleum 
adde  mutino.  vs  y\.  —  Modo  : 
just  lately ;  the  murder  .md  suicide 


had  occurred  just  before  this  and 
had  been  much  talked  about,  so 
that  a  bare  allusion  is  enough. 
For  the  same  reason  praecipitat 
is  used  alone  without  in  Tiber im 
or  de  rupe.  The  persons  men- 
tioned are  unknown  to  us. 

278.  cerritus:  mad',  an  old 
word  of  uncertain  origin,  used 
several  times  in  Plautus. 

278-280.  'Or  will  you  acquit 
him  of  insanity  and  in  the  same 
breath  call  him  a  murderer,  giving, 
as  people  do,  different  names  to 
things  which  are  really  identical?' 
The  interpretation  is  not  quite 
easy,  the  difficulty  being  in  cognata, 
related,  kindred.  The  general 
sense  is  clear.  The  Stoic  doctrine 
was  that  crime  and  madness  were 
the  same  thing  —  qui  sceleratus,  et 
furiosus  erit,  221  f.  —  and  should 
be  called  by  the  same  name;  but 
the  common  way  was  to  give  them 
different  names  (insania,  scelns) 
which  are  nevertheless  alike  (<v>^- 
tiata)  in  meaning. 


196 


SKK.MOM.S 


[2,  3,  291 


Libertinus  erat,  qui  circum  compita  siccus 
lautis  mane  senex  manibus  currebat  et  '  Vnum ' 
('  quid  tarn  magnum  ? '  addens),    '  unum    me   surpite 

morti, 
dis  etenim  facile  est ! '  orabat ;  sanus  utrisque 

285    auribus  atque  oculis  ;  mentem,  nisi  litigiosus, 

exciperet  dominus  cum  venderet.     Hoc  quoque  volgus 
Chrysippus  ponit  fecunda  in  gente  Meneni. 
'  luppiter,  ingentis  qui  das  adimisque  dolores,' 
mater  ait  pueri  mensis  iam  quinque  cubantis, 

290    'frigida  si  puerum  quartana  reliquerit,  illo 
mane  die,  quo  tu  indicis  ieiunia,  nudus 


281-295.  Fourth  head,  the  folly 
of  superstition.  This  is  a  subject 
in  which  Horace  felt  little  interest ; 
he  scarcely  touches  it  elsewhere  in 
the  satires,  and  the  brief  treatment 
of  it  here  is  rather  lifeless. 

281  f.  The  details  are  not  insig- 
nificant. The  man  was  old,  so  that 
death  was  not  far  away  ;  he  was  a 
freedman,  probably  a  foreigner, 
and  therefore  more  inclined  to 
superstition;  he  observed  the  for- 
eign (perhaps  Jewish)  customs  of 
fasting  (sieciis)  and  of  ceremonial 
washings  (laiitis  manibus)  and 
one  shrine  was  to  him  as  good  as 
another  (circum  compita). 

282  f .  Vnum :  not  tne  only, 
in  preference  to  others,  but  'ex- 
ercise your  power  just  once  —  such 
a  little  thing  to  do.1  —  surpite: 
surripite ;  the  shortened  forms  are 
colloquial. 

286  f .  exciperet :  *  would  have 
made  a  distinct  exception '  in 


giving  a  guaranty  of  soundness. 
The  tense  refers  back  to  the  tfme 
when  he  was  still  a  slave.  —  hoc 
.  .  .  volgus :  the  superstitious,  as 
exemplified  in  the  case  just  de- 
scribed, with  the  implication  that 
there  are  many  of  them.  —  fecunda 
.  .  .  Meneni :  the  general  sense  is 
plain,  that  the  superstitious  are  to 
be  reckoned  among  the  insane, 
but  no  contemporary  Menenius  is 
known,  to  whom  the  allusion  would 
apply. 

288  ff.  As  so  frequently,  the 
next  illustration  begins  abruptly, 
without  explanation. 

289.  cubantis :  lying  ill;  cf. 
Sat.  i,  9,  1 8. 

290  f.  quartana :  one  of  the 
forms  of  recurrent  malaria,  quartan 
chills.  — illo  .  .  .  die  :  there  was  no 
Roman  week,  but  there  are  traces 
of  the  eastern  week  here  and  there 
in  Latin  literature.  Tibullus  (i, 
3,  1 8)  refers  to  Satitrni  dies  (Sat- 


197 


2,  3,  292] 


IIORATI 


in  Tiberi  stabit.'  Casus  medicusve  levarit 
aegrum  ex  praecipiti  :  mater  delira  necabit 
in  gelida  fixum  ripa  febrimque  reducet, 

295    quone  malo  nientem  concussa  ?     Timore  deorum.' 
Hacc  mihi  Stertinius,  sapicntum  octavus,  amico 
arma  dedit,  posthac  ne  compellarer  inultus. 
Dixerit  insanum  qui  me,  totidem  audiet,  atque 
respicere  ignoto  discet  pendentia  tergo. 

300        Hor.  Stoice,  post  damnum  sic  vendas  omnia  pluris, 
qua  me  stultitia,  quoniam  non  est  genus  unum, 


urday)  and  the  dies  lovis  was 
Thursday,  i.e.  Thor's  day.  On 
this  day  the  stricter  sects  of  the 
Jews  fasted  (ieiunia)  and  ceremo- 
nial bathing  in  the  early  morning 
(marie)  was  an  Oriental  observ- 
ance. All  this  indicates  that  this 
instance,  like  the  preceding,  was 
regarded  by  Horace  as  foreign. 
Our  native  superstitions  do  not 
attract  our  notice. 

292.  Casus  medicusve  :  not  the 
god. 

293  f .  ex  praecipiti :  from  the 
crisis  of  the  illness. — necabit  .  .  . 
febrimque  reducet :  i.e.  '  will  kill 
him  by  bringing  back  the  fever.'  — 
fixum :  cf.  stabit ;  the  child  is  to 
stand  still,  perhaps  during  prayer. 

295.  quone :  cf.  utcnie.  Sat.  2, 
2,  107.  —  Timore  deorum:  the 
Greek  SiunBaifiovia,  quite  different 
from  the  Roman  pit-tin  or  from 
that  •  fear  of  God  '  which  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom. 

296-299.  An  epilogue,  spoken 
by  Damasippus  in  his  own  person 


and  corresponding  to    the   intro- 
duction by  Stertinius,  vss.  77-81. 

—  octavus:  as  Sappho  was  some- 
times called  the   Tenth  Muse.  — 
amico :     spoken   with    pride    that 
the  great  man  calls  him  a  friend. — 
inultus :  amplified  in  the  next  two 
lines.  —  totidem:      i.e.    shall     be 
called  a   madman  himself.  —  pen- 
dentia :  with  reference  to  the  fable 
of  the  two  sacks ;  the  one  in  front 
contains  the  faults  of  other  people, 
but  each  man  puts  his  own  faults 
into  the  sack  that  hangs  behind 
him,  where  he  will  not  see  them. 

300-326.  The  concluding  con- 
versation. Horace  rouses  him- 
self after  the  long  sermon  and 
inquires  with  no  expectation  of  a 
reply,  whether  it  applies  to  him. 
Uamasippus,  with  Stoic  directness, 
points  out  various  applications. 

300.  sic  vendas:  the  introduc- 
tory wish  :  cf.  vs.  16  note,  vs.  191. 

—  pluris:  at   a  profit,  so  that  he 
may,  if  he  chooses,  resume  his  life 
as  a  business  man. 


198 


SKK MONKS 


[2,  3. 


insanire  putas  ?     Ego  nam  videor  mihi  sanus. 

Dam.  Quid  ?   caput  abscissum    manibus  cum    portat 

Agaue 
gnati  infelicis,  sibi  turn  furiosa  videtur  ? 

305    Hor.  Stultum  me  fateor  (liceat  concedere  veris), 
atque  etiam  insanum  ;  tan  turn  hoc  edissere,  quo  me 
aegrotare  putes  animi  vitio  ?     Dam.     Accipe  :  primum 
aedificas,  hoc  est,  longos  imitaris,  ab  imo 
ad  sum  mum  totus  moduli  bipedalis  ;  et  idem 

310    corpore  maiorem  rides  Turbonis  in  armis 


302.  videor  mihi  sanus :  i.e. 
under  the  cover  of  asking  for  his 
particular  form  of  insanity  Horace 
is  really  implying  that  he  is  not 
insane  at  all.  Damasippus  goes 
straight  to  the  point. 

303  f .  The  story  is  told  in  the 
Bacchae  of  Euripides,  where  Agave, 
the  mother  of  Pentheus,  appears, 
carrying  the  head  of  her  son,  whom 
she  and  the  other  Bacchantes  have 
torn  to  pieces,  mistaking  him  in 
their  frenzy  for  an  animal.  The 
argument  is  that,  as  no  madman 
recognizes  his  condition,  such  a 
statement  as  videor  mihi  sanus 
proves  nothing. 

305  f.  Horace  represents  himself 
as  yielding  to  the  Stoic's  argument, 
as  indeed  he  must,  but,  he  does  it 
grudgingly,  at  first  admitting  only 
the  milder  stidtus  and  then  at 
last  making  full  submission  in 
clique  etiam  insanutn.  —  liceat: 
let  me  yield  to  facts,  i.e.  'permit 
me  to  yield  as  gracefully  as  I  can.' 

306.   edissere :    a  rather  formal 


word,  Tell  we  fully.  The  question 
quo  .  .  .  vitiof  repeats  qua  ne 
sttdtitia  .  .  .  pittas?  in  different 
words  and  with  much  less  confi- 
dence that  the  Stoic  will  find  it 
a  difficult  question  to  answer. 

307  ff .  primum :  as  if  there  was 
to  be  a  series  of  charges.  —  aedifi- 
cas: this  must  be  a  reference  to 
some  building  operations  on  Hor- 
ace's farm.  See  introd.  to  this 
satire.  —  longos:  big  people*  i.e. 
the  rich  ;  but  the  word  is  selected 
for  its  double  meaning.  The  Vita 
of  Suetonius  says  '  Horatius  .  .  . 
habitu  corporis  fuit  brevis  atque 
obesus'  and  he  speaks  of  himself 
as  corporis  exigui  (f-'pist.  i,  20.  24) . 
—  bipedalis:  of  course  ironical, 
as  if  he  had  said '  you  who  are  little 
better  than  a  dwarf  in  comparison 
with  really  big  people  like  Mae- 
cenas.' —  idem  :  with  restrictive  or 
adversative  force,  as  often  ;  cf.  vs. 
279.  Translate,  in  spite  of  that  or 
and  yet  you.  —  Turbonis :  a  gladi- 
ator of  small  size,  but  great  spirit. 


199 


2,3.3"] 


HORATI 


spiritum  et  incessum  :  qui  ridiculus  minus  illo  ? 

An  quodcumque  facit  Maecenas,  te  quoque  verum  est, 

tan  turn  dissimilem,  et  tanto  certare  minorem? 

Absentis  ranae  pullis  vituli  pedc  pressis, 
315    unus  ubi  effugit,  matri  denarrat,  ut  ingens 

belua  cognates  eliserit.     Ilia  rogare  : 

'  Quantane,  num  tan  turn,'  sufflans  se,  '  magna  fuisset  ? ' 

'  Maior  dimiclio.'     'Num  tantum  ? '     Cum  magis  atque 

se  magis  inflaret,  '  Non,  si  te  ruperis,'  inquit, 
320    '  par  eris.'     Haec  a  te  non  multum  abludit  imago. 

Adde  poemata  nunc,  hoc  est,  oleum  adde  camino ; 

quae  si  quis  sanus  fecit,  sanus  facis  et  tu. 

Non    dico    horrendam    rabiem  —  Hor.    lam    desine ! 
Dam.    Cultum 

maiorem  censu  —  Hor.     Teneas,  Damasippe,  tuis  te. 


312.  Maecenas  had  laid  out 
gardens  and  built  a  splendid  palace 
on  the  Esquiline,  to  which  Horace 
refers  in  Sat.  i,  8,  7  as  if  it  were 
not  yet  completed.  In  Epod.  9,  3 
and  Carm.  3,  29,  10,  Maecenas 
was  living  in  it.  Other  passages 
(Sat.  2,  6,  3r  ;  2,  7,  32  ff.)  show 
that  Horace  was  not  unwilling  to 
joke  about  his  relation  to  his  great 
friend.  —  verum :  proper,  suitable. 

314  ff.  The  Fable  of  the  Ox  and 
the  Frogs.  Horace  took  the  story 
from  some  Greek  source,  different 
from  that  of  Phaedrus  (i,  24). 

317.  Quantane :  cf.  yitone,  vs. 
295. 

320  ff.  non  multum  abludit : 
hits  pretty  near.  —  poemata  :  the 
epodes  and  lyrics  which  Horace 
was  beginning  to  write ;  cf.  vss. 


1 1  ff.  There  is  a  similar  reference 
to  the  divine  inspiration  of  poets 
in  Sat.  2,  7,  117,  out  insanit  fwnio- 
ant  versus  facit,  —  si  quis  .  .  . 
et  tu :  i.e.  you  can  no  more  be  free 
from  the  insanity  of  the  poet  than 
others  have  been. 

323.  rabiem:  cf.  Epist.  i,  20, 
25,  irasci  celerem,  tauten  ut  placa- 
bilis  essetn ;  but  cf.  also  Sat.  i.  9, 
1 1  f.,  where  he  wishes  he  had  a 
temper.  The  expression  here  is 
a  humorous  exaggeration.  —  lam 
desine  :  it  is,  of  course,  a  very  neat 
touch  to  represent  himself  as  made 
angry  by  the  charge  of  having  a 
hot  temper.  For  the  outbreak  cf. 
Sat.  2,  7.  116  ff. 

323  f .  Cultum :  way  of  living. 
—  censu:  here  no  more  than  in- 
come, not  as  in  Sat.  2,  i,  75. 


200 


SERMONES  [2,  3,  326 

325     Dam.  Mille  puellarum,  puerorum  mille  furores  — 
•       Hor.  O  maior  tandem  parcas,  insane,  minor! ! 

326.   This  turns  the   teaching  of  Damasippus    (vss.  298  f.)    back 
upon  himself. 


The  date  of  this  satire  cannot  be  fixed,  but  its  character  is  such  that 
the  precise  date  is  of  no  importance.  It  was  probably  written  after 
Sat.  2,2. 

In  form  it  is,  like  the  preceding  satire,  a  main  body  of  discourse 
enclosed  in  a  framework  of  dialogue.  Horace  meets  upon  the  street 
an  acquaintance  who  is  hurrying  home  to  commit  to  writing  certain 
precepts  of  gastronomy  which  he  had  just  heard.  At  Horace's  request 
he  consents  to  repeat  them  and  after  he  has  done  so,  in  the  main  body 
of  the  satire  (vss.  12-87),  Horace,  deeply  impressed,  begs  that  he  may 
himself  be  allowed  to  attend  the  next  lecture  on  the  important  subject 
and  hear  with  his  own  ears.  The  introductory  dialogue  and  the  con- 
cluding request  are  less  dramatic  than  the  corresponding  parts  of  the 
preceding  satire,  but  they  contrast  in  a  somewhat  similar  way  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  believer  with  the  attitude  of  Horace  and  they  are 
admirable  specimens  of  ironical  deference. 

The  main  discourse  consists  of  a  series  of  precepts  for  the  selection 
and  serving  of  the  courses  of  a  dinner.  They  follow  in  general  the 
order  of  the  Roman  dinner,  the  gustatio*  the  main  course,  wines  and 
sauces,  and  the  dessert,  with  advice  about  the  service  of  the  table. 
Each  precept  is  given  separately,  as  if  it  were  an  oracle  which  needs  no 
explanation  or  logical  connection.  The  style  is  serious  and  almost 
epic,  as  befits  the  seriousness  of  the  speaker,  but  there  is  no  such 
parody  of  the  manner  of  the  philosopher  as  in  Satires  2  and  3.  The 
irony  which  is  easily  felt  in  the  dialogue  is  here  less  apparent,  especially 
to  the  modern  reader,  to  whom  many  of  the  details  of  Roman  cookery 
must  remain  unknown.  The  reader  of  Horace's  time,  however,  would 
feel  at  once  the  absurdity  of  the  precepts,  both  in  general  and  in  details, 
and  would  therefore  be  conscious  of  the  humor  of  lines  which  to  the 
modern  reader  are  rather  dull. 

The  speaker  is  called  Catius  and  he  is  represented  (vs.  1 1 )  as  quoting 
from  the  discourse  of  an  authority  on  gastronomy  whose  name  he  avoids 
giving.  This  is.  in  form,  the  same  device  that  is  used  in  Sat.  2,  3,  where 
Damasippus  quotes  from  Stertinius,  and  in  Sat.  2,  7,  in  which  the  slave 

201 


2,  4,  I]  HORATI 

repeats  the  teachings  which  he  had  learned  from  the  door-keeper  of 
C'rispinus  (vs.  45).  Such  machinery  of  the  satirical  form  is  not  to  be 
taken  seriously ;  in  Sat.  2,  7  it  is  plainly  a  mere  joke  and  the  Damasip- 
pus-Stertinius  relation  in  Sat.  2,  3  serves  only  to  give  a  background  for 
the  parody  of  Stoic  preaching.  Of  the  various  identifications  of  Catius 
the  only  one  which  has  both  plausibility  and  point  is  the  one  proposed 
by  Manso  and  revived  by  Palmer,  that  the  name  is  a  disguise  of  Matins, 
the  friend  of  Cicero,  Caesar,  Trebatius  and  Augustus.  But,  in  fact,  the 
precise  identification  of  either  Catius  or  the  mysterious  aiictor  is  of  no 
more  importance  than  the  precise  determination  of  the  date  of  composi- 
tion- The  satire  contains  in  itself  its  own  best  commentary.  It  is  a 
bit  of  humorous  and  not  unfriendly  irony,  directed  primarily  against 
some  person  whose  name  is  ostentatiously  withheld  and,  more  broadly, 
against  the  science  and  art  of  gastronomy.  So  far  as  there  is  any  per- 
sonality in  it,  it  is  of  a  kind  which  would  be  especially  understood  and 
appreciated  by  Horace's  intimate  friends,  and  the  satire  belongs,  in  this 
respect,  to  the  same  class  as  Sat.  I,  9  and  Sat.  2,  8.  In  all  three  there 
is  the  note  of  intimacy  and  it  is  not  at  all  impossible  that  the  learning 
of  this  satire  is  a  parody  of  gastronomic  conversations  which  Horace 
had  heard  at  the  table  of  Maecenas. 

Hor.  Vnde  et  quo  Catius  ?     Cat.  Non  est  mihi  tempus 

aventi 

ponere  signa  novis  praeceptis,  qualia  vincant 
Pythagoran  Anytique  reum  doctumquc  Platona. 
Hor.  Peccatum  fateor,  cum  te  sic  tempore  laevo 
5       interpellarim  ;  sed  des  veniam  bonus,  oro. 

Quod  si  interciderit  tibi  nunc  aliquid,  repetes  mox, 
sive  est  naturae  hoc  sive  artis,  minus  utroque. 

1.  Vnde  et  quo :  two  questions  3.    Anyti  reum:    Socrates.     In 
condensed  into  one ;  c(.Saf.i,g,  his    trial    Anytus    was    the    chief 
62.  accuser. 

2.  ponere   signa:    to  set  down  7.   naturae,  artis:    (he   dislinc- 
or  fix  upon  his  mind,  as  he  went  tion  between  natural  and  artilici.il 
along,  the  mnemonic  signs  which  memory,  by  the  aid  of  mnemonic 
would  assist  him  in  recalling  the  signs  (imagines,  signa),  was  tiudi- 
wliulr  discourse  and  putting  it  into  tional  in  rhetoric,  and  is  briefly  dis- 
writing.  cussed  in  a<1 1  lereii.^  16-17,28-30. 

202 


SERMONES  [2,  4,  23 

Cat.  Quin  id  erat  curae,  quo  pacto  cuncta  tenerem, 
utpote  res  tenuis,  tenui  sermone  peractas. 

10      Hor.  Ede    hominis    nomen,    simul    et    Romanus    an 

hospes. 
Cat.  Ipsa  memor  praecepta  canam,  celabitur  auctor. 

Longa  quibus  facies  ovis  erit,  ilia  memento, 
ut  suci  melioris  et  ut  magis  alba  rotundis, 
ponere  ;  namque  marem  cohibent  callosa  vitellum. 

15      Cole  suburbano  qui  siccis  crevit  in  agris 
dulcior  ;  irriguo  nihil  est  elutius  horto. 
Si  vespertinus  subito  te  oppresserit  hospes, 
ne  gallina  malum  responset  dura  palato, 
doctus  eris  vivam  mixto  mersare  Falerno  ; 

20      hoc  teneram  faciet.     Pratensibus  optima  fungis 
natura  est ;  aliis  male  creditur.     Ille  salubris 
aestates  peraget,  qui  nigris  prandia  moris 
finiet,  ante  gravem  quae  legerit  arbore  solem. 

8.   id  :  with  a  reference  back  to  18.   malum  responset :  defy,  re- 

vs.  6;   the  idea  is  then  amplified  sis/,   as   in  Sal.   2,  7,  85,    103. — 

in  quo  .  .  .  tenerem.  dura:  tough,  because  the  fowl  was 

lo-n.   These   lines   suggest   a  killed   after  the  unexpected  guest 

joking   reference    to  some  friend,  had  appeared, 
whose  name  would  be  known   to  19.    doctus :      '  you    will    show 

the    inner     circle    of    readers.  —  yourself    learned    in    the    art    of 

canam :  with  a  certain  formality.  cookery  by  smothering  it.' 

12.    facies :  shape.  20.   Pratensibus   .    .    .    fungis : 

14.    callosa :    compact,  solid.  —  '  mushrooms    that    grow    in    the 

vitellum  :  chick  :  this  is  merely  an  meadows.1 

elaborate  way  of  saying  that  male  22.    moris :    Mulberries.      This 

fowls  are  hatched  from  long  eggs.  advice  about  lunch  and  the  pre- 

15  16.  Cole:    cabbage.  —  subur-  ceding  lines  on  the  preparation  of 

bano :    in  a  garden  near  the  city  a  fowl  for  supper  show  that  there 

water  for  irrigation  would  be  more  is  no  intention  of  following  pre- 

abundant.  —  elutius:      more    in-  cisely  the  order  of  the  courses  of 

sipid  \    literally,  washed  out.  a  dinner. 

203 


2,  4,  24]  HOKATI 

Aufidius  forti  miscebat  mella  Falerno, 
25      mendose,  quoniam  vacuis  committere  venis 
nil  nisi  lene  decet ;  leni  praecordia  mulso 
prolueris  melius.     Si  dura  morabitur  alvus, 
mitulus  et  viles  pellent  obstantia  conchae 
et  lapathi  brevis  herba,  sed  albo  non  sine  Coo. 
30      Lubrica  nascentes  implent  conchylia  lunae ; 

sed  non  omne  mare  est  generosae  fertile  testae ; 
murice  Baiano  melior  Lucrina  peloris, 
ostrea  Circeiis,  Miseno  oriuntur  echini, 
pectinibus  patulis  iactat  se  molle  Tarentum. 
35  Nee  sibi  cenarum  quivis  temere  arroget  artem, 

non  prius  exacta  tenui  ratione  saporum ; 
nee  satis  est  cara  piscis  averrere  mensa 
ignarum  quibus  est  ius  aptius  et  quibus  assis 
languidus  in  cubitum  iam  se  conviva  reponet. 

24-26.  Aufidius:  unknown.    He  of  the  line  is  that  they  should  be 

is  quoted  with  formality  as  a  rival  gathered    when   the  moon   is   in- 

authority,  to  be  refuted  in  the  sin-  creasing,  during  the  first  half  of 

gle  word  wendose.     The  mulsutn,  the  lunar  month, 
a   mixture    of    wine    and    honey,  32-34-    murice :    cockle.  —  pelo- 

was  drunk   at    the    beginning  of  ris :  giant   mussel.  —  echini :    sea- 

tlie  meal.     The  error  of  Aufidius  urchins.  —  pectinibus  :       scallops. 

was  in  using  a  strong  wine,  forti  These  lines  give  the  proper  places 

Falerno ;    the    emphasis    of    the  for  getting  the   best  shell-fish  of 

correction  is  upon  lene,  leni.  each  kind,  like  Little  Neck  clams, 

27-29.    Si  ...  alvus:    i.e.  for  Blue  Point  oysters, 
constipation.  —  mitulus  :    mussel.  36.    non   prius :     i.e.    ( until  he 

—  conchae:    a  general    term    for  shall  have  learned  thoroughly.'- 

shell-fish.  —  lapathi :      sorrel.  —  tenui :  fine,  subtle,  as  in  vs.  9. 
brevis  :    small-leaved,   or  perhaps  37.   averrere  :  to  snueep  up  from 

low-growing.  —  Coo :       a     Greek  the  table  of  the  fish-dealer,   but 

wine.  with  a  reference  also  to  the  use  of 

30.    conchylia  :  another  general  nets  in  catching  the  fish, 
term  for  shell-fish.     The  meaning  38  f.    assis:    broiled. — langui- 

204 


SERMnN KS  [2,4,55 

jo      Vmber  et  iligna  nutritus  glande  rotundas 

curvat  aper  lances  carnem  vitantis  inertem  ; 

nam  Laurens  mains  est,  ulvis  et  arundine  pinguis. 

Vinea  submittit  capreas  non  semper  edulis. 

Fecundae  leporis  sapiens  sectabitur  armos. 
45      Piscibns  atqne  avibus  quae  natnra  et  foret  aetas, 

ante  meum  nulli  patuit  quaesita  palatum. 

Sunt  quorum  ingenium  nova  tantum  crustula  promit. 

Nequaquam  satis  in  re  una  consumere  curam, 

ut  si  quis  solum  hoc,  mala  ne  sint  vina,  laboret, 
50      quali  perfundat  piscis  securus  olivo. 

Massica  si  caelo  supponas  vina  sereno, 

nocturna,  si  quid  crassi  est,  tenuabitur  aura, 

et  decedet  odor  nervis  inimicus ;  at  ilia 

integrum  perdunt  lino  vitiata  saporem. 
55      Surrentina  vafer  qui  miscet  faece  Falerna 

dus :  i.e.  even  a  sated   guest  will  to   originality  in  vs.   73  and    the 

raise  himself  again  on  his  elbow  similar  claim  in  Sat.  2,  8,  51. 

at  the  sight  of  the  appetizing  dish.  47.    promit :  produces,  i.e.   in- 

40-42.     iligna  glande:     acorns,  vents.     The   line  seems  to   be  a 

—  curvat :     bends ;     the    platters  veiled  reference  to  some  particular 

were  of  silver.  —  vitantis  inertem :  person. 

the   important    words ;    '  the    epi-  50.    securus :    careless,  govern- 

cure,  the  man  who  avoids  tasteless  ing  the  clause  quali  .  .  .  olivo  $ 

meat,  will   get   an  Umbrian  boar  '  as  if  one  should  take  great  pains 

that  has  lived  on  acorns.'  —  ulvis :  to  get  good  wine,  but  be  careless 

sedge.  about  the  quality  of  the  olive  oil.' 

44.     fecundae  :   prolific,  in  gen-  51-54-    crassi :  roughness,  harsh- 

eral ;  but  the  use  of  the  feminine  ness  of  taste. — tenuabitur:    will 

appears  to    be  intentional.      The  be  refined  out  of  it.  —  lino:    'the 

emphasis  is  upon  armos ;  the  true  straining  of  wine  through  a  piece 

epicure  will   select  for  his  guests  of  linen  spoils  the  flavor.' 

the    forelegs  of  the   female  hare.  55-57.     vafer:  cf.  doctus, vs.  19, 

Cf.  Sat.  2,  8,  89.  sapiens,  vs.  44.  — faece:  a  slight 

46.    ante  meum:  cf.   the  claim  mixture  of  the  lees  of  Falernian 

205 


2,  4,  56]  1IOKATI 

vina,  columbine  limum  bcne  colligit  ovo, 
quatenus  ima  petit  volvens  aliena  vitellus. 
Tostis  marcentem  squillis  recreabis  et  Afra 
potorem  cochlea :  nam  lactuca  innatat  acri 

Go      post  vinum  stomacho ;  perna  magis  ac  magis  hillis 
flagitat  immorsus  refici;  quin  omnia  malit, 
quaecumque  immundis  fervent  allata  popinis. 
Est  operae  pretium  duplicis  pernoscere  iuris 
naturam.     Simplex  e  dulci  constat  olivo, 

65      quod  pingui  miscere  mero  muriaque  decebit, 
non  alia  quam  qua  Byzantia  putuit  orca. 
Hoc  ubi  confusum  sectis  inferbuit  herbis 
Corycioque  croco  sparsum  stetit,  insuper  addes 
pressa  Venafranae  quod  baca  remisit  olivae. 

70      Picenis  cedunt  pomis  Tiburtia  suco ; 

nam  facie  praestant.     Venucula  convenit  ollis ; 
rectius  Albanam  fumo  duraveris  uvam. 
Hanc  ego  cum  malis,  ego  faecem  primus  et  allec, 
primus  et  invenior  piper  album  cum  sale  nigro 


gives  body  to  the  light  Surrentine  64-69.  The  simple  sauce  con- 
wine.  —  limum:  the  sediment.  —  sists  of  olive  oil  mixed  with  thick 
volvens  aliena  :  gathering  the  for-  wine  and  brine  (inuria)  from  a 
eign  matter.  — vitellus  :  the  yolk,  jar  in  which  fish  from  Byzantium 
58-63.  Various  kinds  of  food  had  been  pickled.  This  is  called 
which  will  tempt  the  appetite  of  duplex  when  it  has  been  poured 
one  who  has  taken  much  wine  over  chopped  herbs  and  boiled, 
(i/iarcenlem  potorem).  —  Tostis  then  sprinkled  with  saffron  and 
.  .  .  squillis:  fried  shrimps. —  allowed  to  stand,  and  finally  mixed 
cochlea :  snails.  —  lactuca :  lettuce.  with  Venafran  oil. 

—  perna:  ham.  —  hillis  :  sausages.  71.     Venucula  :  sc.  Hva ;  grapes 

—  immorsus:    bitten,    i.e.    stimu-  for  preserving. 

latt'il  to  fresh  appetite-.  72.    duraveris:  dry  into  raisins. 

63.    Est  operae  pretium:  an  epic  73-75-     cum  malis:  i.e.  he  first 

phrase.  used   raisins   with    fruit.  —  allec: 

206 


SERMONES  [2,  4,  91 

75      incretum  puris  circumposuisse  catillis. 

Immane  est  vitium  dare  milia  terna  macello 
angustoque  vagos  piscis  urgere  catino. 
Magna  movet  stomacho  fastidia,  seu  puer  unctis 
tractavit  calicem  manibus,  dum  furta  ligurrit, 

So      sive  gravis  veteri  craterae  limus  adhaesit. 

Vilibus  in  scopis,  in  mappis,  in  scobe  quantus 
consistit  sumptus  ?     Neglectis,  flagitium  ingens. 
Ten'  lapides  varies  lutulenta  radere  palma 
et  Tyrias  dare  circum  inluta  toralia  vestis, 

85      oblitum,  quanto  curam  sumptumque  minorem 
hacc  habeant,  tanto  reprehendi  iustius  illis 
quae  nisi  divitibus  nequeant  contingere  mensis  ? 

Hor.     Docte  Cati,  per  amicitiam  divosque  rogatus, 
ducere  me  auditum,  perges  quocumque,  memento. 

90      Nam  quamvis  memori  referas  mihi  pectore  cuncta, 
non  tamen  interpres  tantundem  iuveris.     Adde 

something    like    caviare. — incre-  sawdust  sprinkled  upon  the  floor 

turn:      sifted     on.  —  puris   .   .   .  before  sweeping, 

catillis :     on    plates    which    held  83  f.      The    emphasis   is   upon 

nothing  else.  liitnlenta  and  inluta.  —palma':  a 

76-77.     milia  .  .  .  macello :  this  broom  of  palm  leaves. 

is  the  same  thing  that  is  said  in  86  f.     illis  quae:  in  general,  the 

vs.    37.    that    mere   spending   of  things  which   only   the   rich   can 

money  is    not  enough. — vagos:  have;  neatness  requires  only  care, 

the   line  expresses  in   high-flown  not  money. 

language  the  rule  that  fish  should  88.     Docte :    this   is  an   ironical 

not  he  crowded   together  on  too  acceptance     of    the    attitude    of 

small  a  platter.  Catius,    that    such    knowledge    is 

79.  furta  ligurrit:  cf.  Sat,  1,3,  tnie  learning. 

80  f.  91.     interpres  :  Catius  can  give 

80.  limus:  sediment  left  in  the  only  second-hand  reports. — Adde: 
mixing   bowl   because  it   had  not  and,  besides,  think  of  the  look  and 
been  properly  washed.  bearing.      All    this    has    especial 

81.  scopis:     brooms.  —  scobe:  point,  if  Horace  was  really  refer- 

207 


2,4,92]  HOKATI 

voltum  habitumque  hominis,  quern  tu  vidisse  beatus 
non  magni  pendis,  quia  contigit ;  at  mihi  cura 
non  mediocris  inest,  fontis  ut  adire  remotos 
95      atque  haurire  queam  vitae  praecepta  beatae. 

ring  to  some  friend  who  was  at  94  f.  A  parody  of  Lucret.  I, 
times  earnest  in  laying  down  the  927  and  4.  2,  im'nt  integros  ac- 
gastronomic  law.  cedere  fontis  atque  haurire. 


The  date  of  this  satire  is  fixed  by  vss.  62  fF.  The  phrase  tdlitre 
inariqitc  inagnns  would  not  have  been  used  in  the  years  just  before 
Actium,  when  it  was  increasingly  apparent  that  the  supremacy  by  sea 
was  still  to  be  decided.  After  Actium  there  was  a  general  expectation 
that  Octavius  would  carry  out  the  project  of  his  uncle  for  a  war  of  con- 
quest in  the  East  and  it  is 'to  such  expectations  that  Parthis  horrendus 
refers.  The  satire  was  written  soon  after  the  battle  of  Actium,  late  in 
3 1  or  early  in  30. 

The  subject-matter  is  the  practice  of  seeking  legacies.  To  treat  this 
as  a  profession,  however,  is  to  take  satire  too  seriously  ;  it  was  a  social 
evil,  like  free  divorce  or  political  bribery,  which  the  satirist  ridicules  by 
assuming  an  ironical  seriousness.  The  custom  of  leaving  legacies,  often 
small,  but  not  infrequently  of  substantial  amount,  to  many  friends  was 
already  common  in  the  Ciceronian  period.  It  was  to  be  expected  that 
the  custom  would  lead  to  the  cultivation  of  friendships  in  the  hope  of  a 
legacy  and  the  tendency  was  strengthened  by  the  large  increase  of 
wealth  in  the  hands  of  men  who  did  not  know  how  to  use  it.  Such 
men,  often  of  the  freed  man  class,  sometimes  without  family  connections, 
would  be  especially  open  to  the  flattering  approaches  of  persons  of 
higher  position. 

The  satire  is  a  continuation,  in  burlesque,  of  a  scene  in  the  Odyssey, 
ii.  90  ff.  The  shack-  of  the  Theban  seer,  Tiresias,  meets  Odysseus  in 
the  lower  world  and  at  his  request  tells  him  how  he  may  secure  his 
return  to  Ithaca  and  how  he  may  summon  the  shade  of  his  mother. 
After  this  interview  the  seer  returns  (vss.  150  f.)  to  the  home  of  Hades. 
At  this  point  Horace  interjects  the  conversation  which  forms  this  satire. 
The  selection  of  the  venerable  prophet  of  Thebes  to  give  advice  such 
as  this  is  as  happy  as  the  selection  of  Trebatius  in  Sat.  2,  I,  and  Odys- 

208 


SERMONES  [2,  5,  8 

seus,  with  the  mingling  of  the  crafty  and  the  heroic  in  his  traditional 
character,  is  admirably  suited  to  receive  the  doctrine. 

Travesty  of  heroic  legends  had  a  considerable  place  in  Greek  litera- 
ture, especially  in  comedy;  Plautus  has  one  example  in  the  Amphitnto 
and  Varro  had  used  it  in  his  Saturae  Menippeae.  It  has  been  fre- 
quently used  in  modern  literature ;  Thackeray's  Rebecca  and  Rowena 
and  Mark  Twain's  A  Yankee  in  King  Arthur's  Court  are  familiar  ex- 
amples. Horace  has  combined  the  humor  of  travesty  with  the  humor 
of  pretended  seriousness  in  the  treatment  of  his  subject-matter,  like  the 
seriousness  of  De  Quincey  in  Murder  as  a  Fine  Art. 

Vlixes.  '  Hoc  quoque,  Tiresia,  praeter  narrata  petenti 
responde,  quibus  amissas  reparare  queam  res 
artibus  atque  modis.  Quid  rides?  Tiresias.  lamnedoloso 
non  satis  est  Ithacam  revehi  patriosque  penatis 
5     aspicere  ?      Vlix.     O  nulli  quicquam  mentite,  vides  ut 
nudus  inopsque  domum  redeam,  te  vate ;  neque  illic 
aut  apotheca  procis  intacta  est  aut  pecus ;  atqui 
et  genus  et  virtus,  nisi  cum  re,  vilior  alga  est. 

1.  praeter     narrata:      i.e.    the  6.  nudus    inopsque:    this    had 
prophecy  as  to  his  safe  return  to  been  distinctly  said  (Od.  u,  114 
Ithaca.     Narrare  in  its  colloquial  ff.).  —  te  vate:  according  to  your 
sense,  tell,  speak.  prophecy ;     not    quite    as    if    he 

2.  amissas  .  .  .  res:     the    seer  doubted    the   seer,   but   as   if  he 
had  told  him  of  the   havoc  that  accepted    it    unwillingly.  —  neque 
the   suitors   were   making  of  his  illic :   nor,  when  I  get  there. 
property  at  home.  7.  procis :  the  suitors  of  Penel- 

3.  Quid  rides :  the  seer  smiled  ope,   avSpas    v7rep<£iaAor»s,    01   TOL 
at  the  desire  of  Ulysses  for  a  little  yStbrov  Kare'Sovo-iv.  —  apotheca,  pe- 
more,   after  he    had    received   so  cus :  the  anxiety  of  Odysseus  and 
much.  —  doloso:   a   translation   of  of  his  son  Telemachus  about  the 
the  standing  epithets  TroAirrpoTro?,  consumption  of  provisions  by  the 
TToAi'/nT/xavos,  but  with  a  touch  of*  suitors,  natural  as  it  is  to  the  Ho- 
sarcasm.  meric  simplicity,   seemed   to   the 

4.  penatis:  the  anachronism  of  Roman,  as  it  seems  to  the  modern 
the  Roman  idea  is  intentional.  reader,  a  little  comic. 

5.  nulli ...  mentite :  so  Tiresias  8.   vilior    alga:    proverbial    for 
says    of    himself    (Od.    u,    96),  worthlessness ;    the  expression  is 

etTrw.  perhaps  selected  with  special  ref 

HOR.  SAT.  — 14  209 


1IOKATI 


<5 


Tir.    Quando  pauperiem,  missis  ambagibus,  horres, 
accipe  qua  ratione  queas  ditescere.     Turdus 
sive  aliud  privum  dabitur  tibi,  devolet  illuc 
res  ubi  magna  nitet  domino  sene ;  dulcia  poma 
et  quoscumque  feret  cultus  tibi  funclus  honores, 
ante  larem  gustet  venerabilior  lare  dives ; 
qui  quamvis  periurus  erit,  sine  gente,  cruentus 
sanguine  fraterno,  fugitivus,  ne  tamen  illi 
tu  comes  exterior,  si  postulet,  ire  recuses.* 
Vlix.     Vtne  tegam  spurco  Damae   latus  ?     Hand  ita 
Troiae 


erence  to  the  sea- beaten  Odys- 
seus. —  The  sentiment  of  the 
line  is,  of  course,  intentionally 
unheroic. 

9.  missis  ambagibus :  -without 
any  pretence,  in  plain  words. 

10  ff.  Turdus :  cf.  Sat.  I.  5,  72. — 
privum :  for  your  mun  ;  pred.  with 
dabitur.  The  fact  that  it  was  the 
special  property  of  (he  giver  will 
add  to  its  value  in  the  eyes  of  the 
receiver.  —  devolet:  with  humor- 
ous effect,  in  both  literal  and 
figurative  meaning.  —  nitet :  flour- 
ishes', i.e.  be  sure  that  the  prop- 
erty is  large  and  unincumbered.  — 
The  abrupt  beginning  and  the 
rather  obscure  expression  is  a  par- 
ody of  the  ordinary  style  of  proph- 
ecy, ftbscnris  i>era  invohietts  (Aen. 
6,  100). 

13.  honores:  fruits  and  flowers, 
as  in  Car  in.  I,  17,  ifi. 

14.  ante  larem:    the  first-fruits 
were  properly  offered  to  the  Lar 
Familiaris. 


15.  sine  gente:  of  no  family ;  a 
freedman  or  a  slave  had  no  legal 
claim  to  be  gentilis.  There  is  no 
necessary  connection  with  fngiti- 
vr/s,  since  no  definite  person  is  in 
mind ;  the  various  discreditable 
attributes  are  piled  together,  as 
in  Car  in.  2,  13.  5  ff. ;  Epod.  3, 
I  f. 

17.  comes  exterior:    'to  escort 
him,  walking   on    his   left   side1; 
this  is  expressed  in  the  next  line 
by  tegam  .  .  .  latns.     It  was  the 
Greek  and  the  Roman  custom  for 
the  inferior,  as  escort,  to  walk-on 
the   left   side.      The   explanation 
given  was  that  the  left  side  was 
more   open   to    attack,   the   right 
being    protected    by    the    drawn 

•sword.  —  si  postulet:  in  the  collo- 
quial sense  of  postulare,  to  expect, 
desire. 

18.  Vtne  tegam :  a  common  form 
of  repudiating  exclamation.  —  Da- 
mae: a  common  name  of  a  slave; 
cf.  Sat.  I,  6,  38. 


2IO 


SERMONES 


[2.  5.  27 


me  gessi,  certans  semper  melioribus.      Tir.    Ergo 

pauper  eris.   Vlix.  Fortem  hoc  animum  tolerare  iubebo ; 

et  quondam  maiora  tuli.     Tu  protinus,  unde 

divitias  aerisque  ruam  die,  augur,  acervos. 

Tir.    Dixi  equidem  et  dico  :  captes  astutus  ubiquc 

testamenta  senum,  neu,  si  vafer  unus  et  alter 

insidiatorem  praeroso  fugerit  hamo, 

aut  spem  deponas  aut  artem  illusus  omittas. 

Magna  minorve  foro  si  res  certabitur  olim, 


19.  melioribus:  dat. ;  the  phrase 
appears  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  //. 
21,  486,  KpcitrcrofTiv  fj.a.^€<r8.n  and 
means  '  with  men  of  the  better 
class,1  Achilles  and  Ajax.  —  Ergo: 
•well,  then. 

20  f .  A  translation  of  the  words 
with  which  Odysseus  encourages 
himself  before  the  slaughter  of  the 
suitors,  Od.  20,  iS:  reVAu^i  8^, 

KpaSir)'      KIU      KVVT€pOV      dAAo      TTOT* 

€T\.rjf.  The  point  of  the  quota- 
tion here  is  that  the  hero  is  en- 
couraging himself  to  endure  a 
humiliation  (hoc  means  comes  .  .  . 
ire)  in  order  to  make  money. 
Cf.  the  similar  remark  in  Sat.  i, 
9,  59  f.,  ////  sine  magno  vita  labor e 
dedit  mortalibus. 

21.  protinus:  go  ahead  and  tell 
me.      The    completeness    of    the 
surrender   of  the    heroic   pose   is 
emphasized    by   the    moment    of 
indignant  repudiation. 

22.  ruam :       transitive,      in      a 
vaguely  poetic  use ;  rush  together, 
quickly  collect.  —  augur:     with    in- 
tentional  Roman  coloring. 

23.  Dixi  .  .  .  et  dico ;    he    had 


not,  in  fact,  said  anything  that 
was  really  intelligible,  vss.  10-17 
being  obscure  and  having  no  ap- 
parent bearing  on  the  getting  of 
money.  But  it  all  seemed  plain 
to  the  prophet,  and  he  there- 
fore speaks  here  with  some  im- 
patience and  then  goes  on  to 
put  it  in  words  as  plain  as  a 
prophet  can  use  ;  captes  .  .  . 
testamenta. 

25.  praeroso:     i.e.    nibbles    off 
the  bait  and  gets  away.     The  fig- 
ure  is    suggested    in    captes  and 
carried  on  to  greater  distinctness 
in  praeroso  Jiamo. 

26.  artem :     i.e.    the    ars   cap- 
tandi,  ars  piscandi.     In  so  far  as 
this  hints  at  a  profession  of  leg- 
acy-hunting, it  is  like  our  speaking 
of  the  profession    of  burglary  or 
wire-pulling.  —  illusus :    '  because 
you  have  failed  once.' 

27.  minorve  :  added  as  an  after- 
thought; ;an  important  case  —  or 
even  one  that  is  not  so  important.' 
for  the  diligent  man  allows  nothing 
to  escape  him.  —  olim:  sometime] 
of  the  future,  as  often. 


211 


2,  5»  28] 


IIORAII 


vivet  uter  locuples  sine  gnatis,  improbus,  ultro 

qui  meliorem  audax  vocet  in  ius,  illius  esto 
30  defensor ;  fama  civem  causaque  priorem 

sperne,  domi  si  gnatus  erit  fecundave  coniunx. 

'  Quinte,'  puta,  aut '  Publi '  (gaudent  praenomine  molles 

auriculae)  '  tibi  me  virtus  tua  fecit  amicum ; 

ius  anceps  novi,  causas  defendere  possum  ; 
35  eripiet  quivis  oculos  citius  mihi,  quam  te 

contemptum  cassa  nuce  pauperet;  haec  mea  cura  est, 

ne  quid  tu  perdas,  neu  sis  iocus.'     Ire  domum  atque 

pelliculam  curare  iube  ;  fi  cognitor  ipse. 

Persta  atque  obdura,  sen  '  rubra  Canicula  findet 


28  S.  uter:  whichever  of  the 
two  parties  to  the  suit.  —  impro- 
bus: coordinate  with  locnples  and 
defined  by  the  following  clause. — 
ultro:  actually;  going  so  far  in 
his  impudence  (audax)  as  to  bring 
a  suit  without  justification. — il- 
lius: emphatic;  't/iafs  the  man 
for  you  to  back.'  —  fama  .  .  .  cau- 
saque priorem:  a  fuller  expression 
of  the  idea  in  meliorem ;  the  dig- 
nified civem  adds  to  the  contrast, 
the  other  being  sine gente,  a  freed- 
man.  —  fecunda  :  with  the  possi- 
bility of  natural  heirs. 

32.  Quinte:  as  a  si<jn  of  famili- 
arity and  affection.  The  genuine 
Roman  praenomtn  Qiiintus  or 
Publius  would  be  agreeable  to  the 
freedman.  who  during  his  slavery 
had  had  some  foreign  name  like 
Dama  or  Syrus.  —  puta:  for  in- 
stance. As  an  impv.  this  has  reg- 
ularly a  long  a,  but  the  final  vowel 
of  iambic  impv.  forms  is  often 


shortened  in  comedy,  and  as  this 
word  passed  over  into  semi-ad- 
verbial uses,  it  retained  the  collo- 
quial quantity. 

34.  ius  anceps :  the  uncertain- 
ties of  the  law,  with  a  suggestion 
of  the  tricks  of  the  unscrupulous 
lawyer. 

36.  contemptum :  with  the  force 
of  a  verb ;  bring  you  into  con- 
tempt. —  cassa  nuce :  a  proverbial 
phrase  (Plant.  Pseud.  371  ;  Rud. 
1324). 

38.  pelliculam:    so  ctttem   cu- 
rare, Epist.  i,  2,  29 ;  other  objects 
(membra.  Sat.  2,  2,  80  f.,  corpora, 
se  snamqtte  act  at  em)  are  used  with 
curare  in  the  same  general  sense, 
'to  take  care  of  one's  health.'    Pel- 
lifiilam  is  used  with  special  effect, 
Ins  precious  health.  —  cognitor :  i  n 
the  legal  sense,  attorney. 

39.  Persta  atque  obdura  :  a  col- 
loquialism :   Plaut.  Asin.  322,  f>er- 
ncgabo  atqne  obdiiraho ;  Catull.  8, 


212 


SKK.MMNKS 


[2,5.5' 


40      infantis  statuas,'  seu  pingui  tentus  omaso 
Furius  '  hibernas  cana  nive  conspuet  Alpis.' 
'  Nonne  vides,'  aliquis  cubito  stantem  prope  tangens 
inquit,  '  ut  patiens  !  ut  amicis  aptus  !  ut  acer ! ' 
plures  adnabunt  thynni  et  cetaria  crescent. 

45          Si  cui  praeterea  validus  male  filius  in  re 
praeclara  sublatus  aletur,  ne  manifestum 
caelibis  obsequium  nudet  te,  leniter  in  spem 
adrepe  officiosus,  ut  et  scribare  secundus 
heres,  et,  si  quis  casus  puerum  egerit  Oreo, 

50      in  vacuum  venias  :  perraro  haec  alea  fallit. 

Qui  testamentum  tradet  tibi  cumque  legendum, 


\\,  perfer, obditra  ;  Ovid,  Trist.  5, 
11,7,  Puffer  et  obditra. 

39  ff.  The  quotations  are  from 
a  lost  poem  of  M.  Furius  Bibacu- 
lus,  of  Cremona,  a  contemporary 
of  Cicero,  still  living  at  the  time 
this  was  written  and  already  al- 
luded to  in  Sat.  i,  10,  36.  The 
first  phrase,  r libra  .  .  .  stadias, 
meaning  '  in  extreme  heat,'  is  tur- 
gid in  conception  and  in  single 
words,  especially  infantis, '  speech- 
less.1 The  second  is  quoted  also 
by  Quintil.  8,  6,  17  as  an  example 
of  poor  rhetoric,  with  luppiter  as 
the  first  word ;  Horace  has  sub- 
stituted the  poet's  own  name. 
The  personal  allusion  in  pingui 
.  .  .  (vnaso, '  s'tuffed  with  fat  tripe,' 
is  offensive  to  modern  taste  and 
the  particular  justification  for  it 
is  not  known. 

42.  prope  :  with  stantem  ;  stand- 
ing ne.\'t  to  him  in  the  law-court. 

44.    cetaria :  this  must  mean  a 


fish-pond  or  weir,  which  is  at  the 
same  time  a  trap  and  a  place  for 
keeping  fish  alive  until  they  are 
wanted  for  the  table.  The  figure 
is  not  exactly  the  same  as  that  in 
vs.  25. 

45 .  praeterea  :  furthermore.  \  n  - 
troducing  the  special  precepts  of 
vss.  45-50.  —  validus  male :  =  in- 
validus. 

46.  sublatus :     recognized,   lit., 
taken    up ;    the    new-born    child 
was  placed  before  the  father,  who 
recognized  it  as  his  by  taking  it  up. 

47.  caelibis :      objective     gen. 
with   obsequium.  —  nudet  te :    ex- 
pose you,   betray   your    plans    to 
your  victims. 

48  f.  ut :  the  clause  is  explica- 
tive of  spem.  —  secundus  heres : 
i.e.  to  inherit  in  case  of  the  death 
of  the  first-named  heir.  —  Oreo  : 
the  seer  uses  epic  language. 

51-69.  A  warning  against  being 
taken  in  by  the  testator. 


213 


,  5.  52] 


H< -KATI 


abnuerc  ct  tabulas  a  tc  removere  memento, 
sic  tamen,  utlimis  rapias,  quid  prima  secundo 
cera  velit  vcrsu  ;  solus  multisne  coheres, 
55      veloci  percurre  oculo.     Plerumque  recoctus 
scriba  ex  quinqueviro  corvum*deludet  hiantem, 
captatorque  dabit  risus  Nasica  Corano. 
Vlix.    Num    funs?    an    prudens    ludis    me    obscura 

canendo  ? 
Tir.    O  Laertiade,  quicquid  dicam  aut  erit  aut  non  : 


51  if.  Qui  .  .  .  cumque:  cf. 
(jnando  .  .  .  cumque,  Sat.  \ ,  9,  33. 
—  memento :  be  sure,  dotft  forget . 
The  point  is  to  make  a  show  of 
indifference  to  the  question  of 
money.  —  sic  tamen :  in  such  a 
way,  however.  —  limis :  sc.  oculis  ; 
the  noun  is  so  frequently  omitted 
that  in  late  Latin  limis  was  mis- 
taken for  a  nom.  sing. ;  with  a 
side  glance.  —  prima  .  .  .  cera : 
the  will  was  written  on  wax  tab- 
lets with  raised  edges,  which  could 
be  tied  together  and  sealed.  On 
the  inside  of  the  first  leaf  the  name 
of  the  testator  was  written  in  the 
first  line  and  the  name  of  the  heir 
in  the  second  (secundo  versii). 
The  fixed  position  of  the  names 
made  it  easy  to  read  them  at  a 
glance.  —  quid  .  .  .  velit :  what 
the  first  page  says;  the  sense  is 
different  when  sibi  is  added,  as  in 
vs.  61. 

55  ff.  This  instance  of  the  un- 
happy result  of  a  neglect  of  the 
precautions  just  mentioned  is  put 
in  the  form  of  a  reference  to  an 


event  of  Horace's  time,  which  the 
seer  relates  as  a  prophecy  (lielndct, 
dabit)  and  in  the  ambiguous  lan- 
guage of  an  oracle.  Of  course 
all  the  Roman  words  and  names 
(scriba,  quinqueuir,  Nasica,  Cora- 
nus)  are  unintelligible  to  Ulysses, 
and  the  fable  of  the  Fox  and  the 
Raven  was  unknown  to  him.  — 
recoctus :  boiled  over,  with  a  ref- 
erence to  the  Medea  legend. — 
quinqueviro:  a  subordinate  police 
official — Coranus  —  who  had  risen 
to  the  unimportant  office  of  scriba. 
The  details  increase  the  perplexity 
of  Ulysses  and  help  to  make  the 
whole  incident  ridiculous. 

59  f .  aut  erit  aut  non :  as  Tire- 
si  as  is  supposed  to  mean  it,  this 
would  be  '  what  I  say  will  happen, 
will,  and  what  I  say  will  not  hap- 
pen, will  not,'  but  the  possible 
double  meaning  makes  it  a  bur- 
lesque of  the  solemn  claims  of 
sooth-savers.  The  verse  is  quoted 
by  Boethius  (de  Cons.  5,  3)  as 
vaticinium  ill  mi  ridiculum  Tirc- 
siae.  The  absurdity  is  heightened 


214 


SKKMONKS 


[2,  5,  69 


60      divinare  etcnim  magnus  mihi  clonat  Apollo. 

Vlix.    Quid  tamen  ista  velit  sibi  tabula,  si  licet,  edc. 
Tir.    Tempore  quo  iuvenis  Parthis  horrendus,  ab  alto 
demissum  genus  Aenea,  tellure  marique 
magnus  erit,  forti  nubet  procera  Corano 

65      filia  Nasicae,  metucntis  reddere  soldum. 

Turn  gener  hoc  faciet  :  tabulas  socero  dabit  atque 
ut  legal  orabit;  multum  Nasica  negatas 
accipiet  tandem  et  tacitus  leget,  invenietque 
nil  sibi  legatum  praeter  plorare  suisque. 


by  the  next  verse  in  Homeric 
style. — donat :  present,  as  if  he 
felt  the  gift  of  the  god  at  that 
moment. 

61.  The  reply  of  Ulysses  is 
more  humble  (si  licet)  than  vs. 
58,  as  if  he  had  been  impressed 
by  the  lofty  tone  of  vss.  59-60. 
—  tamen:  i.e.  ' but  nevertheless  I 
should  like  to  understand  the 
story,  if  I  may.'  —  Quid  .  .  .  velit 
sibi :  ivJiat  it  means. 

62  ff.  The  seer  re-tells  the  story 
in  plain  language,  with  an  intro- 
duction in  the  heroic  style.  On 
the  date  see  introd.  to  this  satire. 

62  f.  iuvenis :  Octavius  was  a 
little  over  thirty.  —  demissum:  cf. 
A  en.  i,  288,  a  niagno  demissum 
no  men  lulo.  —  genus:  cf.  Sat.  i, 
6,  12,  I 'alert  genus,  in  apposition 
with  a  proper  noun,  as  here  with 
invents. 

64.  forti,  procent  :  stock  epi- 
thets (cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  216)  used  in 
derision  in  this  case,  where  the 
inducement  to  the  marriage  was 


neither  courage  nor  beauty,  but 
the  payment  of  a  debt. 

65.  metuentis:  the  sense  of 
metuo  is  frequently  weakened,  es- 
pecially when  it  takes  an  infin.,  to 
meanings  like  hesitate,  be  unwill- 
ing; cf.  Carm.  2,  2.  7,  penna 
metuentesolvi.  —  soldum:  the  syn- 
copated colloquial  form  for  soli- 
dum,  the  principal  of  the  debt. 
The  point  is  that  as  Nasica  was 
unwilling  to  pay  a  debt  (presum- 
ably to  Coranus),  he  gave  Coranus 
his  daughter  instead,  hoping  that 
the  son-in-law  would  leave  to  him 
or  to  his  daughter  a  sum  which 
would  more  than  counterbalance 
the  debt.  The  relative  age  of 
father-in-law  and  son-in-law  is  left 
out  of  account,  or  the  case  is  like 
the  marriage  of  Pompey  to  Caesar's 
daughter. 

66  ff .  tabulas :  the  will,  as  in 
vs.  52.  —  multum  .  .  .  negatas : 
i.e.  having  made  a  great  show  of 
refusing,  as  advised  in  vs.  52.  — 
praeter  plorare :  the  prepos.  gov- 


215 


«  5»  7°3 


HORATI 


70          Illud  ad  haec  iubeo  :  mulier  si  forte  dolosa 
libertusve  senem  delirum  temperet,  illis 
accedas  socius  ;  laudes,  lauderis  ut  absens  ; 
adiuvat  hoc  quoque,  sed  vincit  longe  prius  ipsum 
expugnare  caput.    Scribet  mala  carmina  vecors  : 

75      laudato.     Scortator  erit :  cave  te  roget ;  ultro 
Penelopam  facilis  potiori  trade.      Vlix.    Putasne 
perduci  poterit  tarn  frugi  tamque  pudica, 
quam  nequiere  proci  recto  depellere  cursu  ? 
Tir.   Venit  enim  magnum  donandi  parca  iuventus 

80      nee  tantum  Veneris,  quantum  studiosa  culinae. 
Sic  tibi  Penelope  frugi  est,  quae  si  semel  uno 


erns  the  infin.  as  a  noun.  Plorare 
means  to  lament  and,  as  used  in 
the  will,  it  would  mean  that  Cora- 
nus  left  to  Nasica  the  legacy  of 
grief  which  his  death  would  cause, 
but  with  an  ironical  suggestion  of 
the  grief  that  he  would  feel  at 
receiving  no  legacy  in  money. 
Cf.  Sat.  I,  10.  91. 

70-74.  '  Do  not  disdain  to  play 
a  second  part  as  a  helper  to  others 
who  may  be  managing  an  old  man.' 

—  ad  haec :  cf.  praeterea,  vs.  45. 

—  mulier  .  .  .  libertusve :  i.e.  un- 
der   the    most   discreditable  and 
humiliating  influences.  —  delirum : 
childish;  cf.  Cic.  de  Sen.  II,  36, 
setiilis  stultitia  quae  deliratio  ap- 
pellari solet .  —  ipsum  .  .  .  caput: 
the  old  man  himself. 

74.  Scribet :  a  condition  ex- 
pressed without  si,  in  parataxis. 

—  vecors  :  cf.  excors.  S«t.  2,  3,  67. 
76  f.    potiori  :  so  in    Epod.  15, 

13.  —  Putasne  .  .  .  poterit:  para- 


taxis like  the  English,  do  you  think 
she  can  .  .  .  ?  This  is  very  com- 
mon in  colloquial  Latin,  e.g.  Plaut. 
Rud.  1269,  censen  hodie  desponde- 
bit  earn  mihi  f 

78.  nequiere   proci :    the  faith- 
fulness of  Penelope  had  become 
in   Horace's   time    the  main   ele- 
ment in  the  story  of  the  suitors, 
and  it  is  alluded  to  here  as  a  well- 
known   fact,  but  it  had    in   truth 
been  barely  hinted  at  by  Tiresias 
(Od.  11,  117)  and  would  not  be 
known  to  Ulysses. 

79.  enim :    of  course,  for.  — 
magnum  :  obj.  of  donandi,  which 
depends  upon  parca.     They  gave 
gifts,  but  not   big    enough   gifts ; 
this  adds  a  touch  to  the  travesty 
of  the  heroic,  to  which,   indeed, 
this  part  of  the  story  is  particu- 
larly exposed ;  cf.  Od.  1 8,  275-280. 

81.  Sic  .  .  .  quae  si:  under 
such  conditions  (with  stingy  suit- 
ors) .  .  .  ,  but  if  she  ...  —  semel 


216 


S  I.  K  MONKS 


[2.  5.  91 


do  scne  gustarit  tecum  partita  lucellum, 

ut  canis  a  corio  numquam  absterrebitur  uncto. 

Me  sene   quod  dicam    factum  est:   anus   improba 
Thebis 

85      ex  testamento  sic  est  elata  :  cadaver 

unctum  oleo  largo  nudis  umeris  tulit  heres, 
scilicet  elabi  si  posset  mortua ;  credo, 
quod  nimium  institerat  viventi.     Cautus  adito, 
neu  desis  operae,  neve  immoderatus  abundes. 

90      Difficilem  et  morosum  offendet  garrulus  ;  ultra 
non  etiam  sileas ;  Davus  sis  comicus,  atque 


uno  :  just  once  from  one  old 
//tan. 

83.  The  line  is  a  condensed 
comparison ;  '  it  will  be  as  hard 
to  get  her  away  as  to  .  .  .'  —  a 
corio  .  .  .  uncto:  a  Greek  saying, 
like  the  English  'to  drive  a  dog 
away  from  his  bone.' 

84-88.  A  story  to  enforce  the 
need  of  caution  in  one's  atten- 
tions. —  Me  sene :  Tiresias  had 
long  been  dead,  and  he  refers 
back  to  the  time  when  he  was 
an  old  man,  as  an  old  man  refers 
to  his  youth  with  me  puero  or  me 
iuvenc.  Cf.  Sat.  2,  2,  112  f.,  puer 
.  .  .  ego  .  .  .  Ofellum  .  .  .  novt.  — 
sic  est  elata :  i.e.  was  to  be  car- 
ried out  for  burial,  if  the  heir 
could  fulfil  the  condition.  —  scilicet 
.  .  .  si :  to  see,  you  understand, 
•whether ;  this  use  of  si  is  explained 
in  the  grammars.  —  nimium  in- 
stiterat :  i.e.  she  had  never  been 
able  to  slip  away  from  him  while 
she  was  alive. 


88.  Cautus :    the  moral  of  the 
story,  expanded  in  the  following 
lines. 

89.  operae:    dat.,  as   in  hand 
mihi  dero,  Sat.  I,  9,  56. 

90  f .  Difficilem.  morosum :  these 
words  are  used  of  old  men  by 
Cicero  (de  Sen.  18,  65).  —  ultra: 
'don't  even  be  too  silent.'  Cf. 
the  rebuke  of  the  impatient  judge 
to  the  talkative  lawyer :  '  The 
Court  wants  nothing  from  you 
but  silence  —  and  not  very  much 
of  that?  —  non :  there  are  occa- 
sional uses  of  non  with  a  subjv. 
like  this  scattered  through  Latin 
writers  [Schmalz,  Lat.  Syni? 
§  205],  especially  in  poetry  and 
in  Low  Latin.  Such  instances  are 
usually  explained  by  connecting 
non  with  some  single  idea  in  the 
sentence,  other  than  the  verb,  or  by 
twisting  the  subjv.  into  a  potential 
meaning.  —  comicus  :  he  like  Davits 
in  the  comedy.  Davus  was  a  stock 
name-  for  the  confidential  slave. 


217 


2,  5-  92] 


HO  R  ATI 


stes  capite  obstipo,  multum  similis  metuenti. 
Obsequiograssare  ;  mone,  si  increbuit  aura, 
cautus  uti  velet  carum  caput ;  extrahe  turba 
oppositis  umeris  ;  aurem  substringc  loquaci. 
Importunus  amat  laudari ;  donee  '  Ohe  iam  ! ' 
ad  caelum  manibus  sublatis  dixerit,  urge, 
crescentem  tumidis  infla  sermonibus  utrem. 

Cum  te  servitio  longo  curaque  levarit, 
et  certum  vigilans,  '  Quartae  sit  partis  Vlixes  ' 
audieris  '  heres  ' :  '  Ergo  mine  Dama  sodalis 
riusquam  est  ?   Vnde  mihi  tam  fortem  tamque  fidelem  ? ' 


92.  capite  obstipo :  this  is  the 
attitude  of  extreme  deference,  rep- 
resented in  vase-paintings  and  in 
the  illustrated  Ms.  of  Terence.  — 
multum :    with  inetitenti\   Mike  a 
man  deeply  respectful.1     [Usually 
taken  with  similis,  on  the  basis  of 
Epist.  i,  10,  3;  in  that  passage, 
however,  the  contrast  demands  an 
emphasis  upon  disshniles,  which  is 
quite  out  of  place   here.     There 
are   parallels   enough    to  the  use 
of  iniiltHin  (as  well  as  multd)  with 
such  a  verb  as  tticiuo.'] 

93.  Obsequio:     the     emphatic 
word ;    it   makes   a   slight   inten- 
tional    contrast     with    grassare, 
which   carries    the  suggestion  of 
approach  with  an  unfriendly  pur- 
pose ;  gfl  tit  him  hy  flattery. 

95.  substringe  :   i.e.  gather  n/> 
your  ear   with   your   hand,  as   if 
anxious  not  to  lose  a  word. 

96.  Importunus :   insatiate,  e.v- 
acting.  as  in  Kfn'st.    •.  2,  185. — • 
amat:   a  paratactic  comlitioH,  like 


scribet,  74. —  Ohe  iam:  the  full 
form,  ohe  iatn  satis  est,  is  used  in 
Sat.  1.5,  12  f.  and  ohe  iam  satis 
in  Plaut.  Stick.  734.  The  phrase 
was  so  fixed  that  the  meaning  was 
suggested  without  satis. 

98.  tumidis :   swelling,   in    the 
active  sense ;  cf.  Verg.  Acn.  3,  357, 
tninido  inflatur  .  .  .  Anstro.     A 
similar  figure  is  used  in  Sat.  1,4, 19. 

99.  levarit :    shall  release  yon 
by  his  death. 

100.  certum  vigilans  :  'be  per- 
fectly   sure    that    you    are    wide 
awake,    that   it   is   no    dream.1  — 
Quartae  sit :  as  if  quoted  from  the 
will,    though    the    exact    formula 
would   be    Vlixes  hcres   ex   qna- 
drante  esto. 

101  f.  Ergo :  so  then  ;  the  con- 
ventional word  to  introduce  an 
expression  of  grief.  Cf.  Car  HI.  i, 
24.  5  ;  Ovid,  Trist.  3,  2,  I .  —  soda- 
lis: cf.  vs.  1 8.  spnri  i>  Daniae. — 
nusquam  est :  one  of  the  many 
periphrases  for  death. 


218 


SKKMnM.-,  [2,5,  no 

sparge  subinde,  et,  si  paulum  potes,  illacrimare  :  est 
gaudia  prodentcm  voltum  celare.    Sepulchrum 

105     permissum  arbitrio  sine  sordibus  exstrue;  funus 
egregie  factum  laudei  vicinia.     Si  quis 
forte  coheredum  senior  male  tussiet,  huic  tu 
die,  ex  parte  tua  sen  fundi  sive  domus  sit 
emptor,  gaudentem  nummo  te  addicere.  —  Sed  me 

no    imperiosa  trahit  Proserpina  :  vive  valeque  ! 

103  f .  sparge :  the  object  is  the  other  considerations ' ;  the  form 
preceding  remark.  —  paulum:  in  of  legal  sale  is  gone  through  in 
sense  with  illacrimare  as  well  as  order  to  make  the  gift  valid, 
with  potes.  —  est:  it  is  your  part,  no.  imperiosa:  so  sae-va  Pro- 
it  is  for  yon  to. —  gaudia:  obj.  of  serpina,  Car  in.  I,  28,  20;  she  is 
prodentem.  the  mistress  of  the  dreaded  under- 

105  f .   permissum  arbitrio  :  i.e.  world.     But  there  is  a  bit  of  trav- 

when    no   specific    directions   are  esty    in    the    abruptness    of    the 

given.     The  emphatic  words  are  farewell,  which  is  quite  different 

sine  sordibus  and  (in  106)  egregie  from  the  dignified  withdrawal  of 

factum.  Tiresias   in    the    Homeric   scene, 

108  f.    sive  sit  emptor:    if  he  Od.  u,  150  f.     The  common  for- 

shoidd  wish  to  buy .  —  nummo:  our  mula  of  farewell,  vive  valeque,  is 

formula  is,  '  for   one   dollar  and  also  used  with  humorous  effect. 


This  satire  was  written  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  preceding 
(2,  5),  late  in  31  B.C.  or  early  in  30.  The  'chilling  rumor  about  the 
Dacians1  (vss.  50,  53)  refers  to  the  popular  fear  of  an  invasion  of  Italy 
by  the  Daci  after  the  battle  of  Actium,  and  the  uncertainty  in  regard  to 
the  allotment  of  land  to  the  veterans  (vss.  55  f.)  was  terminated  by  the 
brief  visit  of  Octavius  to  Brundisium  early  in  30.  Other  indications 
(38)  point  to  the  same  date. 

The  connection  of  thought  is  simple:  'I  now  have  in  my  Sabine 
farm  more  than  I  had  dared  to  hope  for,  and  my  only  desire  is  that  my 
present  happiness  Thay  continue  without  change.  No  better  subject 
than  this  could  offer  itself  to  my  humble  Muse,  as  I  begin  the  day  here. 
For  at  Rome  the  day  begins  quite  differently,  with  one  engagement 
after  another,  and  even  though  a  visit  to  Maecenas  may  be  one  of  them, 

219 


2,6]  IIORATI 

yet  the  pleasure  is  half  spoiled  by  the  requests  of  my  acquaintances 
that  I  should  use  my  influence  with  Maecenas  on  their  behalf.  They 
do* not  understand  that  my  friendship  with  him  has  nothing  to  do  with 
public  affairs ;  in  fact,  we  never  speak  of  such  things,  and  I  am  glad  to 
escape  from  it  all  and  get  back  into  the  country,  and  to  hear  the  simple 
talk  of  my  good  neighbors,  like  Cervius'  story  of  the  Town  Mouse  and 
the  Country  Mouse.' 

This  satire  is  a  partial  return  to  the  forms  used  in  the  First  Book. 
The  main  body  of  the  discourse  (vss.  77-117)  is,  it  is  true,  formally 
separated  from  the  rest  and  put  into  the  mouth  of  another  speaker;  in 
so  far  Horace  uses  the  newer  form  with  which  he  had  been  experiment- 
ing in  Sat.  2,  2 ;  2.  3.  The  main  body,  however,  is  not  enclosed  in  a 
framework  of  formal  dialogue,  but  is  introduced  by  an  expression  of 
personal  opinion  and  feeling,  like  that  with  which  Sat.  i,  6  concludes. 
It  was,  undoubtedly,  the  strength  of  personal  feeling  to  be  expressed 
that  led  Horace  to  return  to  his  earlier  method  of  treatment  instead  of 
using  the  form  of  Sat.  2,  2  and  2,  3,  which  is  better  suited  to  burlesque 
and  persiflage  than  to  serious  discussion. 

In  general  tone,  also,  this  satire  —  which  has  in  it  little  of  the  satirical 
element  —  is  a  return  to  the  manner  of  the  First  Book.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, a  mere  turning  back.  The  intervening  years  had  left  their  health- 
ful mark  upon  Horace,  and  in  his  personal  attitude  he  shows  the  good 
effect  that  success  in  honest  endeavor  has  upon  all  men  of  large  nature ; 
he  is  not  less  modest,  perhaps  he  is  more  modest  (vss.  40-58),  but  he 
no  longer  needs  to  explain  himself  or  to  defend  his  conduct.  The  sense 
of  easy  security  centered  about  his  closest  friend,  Maecenas,  and  about 
the  farm  which  was  the  gift  of  that  friend,  and  he  felt  the  impulse  to 
express  his  contentment.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  also,  that  Horace 
was,  as  Kiessling  reminds  us,  a  'country  boy.1  It  was  in  Rome  that 
he  had  done  his  work,  and  there  he  had  made  himself  a  place,  but  his 
profoundest  interest  was  not  in  the  life  of  clubs  and  dinners.  He  never 
ceased  to  feel  the  desire  for  the  quieter  life  of  the  country,  as  this  satire 
and  Epod.  2  sufficiently  testify. 

Meanwhile,  a  change  had  come  over  public  affairs,  not  unlike  the 
change  in  his  own  circumstances.  The  rule  of  Octavius  had  justified 
itself,  so  far  as  such  rule  can  ever  be  justified,  and  the  security  which 
Horace  had  received  from  Maecenas,  Rome  had  had  as  a  gift  from  Mae- 
cenas' chief.  Between  Octavius  and  Antony  no  sane  man  could  hesi- 
tate, and  beneath  tin-  personal  contentment  which  this  satire  expresses 
it  is  easy  to  hear  the  note  of  political  repose  and  contentment  which 
followed  the  decision  at  Actium.  This  satire  was  not  written  by  the 

220 


SERM0NES 


[2,  6,  6 


young  republican  who  fought  at  Philippi,  or  by  the  satirical  follower 
of  the  more  satirical  Lucilius,  but  by  a  contented  friend  and  citizei 


Hoc  erat  in  votis  :  modus  agri  non  ita  magnus, 
hortus  ubi  et  tecto  vicinus  iugis  aquae  fons 
et  paulum  silvae  super  his  foret.     Auctius  atque 
di  melius  fecere.     Bene  est.     Nil  amplius  oro, 
Maia  nate,  nisi  ut  propria  haec  mihi  munera  faxis. 
Si  neque  maiorem  feci  ratione  mala  rem, 


1.  Hoc :  elaborated  in  the  rest 
of  the  sentence,  but  with  reference 
also  to  the  scene  that  lay  before 
him,  as  he   looked   out    from  his 
farm-house  in  the  morning. — in 
votis :  l  was  one  of  the  things  for 
which  I  made  my  vows.' 

2.  iugis :  in    form    either  gen. 
or  n.om.,  but  the  balance  —  vicinus 
-fons,   iugis-aquae  —  requires     a 
genitive. 

3.  super  his :   the  ace.  is  more 
common,  but  the  abl.  is  freely  used 
by  Horace  (super  foco,  Carm.  I, 
9,  5;  super  Pindo,  Carm.   i,    12, 
6).     His  usage  favors   the   local  ^ 
meaning  above  these  (not  in  addi- 
tion to  these  things),  i.e.  on   the 
overhanging  ridge  of  the  hill.  This 
little  wood-land  is  referred  to  also 
in  Carm.  3,  16,  29  f..  silva  iugerum 
paucorum  and  in  Epist.  i,  14,  i, 
and  there  is  a  fuller  description  in 
Epist.  i,  1 6,  5  ff.  —  Auctius :  more 
liberally. 

5.  Maia  nate :  cf.  Vergil's 
nate  dea.  Mercury,  as  the  god  of 
gain  (e.g.  Sat.  2,  3,  25),  was  the 
god  to  whom  the  prayer  for  am- 
plius would  be  addressed.  —  haec 


.  .  .  munera  :  even  more  distinctly 
than  hoc.  vs.  i,  a  reference  to  the 
scene  before  him.  —  faxis  :  the 
archaic  form  (fac-s-ts,  a  sigmatic 
aorist  optative),  still  used  in  pray- 
ers and  curses. 

6  f.  Cf.  the  advice  of  the 
father  to  his  two  sons,  Sat.  2,  3, 
177  f.,  and  the  note  there.  The 
thought  here  is  the  same,  but  it  is 
expressed  somewhat  elliptically 
and  with  a  careful  contrast  of 
phrasing  which  covers  up  the 
thought.  The  real  emphasis  is 
upon  Horace's  contentment  with 
what  he  has  and  his  determination 
to  avoid  in  the  future,  as  he  has 
in  the  past,  either  of  the  extremes 
against  which  so  much  of  his 
preaching  is  directed,  either  the 
extreme  of  money-loving  or  the 
opposite  extreme  of  wastefulness. 
There  is  no  contrast  between 
ratione  mala  and  some  ratio  bona 
nor  between  vitio  cnlpave  and 
some  creditable  way  of  lessening 
one's  property,  e.g.  by  charity ; 
the  contrast  is  between  the  avarns 
with  his  usual  ratio  mala  and  the 
nepos  with  his  I'itinm  cutyave. 


221 


2,  6,  7] 


II  OK  ATI 


nec  sum  facturus  vitio  culpave  minorem ; 
si  veneror  stultus  nihil  horum  :  '  O  si  angulus  ille 
proximus  accedat,  qui  mine  denormat  agellum  ! 
10      O  si  urnam  argenti  fors  quae  mihi  monstret,  ut  illi, 
thesauro  invento  qui  mercennarius  agrum 
ilium  ipsum  mercatus  aravit,  dives  amico 
Hercule  ! '  si  quod  adest  gratum  iuvat,  hac  prece  te 
oro : 


The  sense  of  the  whole  is, '  I  am 
content  with  what  I  have.  I  have 
not  tried  (and  shall  not  try)  to 
increase  it  as  men  usually  do  and 
I  (have  not  been  tempted  and) 
shall  not  be  tempted  into  the 
common  fault  of  wastefulness.' 

8.  veneror  :  a  rather  infrequent 
use,  with  cognate  ace.  or  ace.  of 
the  thing  asked  for,   without  the 
ace.  of  the  person.      Cf.    Carm. 
Saec.   49.      '  If  I   utter   no   such 
prayer  as  these.1  —  0  si :  this  ex- 
pression of  a  wish  is  explained  in 
the  grammars  and  is  familiar  to  us 
from  the  corresponding  English  ; 
'  oh,  if  only  .  .  / 

9.  accedat :  were  added  to  his 
farm. — denormat:      a     technical 
term  in  surveying :  expressive  of 
the  natural  and  common  desire  to 
have   a   farm  marked  by  straight 
border-lines. 

10.  urnam  argenti :  almost  ex- 
actly the  English  a  pot  of  money, 
in  its  original  sense. 

ii  f.  mercennarius:  this  would 
naturally  be  in  the  main  clause, 
but  is  put  into  the  relative  clause  in 
ordertobring  it  intoclosercontrast 


with  mercatus.  The  whole  should 
be  very  freely  rendered  into  Eng- 
lish :  'the  man  who  found  a  buried 
treasure  and  with  it  bought  and 
cultivated  the  very  farm  on  which 
he  had  been  before  a  hired  laborer." 
13.  Hercule  :  there  are  a  few 
references,  not  perfectly  clear,  to 
Hercules  as  the  god  of  hidden 
treasures,  but  the  explanation  of 
the  reference  to  him  here  is  to  be 
found  in  the  folk-story  that  Horace 
is  alluding  to,  which  is  given  by 
Porphyrio  :  '  traditur  fabula,  fuisse 
quendam  mercennarium  qui  sem- 
^per  Herculem  deprecatus  sit.  ut 
sibi  boni  aliquid  praestaret.  Quern 
Hercules  ad  Merctirium  duxit  et 
obsecratum  thesaurum  fecit 
ostendi.  Quo  effosso  ille  eundem 
agrum,  in  quo  operam  mercen- 
narium faciebat.  comparavit  et 
labori  solito  operam  dedit;  sique 
probavit  Mercurius.  quod  de  eo 
praedixerat  Herculi.  nulla  re  ilium 
posse  Ix-atum  vivere.  cum  in  eadem 
opera  post  inventionem  thesauri 
perseveravit.'  In  his  allusion  Hor- 
ace has  omitted  Mercury,  who  is  the 
real  god  of  gain,  and  hasdropped  the 


222 


SKRMoNKS 


[2,  6,  20 


pingue  pecus  domino  facias  et  cetera  praeter 
irigenium,  utque  soles,  custos  mihi  maximus  adsis ! 

Ergo  ubi  me  in  montis  et  in  arcem  ex  urbe  removi, 
quid  prius  illustrem  saturis  Musaque  pedestri  ? 
Nee  mala  me  ambitio  perdit  nee  plumbeus  Auster 
autumnusque  gravis,  Libitinae  quaestus  acerbae. 
Matutine  pater,  sen  lane  libentius  audis, 


moral. —  si  .  .  .  iuvat:  this  repeats 
the  substanceof  the  conditions  st . . . 
fed,  si  veneror,  after  the  long  in- 
terruption, in  order  to  bring  them 
near  the  apodosis  oro. 

14  f .  pingue  pecus,  ingenium : 
a  pun  upon  the  literal  meaning  of 
pingnis,  fat,  and  the  derived  sense, 
//t'rt7>/,as  in  the  English  fat-witietf. 
—  ut  soles:  other  references  to 
Mercury  as  his  guardian  divinity 
are  Carm.  2,  7.  13  (at  Philippi)  ; 
2,  17,  29  ff. 

1 6  f.  in  montis :  Horace  says 
of  the  site  of  his  farm  continui 
mantes  (Epist.  i,  16,  5).  —  in  ar- 
cem ex  urbe :  the  play  upon  the 
similar  sound  of  the  words  is 
intentional  (cf.  Enn.  et  arce  et 
nrbe  and  Livy's  famous  host  is  pro 
hospite)  and  may  be  rendered  by 
citadel  and  city.  —  prius  :  like  the 
English  rather,  i.e.  sooner,  in 
preference  to  my  farm.  —  Musa 
pedestri :  cf.  Sat.  i ,  4,  39  f.,  ego  me 
illoruin  dederiin  qttibits  esse  poet  as 
excerpam  nuniero,  with  the  argu- 
ment which  follows.  "The  ambition 
to  be  a  true  lyric  poet  lies  behind 
this  estimate  of  the  work  he  had 
alreadv  done. 


1 8  f.  ambitio:  something  of 
the  original  meaning  (amb  ire, 
to  go  about,  canvassing  for  votes) 
is  still  left  in  this  word,  though 
here  the  reference  is  to  the  social 
struggle  (23  if.),  rather  than  to 
the  political.  —  plumbeus  :  the 
sirocco,  A ttster,  brings  a  peculiar 
sense  of  oppression,  like  a  weight. 
—  Libitinae  quaestus :  at  the  temple 
of  Venus  Libitina  funerals  were 
registered  and  fees  paid,  and  the 
things  necessary  for  a  funeral 
were  obtained  by  undertakers. 
A  season  of  ill-health,  like  the 
autumn  (Epist.  i,  7,  1-9),  was 
therefore  a  time  of  gain  (y/ttu-s- 
tus)  for  the  goddess. 

20  ff.  As  the  references  to  the 
farm,  especially  vss.  16  f.,  are 
meant  to  indicate  the  place  where 
this  satire  was  written,  so  these 
lines  are  meant  to  indicate  the 
time  of  day,  the  early  morning. 
And  the  peaceful  beginning  of  the 
day  in  his  place  of  refuge  suggests 
to  Horace  both  the  invocation  to 
the  god  of  morning  and  of  all  be- 
ginnings and  also,  by  contrast,  the 
hurried  and  senseless  round  of 
duties  to  which  the  morning  sum- 


223 


2,  6,  21] 


HORATI 


unde  homines  operum  primes  vitaeque  labores 
instituunt  (sic  dis  placitum),  tu  carminis  esto 
principium.     Romae  sponsorem  me  rapis.     '  Heia, 
ne  prior  officio  quisquam  respondeat,  urge ! ' 
Sive  Aquilo  radit  terras  seu  bruma  nivalem 
interiore  diem  gyro  trahit,  ire  necesse  est. 
Postmodo  quod  mi  obsit  clare  certumque  locuto, 


mons  him  at  Rome. — seu  lane: 
it  was  customary  in  ritual  to  ad- 
dress the  divinity  by  several  differ- 
ent names,  leaving  it  to  him  to 
select,  as  it  were,  the  most  accept- 
able (libentitts)  \  cf.  Carm.  Saec. 
15  f.,  sive  tu  Lncina  probas  vocari 
( =  libentiiis  atidis)  seu  Genitalis. 
The  vocative  is  used  as  a  direct 
quotation  from  the  prayer. — audis  : 
art  called]  so  rexque  paterque 
audisti,  Epist.  I,  7,  37  f.,  and  often. 

—  unde :  =  a  quo,  '  with  an  invo- 
cation to  whom.1  —  In  the  rather 
heavy  phrases  —  operum  vitaeque 
labores*  instituunt*  sic  dis  placitum 

—  there  is  a  playful  formality,  as 
if  in  his  cheerful   morning  mood 
Horace  amused  himself  by  adopt- 
ing the  formal  ritualistic  style. 

23  ff .  These  half-humorous  lam- 
entations over  the  so-called  so- 
cial duties  which  waste  the  time 
in  Rome  are  quite  in  the  vein  of 
Sat.  I,  9.  He  is  struggling  be- 
tween a  sense  of  what  courtesy 
demands  and  an  impatient  desire 
to  be  rid  of  the  annoyances.  It  is 
annoying  to  have  to  go  to  court 
on  a  cold  day,  but  it  would  be 
still  more  annoying  to  feel  that 


he  had  failed  to  meet  the  claims 
of  friendship ;  it  is  highly  un- 
pleasant to  him  to  push  his  way 
through  the  crowd  and  give  just 
cause  for  remonstrance,  and  his 
consciousness  of  being  in  the 
wrong  only  makes  it  the  harder  to 
bear  the  impudent  remonstrance 
of  the  man  whom  he  has  jostled. 

23!  Romae:      emphatic;     'at 
Rome  how  differently  the  day  be- 


gin 


sponsorem :   '  to  be  secu- 


rity for  a  friend ' ;  to  be  asked  to 
perform  this  office  would  be  evi- 
dence that  one  was  regarded  as  an 
intimate  friend  and  would  often  be 
an  honor.  —  rapis :  addressed  to  the 
god  ;  the  morning  brings  the  de- 
mand and  expresses  it  in  the  words 
which  follow,  heia  .  .  .  urge. 

25  f.  The  details  —  the  cold 
wind,  mid-winter,  snow,  the  short 
day  —  picture  from  different  sides 
the  discomfort  of  going  out  of  the 
house.  —  interiore  .  .  .  gyro :  as 
the  sun  sinks  lower  in  approaching 
the  winter  solstice,  each  daily 
circle  seems  to  be  within  that  of 
the  preceding  day. 

27.  Postmodo:  hereafter,  at 
some  future  time.  This  is  the 


224 


SKRMOXKS 


[2,  6,  34 


luctandum  in  turba  et  facienda  iniuria  tardis. 

'Quid  tibi  vis,  insane,  et  quam  rem  agis?'  improbus 

urget 

30      iratis  precibus  ;  '  tu  pulses  omne  quod  obstat, 
ad  Maecenatem  memori  si  mente  recurras.' 
Hoc  iuvat  et  melli  est,  non  mentiar.     At  simul  atras 
ventum  est  Esquilias,  aliena  negotia  centum 
per  caput  et  circa  saliunt  latus.     '  Ante  secundam 


regular  meaning  of  postmodo  and 
it  is  usually  joined  with  some  ex- 
pression of  futurity,  as  in  Carm. 
i,  28,  31  with  nocituram ;  it  is  to 
be  taken  here  with  obsit,  not  with 
luctandnin  in  the  sense  of  next, 
afterwards.  —  quod  obsit :  if  the 
friend  should  fail  to  meet  his  obli- 
gation. The  hazards  of  such 
sponsiones  are  often  alluded  to  in 
classical  literature,  as  the  dangers 
of  financial  endorsements  are  in 
modern  literature.  —  clare  certum- 
que :  i.e.  having  had  the  disagree- 
able experience  of  being  told  to 
*  speak  out,  so  that  the  Court  can 
hear.' 

28.  facienda:    it    seems    worse 
to  him   to  be  forced   to  be  rude 
than   it  would  be  to  suffer  rude- 
ness. 

29.  Quid  tibi  vis,  insane :  a  com- 
mon phrase  of  colloquial  speech. 
—  quam  rem  agis  :    scarcely    less 
frequent  in  Plautus  than  quid  agis? 
[The  text  of  this  line  is  taken  from 
Bentley's  convincing  note.]  — im- 
probus :    some    impudent  fellmv ; 
though  the  remonstrance  is  justi- 
fied,  the   manner  of   it   and    the 

HOR.  SAT. — 15  225 


reference  to  Maecenas  are  im- 
pertinent. 

30  f .  precibus :  curses,  like  di  te 
perduint,  which  in  form  are 
prayers.  This  sense  of  preces  is 
usually  marked  by  some  dis- 
tinguishing word  in  the  context 
(Jwstilis,  Thyesteus),  as  here  by 
iratis. — tu:  as  the  speaker  turns 
and  recognizes  Horace,  he  goes  on 
from  general  curses  to  a  direct  and 
individual  taunt :  '  oh,  it's  you, 
is  it  ?  you  would  of  course  be  in  a 
hurry,  on  your  way  to  see  your 
great  friend ! '  —  memori .  .  .  mente : 
i.e.  'your  mind  is  so  full  of  him 
that  you  can't  remember  to  be 
decently  polite  to  the  rest  of  us.1 

32.  Hoc:  the  thought  of  his 
friendship  with  Maecenas.  —  non 
mentiar :  i.e.  1 1  acknowledge  it, 
though  it  is  inconsistent  with  my 
argument  that  Rome  isn't  a  pleas- 
ant place  to  live  in.1  —  At :  but  even 
this  pleasure  is  half-spoiled.— 
atras :  the  Esquiline.  where  the 
palace  and  gardens  of  Maecenas 
were,  had  been  the  site  of  a  large 
burial-place. 

34.   per  caput,  circa  latus:  the 


2.  6,  j5J 


I10KAT1 


35 


40 


Roscius  orabat  sibi  aclesses  ad  Puteal  eras.' 
'  De  re  communi  scribae  magna  atque  nova  te 
orabant  hodie  meminisses,  Quinte,  reverti.' 
'  Imprimat  his  cura  Maecenas  signa  tabellis.' 
Dixeris,  '  Kxperiar  : '  '  Si  vis,  potes,'  addit  et  instat. 
Septimus  octavo  proprior  iam  fugerit  annus, 


figures  are  slightly  different  from 
ours,  but  we  say  '  it  runs  through 
my  head,'  'it  springs  into  my 
mind'  —  Ante  secundam  :  before 
seven  o'clock ;  Roman  business 
began  at  an  early  hour.  ' 

35.  orabat:  like  the  epistolary 
imperfect. — adesses  :  on  banking 
or  court  business.  The  I'nteal 
was  a  stone  curbing  around  a  spot 
in  the  Forum  where  lightning  had 
struck ;  the  praetor's  tribunal  was 
not  far  from  it. 

36  f.  These  lines  afford  an  in- 
teresting little  glimpse  into  the 
professional  relations  of  Horace 
as  a  member  still  of  the  onfa  of 
minor  government  officials,  the 
scribae.  It  is.  in  effect,  a  notice 
of  a  meeting  of  the  organization 
('important  business'),  given 
orally  to  Horace,  who  is  ad- 
dressed familiarly  by  his  '  first ' 
name. — orabant  meminisses:  par- 
ataxis.—  reverti:  i.e.  'to  come 
back  to  the  meeting-place  to  which 
he  used  to  come  when  he  was  an 
active  member  of  the  organization.' 

38.  Imprimat  .  .  .  cura :  para- 
taxis, likerwnz  valeas,  fac  sisfidelis. 
—  signa  :  i.e.  he  wished  Horace  to 
ask  Maecenas  to  set  his  seal  and 


signature  on  the  document.  This 
would  be  like  putting  'OK'  and 
initials  on  a  paper.  As  it  is  known 
that,  during  the  months  within 
which  the  composition  of  this  satire 
must  fall.  Maecenas  was  the  repre- 
sentative of  Octavius  in  Rome  and 
had  authority  to  use  his  seal,  the 
document  was  probably  one  that 
had  to  do  with  public  business. 

39.  Dixeris:  as  if  putting  the 
reader  into  Horace's  position,  to 
make  the  situation  more  vivid. 

40  ff.  The  form  of  expression 
is  apparently  intended  to  suggest 
increasingly  definite  reminiscence: 
'it's  seven  years  —  almost  eight 
—  since  .  .  .'  —  iam  fugerit:  will 
soon  ]im>e  passed.  —  For  the  story 
of  the  introduction,  see  Sat.  i,  6, 
54  ff.  The  expression  here  is  al- 
most the  same  as  the  one  used 
there,  tubes  esse  in  atniconini  nn- 
incro,  with  the  evident  intention 
of  recalling  that  satire,  as  the  next 
words  recall  the  journey  to  Brundi- 
sium.  Sat.  i,  5.  The  earlier  claims 
to  friendship  are  here  qualified,  to 
guard  ngainst  the  interpretations 
which  had  been  put  upon  them. 
The  friendship  has  nothing  to  do 
with  public  affairs. 


226 


SERMONES 


53 


ex  quo  Maecenas  me  coepit  habere  suorum 
in  numero,  dumtaxat  ad  hoc,  quern  tollere  reda 
vellet  iter  iaciens,  et  cui  concredere  nugas 
hoc  genus  :  '  Hora  quota  est  ?  ' —  '  Thraex  est  Gallina 
Syro  par  ? '  — 

45      '  Matutina  parum  cantos  iam  frigora  mordent ;'- 
et  quae  rimosa  bene  deponuntur  in  aure. 
Per  totum  hoc  tempus  subiectior  in  diem  et  horam 
invidiae  noster.     Ludos  spectaverat  una, 
luserat  in  Campo  :  '  Fortunae  filius  ! '  omnes. 

50      Frigid  us  a  Rostris  manat  per  compita  rumor  : 

quicumque  obvius  est,  me  consulit :  '  O  bone  (nam  te 
scire,  deos  quoniam  propius  contingis,  oportet), 
numquid  de  Dacis  audisti  ?'     'Nil  equidem."     '  Vt  tu 


44  f .  Humorous  under-state- 
ments.  The  things  about  which 
Horace  and  Maecenas  talked  were, 
to  people  who  were  thinking  of 
political  influence,  no  more  im- 
portant than  remarks  about  ath- 
letics or  the  weather.  —  Thraex :  a 
particular  kind  of  gladiator  armed 
like  a  Thracian.  —  Gallina  :  the 
Chicken,  the  name  given  to  him  in 
sporting  circles.  —  Syro  :  a  slave 
name,  here  borne  by  the  gladiator 
who  was  to  be  matched  against 
Gallina. 

46.  deponuntur:  used  of  plac- 
ing valuables  or  money  '  on 
deposit'  in  safe  hands.  —  rimosa: 
/.«•.  'Maecenas  tells  me  none  of  the 
state  secrets  '  like  those  mentioned 
below. 

48  ff .  noster  :  our  friend,  as  if 
holding  himself  up  as  an  object  of 


sympathy.  This  use  is  colloquial 
and  the  following  illustrations  are 
told  in  colloquial  manner. —  spec- 
taverat :  paratactic  with  the 
verb  of  omnes.  The  plupf.  tense 
makes  the  relation  of  the  clauses 
plainer:  'he  had  been  to  the 
shows  with  Maecenas  ;  then  every- 
body said  .  .  .'  —  luserat :  Sat. 
i,  5^8;  i,  6,  126. 

50.  a  Rostris :  the  platform  in 
the  Forum  decorated  with  the 
beaks  of  ships  was  the  center  of 
public  discussion  and  announce- 
ment. —  per  compita  :  i.e.  through 
the  city,  wherever  men  were  gath- 
ered ;  Sat.  2,  3,  25  f. 

52.  deos  :  a  slang  word  for  the 
prominent  men  in  the  state:  'the 
bosses,'  'The.Hig  Four.' 

53  f .  numquid  :  frequently  used 
in  colloquial  Latin,  as  here,  \\ilh- 


227 


HORATI 


semper  eris  derisor ! '     'At  omnes  di  exagitent  me, 
55      si  quicquam.'     '  Quid,  militibus  promissa  Triquetra 
praedia  Caesar,  an  est  Itala  tellure  daturus  ? ' 
lurantem  me  scire  nihil  mirantur,  ut  unum 
scilicet  egregii  mortalem  altique  silenti. 

Perditur  haec  inter  misero  lux  non  sine  votis  : 
60      O  rus,  quando  ego  te  aspiciam  ?  quandoque  licebit 
nunc  veterum  libris,  nunc  somno  et  inertibus  horis 
ducere  sollicitae  iucunda  oblivia  vitae  ? 


out  the  expectation  of  a  negative 
answer ;  ;  have  you  heard  anything 
about  the  Dacians?'  Cf.  introd. 
to  this  satire  and  Carm.  3,  6,  13  ff., 
paenc.  ,  .  delevit  urban  Dacus. 
—  Vt  .  .  .  eris:  'how  determined 
you  are  to  prove  yourself  a  mere 
jester!1  —  At:  very  common  in 
such  asseverations.  For  the  gen- 
eral form  of  .the  sentence  cf.  di  me 
perdant,  si  bibi,  Plaut.  M.  G. 

«33- 

55  f .  The  allotment  of  land  to 
the  soldiers  of  Octavius  (Caesar) 
after  the  battle  of  Actium  was 
expected  and  there  was  great 
desire  among  those  who  were 
likely  to  be  affected  by  confisca- 
tions or  forced  sales  to  know 
where  the  lands  were  to  be  taken 
and  especially  whether  they  were 
to  be  in  Italy  or  perhaps  in 
Sicily. 

57  f.  unum :  the  one  man. 
This  is  not  very  different  from 
;/;///..•  with  the  superlative,  egregii 
alt iii ne  supplying  the  standard  of 
comparison ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  24.  — 
scilicet:  ironical;  lie  was  credited 


with  great  power  of  keeping  a 
secret  which  was,  in  fact,  not 
known  to  him. 

59.  Perditur :  the  only  occur- 
rence of  a  passive  form  of  perdo 
in  classical  Latin,  the  forms  of 
pereo  being  elsewhere  used.  Aero 
glosses  it  with  consumitur.  — 
misero :  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
supply  t/iifi/' ;  the  thought  is  still 
somewhat  impersonal,  as  in  vs.  48. 
— votis:  such  as  follow.  But  the 
wishes  pass  over  easily  and  imper- 
ceptibly into  a  description  of  an 
evening  in  the  country  and  so  to 
the  story  of  Cervius. 

61.  veterum   libris:  like  those 
Greek     books     which      he     had 
taken  with  him  for  his  Christmas 
vacation,  Sat.  2,  3,  1 1  f.     Horace 
did    not  care    much  for  the  early 
Latin  literature,  though  he  speaks 
with  respect  of  Ennius.  —  somno : 
an  undisturbed  siesta. 

62.  ducere  .  .    .    oblivia :  drink 
in   for&'tfitlnt'ssi   so    souls   about 
to    l>e   born   again    longa   oblivia 
fmtaiil  (.If/i.  6,  715)  at  the  water 
of  Lethe. 

228 


SEK.MOM.S 


[2,  6,  70 


O  quando  faba  Pythagorae  cognata  simulquc 
uncta  satis  pingui  ponentur  holuscula  lardo  ? 

65      O  noctes  cenaeque  deum !  tjuibus  ipse  meique 
ante  larem  proprium  vescor  vernasque  procacis 
pasgo  libatis  dapibus.     Prout  cuique  libido  est, 
siccat  inaequalis  calices  conviva,  solutus 
legibus  insanis,  seu  quis  capit  acria  fortis 

70     pocula,  seu  modicis  uvescit  laetius.     Ergo 


63  f.  The  simple  fare  of  the 
country.  —  Pythagorae  cognata  : 
the  relative  of  Pythagoras ;  a  iittle 
fling  at  the  Pythagorean  philoso- 
phy. Pythagoras  forbade  the  eat- 
ing of  the  flesh  of  animals  because 
the  soul  of  a  human  being  might 
be  inhabiting  the  body  of  the 
animal.  He  also  forbade  the  eat- 
ing of  beans  ;  whatever  may  have 
been  the  reason  for  this  prohibition 
(and  many  different  explanations 
are  given),  it  was  attributed  to  the 
same  motive,  to  the  belief  that  the 
soul  of  a  man.  even  of  a  relative, 
might  be  dwelling  in  the  bean, 
and  the  doctrine  in  this  probably 
perverted  form  was  made  a  matter 
of  derision.  — uncta  satis:  the 
fat  bacon  took  the  place  of  olive 
oil  in  the  salad. 

65  ff.  This  is  an  ideal  picture 
of  the  cheerful  supper  with  its 
pleasant  details  (ipse,  the  host; 
mei.  the  intimate  friends ;  larem, 
the  sacred  hearth  ;  proprium,  at 
home  ;  vernas,  the  old  family  ser- 
vants :  procacis,  on  easy  terms 
with  the  master  :  libatis  dapibus, 
there  is  enough  for  all).  A  simi- 


lar scene  is  suggested,  though  with 
less  detail,  in  Cic.  Cat.  mat.  14,46. 
—  libatis  dapibus  :  abl.  with  pasco. 
the  food  which  the  guests  have 
left  is  enough  for  the  slaves.  Cf. 
Sat.  I,  3,  80  f. 

67.  Prout  .  .  .  libido  :  '•each 
guest,  according  to  his ,  .own 
taste.  .  .  .' 

68  ff.  inaequalis :  defined  in 
the  following  clauses,  seu  .  .  .  seu. 
The  etiquette  of  a  formal  dinner 
(legibus  insanis)  obliged  the 
guests  to  drink  their  wine  and 
water  mixed  in  the  same  propor- 
tion, without  regard  to  the  taste  of 
the  individual.  —  capit :  holds,  car- 
ries. —  acria :  strong.  —  fortis  : 
strong-headed.  —  uvescit :  grows 
mellow.  These  are  all  words  of 
half-specialized  meaning,  in  use  as 
a  kind  of  slang  in  regard  to  drink- 
ing. There  is  a  considerable 
vocabulary  of  such  words  in 
English,  euphemistic  and  half- 
humorous. 

70.  Ergo  :  so  then,  in  con- 
sequence of  all  that  has  been 
said  of  the  character  of  the. 
gathering. 


229 


2,  6,  71] 


HORATI 


sermo  oritur,  non  dc  villis  domibusvc  alicnis, 
nee  male  necne  Lepos  saltet ;    seel  quod  magis  ad  nos 
pertinet  et  nescire  malum  est  agitamus  :  utrumne 
clivitiis  homines  an  shit  virtute  beati ; 

75      quidvc  ad  amicitias,  usus  rectumne,  trahat  nos  ; 
et  qtiae  sit  natura  boni,  summumque  quid~eiuZ 

Cervius  haec  inter  vicinus  garrit  anilis 
ex  re  fabellas.     Si  quis  nam  laudat  Arelli 
sollicitas  ignarus  opes,  sic  incipit :  '  Olim 

So      rusticus  urbanum  murem  mus  paupere  fertur 


71  f.  non  de  villis  :  not  the  en- 
vious or  silly  gossip  that  one  may 
hear  at  more  ambitious  city  din- 
ners. —  Lepos :  Charm,  the 
Charmer,  a  nickname  of  some 
dancer  on  the  stage  ;  a  real  person, 
admired  by  Caesar,  the  Scholiast 
says. 

73  ff.  nescire  malum  est :  these 
fundamental  doctrines  -of  ethical 
philosophy  cannot  be  ignored  with- 
out loss  and  discredit.  —  divitiis . . . 
an  virtute  :  i.e.  whether  happiness 
comes  from  within,  from  character, 
or  from  external  advantages,  like 
wealth.  —  usus  rectumne  :  whether 
friendship  is  the  result  of  need  and 
of  a  sense  of  its  advantages  (tisns) 
or  comes  from  the  attractive  power 
of  high  character.  This  is  one  of 
the  questions  on  which  Epicureans 
and  Stoics  held  opposite  views. 
It  is  discussed  by  Cicero  in  the  tie 
Anii^itia.  —  natura  honi :  the  na- 
ture and  essence  of  the  Good  and 
the  Highest  Good  -  stoitniiim 
the  funil.uucnt.il  question 


in  all  ancient  philosophy,  of  which 
Cicero  wrote  in  the  de  Finibus 
Bononim  et  Malornm. 

77  ff.  garrit  anilis  .  .  .  fabel- 
las :  there  is  a  touch  of  modesty 
in  these  words  —  '  he  recounts 
some  little  story  that  he  had 
heard  from  some  old  woman '  — 
not  the  tone  of  contempt  that  is 
in  <  old-wives'  fables,1  but  enough 
to  disarm  criticism.  —  ex  re  :  to 
the  point,  connected  with  the  talk, 
perhaps  with  the  question  divitiis 
an  virtute.  —  Arelli :  Greenough's 
note  on  this  is  thoroughly  Hora- 
tian  :  'so  that,  after  all,  human 
nature  was  too  much  for  them,  and 
they  did  talk  "  de  villis  domibusve 
alienis."1  —  ignarus  :  not  knowing 
that  money  brings  anxiety  (solli- 
citas).—  Olim:  once  upon  a  time. 

80  ff.  The  old  story  of  the 
Town  Mousr  ;ind  the  Country 
Mouse  is  ictold  ;ind  put  into  the 
month  of  .1  Sabine  farmer  with  a 
purpose  —  like  so  much  of  Horace 
—  at  once  serious  and  humorous. 


230 


SE KM ONES 


[2,  6,  90 


accepisse  cavo,  veterem  vetus  hospes  amicum, 
asper  et  attentus  quaesitis,  ut  tamen  artum 
solveret  hospitiis  animum.     Quid  multa  ?  neque  ille 
sepositi  ciceris  nee  longae  invidit  avenac, 

85      aridum  et  ore  fercns  acinum  semesaque  lardi 
frusta  cledit,  cupiens  varia  fasticlia  cena 
vincere  tangentis  male  singula  dente  superbo  ; 
cum  pater  ipse  domus  palea  porrectus  in  horna 
esset  ador  loliumque,  dapis  meliora  relinquens. 

90      Tandem   urbanus   ad   hunc:  'Quid  te   iuvat,'    inquit, 
'  amice, 


It  enforces  in  genera!  terms  the 
lesson  of  Horace's  own  preference, 
and  it  is  at  the  same  time  an 
anilis  fabella,  at  which  one  smiles 
while  he  recognizes  its  underlying 
truth.  The  actors  are  Lilliputian, 
but  their1  action  embodies  a  large 
truth.  This  double  purpose  is  re- 
flected in  the  style,  which  has  a 
kind  of  old-fashioned  formality. 
The  tone  is  carefully  set  in  the 
elaborate  structure  of  the  first  sen- 
tence ;  the  four  words  ntsticns  .  .  . 
tuns  balance  vetereitt  .  .  .  aniicnin 
— adj.-adj.,  noun-noun  ;  nom-acc., 
ace. -n  om  ;  rnsticiis-iirbaniiin.mn- 
rein-nius.  This  is  the  manner  of 
the  serious  teller  of  an  old  story, 
conscious  of  his  moral  purpose 
and  not  quite  conscious  of  the 
incongruity  between  the  puqiose 
and  the  vehicle  by  which  he  con- 
veys the  lesson. 

82.  asper,  attentus:  like  the 
ideal  Sabine  or  New  England 
farmer.  —  ut  tamen :  but  yet  such 


that  he  could  .  .  .  fta  is  com- 
monly used  in  this  kind  of  sen- 
tence. 

83.  solveret :  to  balance  artinn ; 
he  could  relax  his  closeness.—  Quid 
multa  :  the  same  phrase  is  used  in 
Sat.  I,  6,  82  and  cf.  ne  te  awrer, 
Sat.  I,  I,  14. 

84.  ciceris :   the  gen.  after  />/- 
viiia   is  a  Greek   construction.  — 
sepositi :  set  aside  as  too  good  for 
ordinary  days.     The  kinds  of  food 
—  peas,  oats,  seeds,  bits  of  bacon 
— are  specified  in  order  to  heighten 
the  contrast  between  the  solemn 
moral  tone  and   tlTe   littleness  of 
the  actions  and  objects. 

86.  fastidia  :  the  dainty  appe- 
tite. 

87.  male  :      with     tangent  is ; 
scarcely  touching. 

88.  pater  .  .  .  domus :  the  mas- 
ter of  the  house ;  an  intentionally 
fine  phrase. 

89.  esset  :    from    edo.  —  ador 
loliumque :    spelt  and  darnel,  sup- 


231 


2,  6, 


HORATI 


praerupti  nemoris  patientem  vivere  dorso  ? 
Vis  tu  homines  urbemque  feris  praeponcre  silvis  ? 
Carpe  viam,  mihi  crede,  comes,  terrestria  quando 
mortalis  animas  vivunt  sortita,  neque  ulla  est 

95      aut  magno  aut  parvo  led  fuga  :    quo,  bone,  circa, 
dunj  licet,  in  rebus  iucundis  vive  beatus, 
vive  memor  quam  sis  aevi  brevis.'     Haec  ubi  dicta 
agrestem  pepulere,  domo  levis  exsilit ;  inde 
ambo  propositum  peragunt  iter,  urbis  aventes 

ioo    moenia  nocturni  subrepere.     lamque  tenebat 
nox  medium  caeli  spatium,  cum  ponit  uterque 
in  locuplete  domo  vestigia,  rubro  ubi  cocco 
tincta  super  lectos  canderet  vestis  eburnos, 

posedly  easy  for  a  mouse  to  col- 
lect and  therefore  standing  for 
ordinary  food. 

91  f .  These  lines  drop  back 
into  the  purely  human  attitude ; 
to  a  mouse  praernpti.  nemoris, 
dorso  are  not  hardships  nor  homi- 
nes urbemque  advantages.  —  pati- 
entem: 'enduring  a  hard  life.'  — 
Vis  tui:  -why  don't  you  .  .  .  ?  with 
hortatory  effect.  [Bentley's  note 
on  the  difference  between  ins  tu 
and  inn  tu  is,  repeated  in  sub- 
stance by  most  editors,  with  a 
reference  to  Sat.  i .  9,  69  as  a  true 
interrogation.  But  Tin  tu  .  .  . 
oppedere?\'&  not  a  simple  question 
and  Bentley's  dictum,  though  fairly 
correct  for  vis  tit.  is  entirely  fanci- 
ful for  vin  tu,  many  examples  of 
which  in  Plaut.  and  Tor.  are  paral- 
lel to  his  vis  tu.  The  evidence  is 
collected  in  A.  J.  P..  X.  4  (40), 
i>- 4'5-] 


93  f .  mihi  crede :  a  parenthetic 
exhortation,  to  add  force  to  carpe 
viam.  —  terrestria  .  .  . :  the  Epi- 
curean doctrine,  put  into  fine 
phrases.  —  sortita  :  the  idea  of 
getting  by  lot  is  almost  lost  or  re- 
solved into  a  vague  sense  of  destiny. 

95.  aut  magno  aut  parvo :  as 
commonly  used,  this  means  '  even 
the  greatest  of  us  cannot  escape1; 
spoken  by  the  mouse,  the  meaning 
is  comically  reversed.  —  quo  .  .  . 
circa:  an  unusual  tmesis. 

98.  pepulere:  struck, influenced 
his  decision.  —  levis:  light-heart- 
edly. 

xoof.  In  the  epic  style;  cf. 
Sat.  i,  5,  gf.  Cf.  also  Sat.  I,  5,  20 
for  iam  tenebat  .  .  .  cum. 

102  f.  cocco^.  .  .  eburnos:  the 
contrast  of  the  red  covering  with 
the  ivory  couch  is  used  also  in 
Catull.  64,  47  ff.  in  a  description 
of  a  splendidly  furnished  palace. 


232 


SKKMOM  - 


[2,6,  115 


multaque  de  magna  superessent  fercula  cena, 
105    quae  procul  extructis  inerant  hesterna  canistris. 
Ergo,  ubi  purpurea  porrectum  in  veste  locavit 
agrestem,  veluti  succinctus  cursitat  hospes 
continuatque  dapes,  nee  non  verniliter  ipsis 
fungitur  officiis,  praelambens  omne  quod  affert. 
1 10     Ille  Cubans  gaudet  mutata  sorte  bonisque 

rebus  agit  laetum  convivam,  cum  subito  ingens 
valvarum  strepitus  lectis  excussit  utrumque. 
Currere  per  totum  pavidi  conclave,  magisque 
examines  trepidare,  simul  domus  alta  Molossis 
115    personuit  canibus.     Turn  rusticus  '  Haud  mihi  vita 


104  f.  fercula  :  trays,  and  then 
the  courses  served  on  them.  — 
procul :  set  aside,  removed  from 
the  table  to  a  sideboard.  — 
hesterna  :  i.e.  of  the  evening 
before,  it  being  now  after  mid- 
night. 

io6ff.  All  the  appointments  of 
the  feast  are  in  contrast  to  the 
entertainment  in  the  country  (vss. 
83  ff.)  and  the  host  hurries  about 
like  a  slave  girt  up  (sued nt us)  for 
waiting  on  the  table.  —  continuat : 
i.e.  brings  on  the  courses  in  quick 
succession.  —  verniliter  :  in  true 
servant-fashion ;  denned  by  prae- 
lambens. He  took  stealthily  a  taste 
of  the  food  before  he  brought  it  to 
his  guest  —  again  in  contrast  with 
the  true  hospitality  of  the  country 
mouse,  vss.  88  f. 

1 10  ff.  bonis  rebus  :  with  agit . . . 
coHinvam,  not  with  laetittn  alone. 
—  agit :  he  plays  the  joyous  guest ; 
this  use  of  agere  is  technical 


of  actors,  e.g.  egit  in  the  Didas- 
caliae  to  the  plays  of  Terence. 
—  strepitus :  made  by  the  ser- 
vants coming  in  the  early  morn- 
ing to  put  the  dining-room  in 
order.  —  excussit :  a  very  graphic 
word. 

1 13  f .  Currere  :  the  name  which 
Lane  gives  to  this,  the  infinitive 
of  intimation,  is  here  very  apt, 
while  the  ordinary  name,  histori- 
cal infinitive,  is  particularly  inap- 
propriate. —  trepidare  :  often  used 
in  connection  with  cursare,  dis- 
cursu,  concursare,  as  here  with 
ctfrrere,  of  aimless  and  terrified 
running  about.  —  simul :  when.  — 
Molossis :  large  hounds  kept  as 
watch-dogs. 

iiSff.  Haud  .  .  .  est:  '  I  do 
not  care  for  such  a  life  as  this.' 
For  this  slightly  weakened  collo- 
quial sense  of  opus  est  cf.  Sat.  \. 
9,  27  and  the  common  phrase 
nil  inoror.  It  appears  to  be 


233 


2,  6,  u6J  HORATI 

est  opus  hac,'  ait,  'et  valeas;  me  silva  cavusque 
tutus  ab  insidiis  tenui  solabitur  ervo.' 

most   marked   in   negative   sentences.  —  solabitur :    i.e.   for    the  loss 
of  the  splendors  of  a  city  life. 


The  precise  date  of  this  satire  cannot  be  fixed.  The  allusion  in  vs. 
23  may  be  either  to  Sat.  2,  2  or  to  the  second  half  of  Sat,  2,  6,  and  vs. 
28,  Rotnae  rus  optas,  may  also  refer  to  Sat.  2,  6,  59  ff.  These  indica- 
tions point  in  a  general  way  to  a  late  date. 

The  form  is  the  characteristic  form  of  this  book,  which  is  used  also 
in  Satires  3,  4,  and  8.  The  main  body  of  the  satire  is  a  discourse 
addressed  to  Horace  himself,  which  is  introduced  and  then  brought  to 
a  close  by  bits  of  dialogue  suited  to  the  subject  and  to  speaker  and 
listener.  The  resemblance  to  the  third  satire  is  particularly  close : 
both  are  on  the  feast  of  the  Saturnalia,  in  both  Horace  is  interrupted 
by  the  intrusion  of  the  speaker  and  in  turn  interrupts  the  speaker  before 
the  main  discourse  is  reached  (3,  26  and  31  ;  7,  21  f.),  and  both  close 
with  an  outbreak  of  anger  on  Horace's  part. 

In  substance  also  this  satire  is  much  like  the  third.  That  is  a  dis- 
course upon  the  Stoic  Paradox  that  all  men  except  the  philosopher  are 
insane :  this  has  for  its  text  the  other  Paradox  that  all  men  but  the 
philosopher  are  slaves,  ort  /xovos  6  ao<£o?  eAev&pos,  KUI  TTOS  a<j>p<i>v 
SorAos.  This  is  the  subject  of  Cicero's  Parad.  V.  and  Horace  follows 
in  part  the  same  line  of  reasoning,  using  in  vss.  89  ff.  the  illustration 
of  the  lover  enslaved  by  a  woman  and  in  vss.  95  ff.  the  illustration  of 
the  infatuated  admirer  of  works  of  art,  almost  precisely  as  they  are 
used  by  Cicero.  As  in  the  third  satire  the  preacher  upon  the  insanity 
of  men  is  the  half-crax.y  Damasippus,  so  here  the  person  who  discourses 
upon  the  slavery  of  men  is  Horace's  own  slave,  Davus,  and  as  Dama- 
sipi>us  gets  his  wisdom  from  Stertinius  (and  Callus,  in  the  fourth  satire, 
from  an  unnamed  anctor},  so  in  this  satire,  with  a  clever  parody,  Davus 
has  learned  his  philosophy  from  the  door-keeper  of  the  philosopher 
Crispimis.  The  form  of  Stoic  discourse  is  less  distinctly  parodied  than 
in  Sat.  3,  perhaps  only  in  vs.  83,  and  it  is  evident  that  Horace  was  less 
inclined  to  burlesque  this  Paradox  than  he  had  been  to  flout  the  doc- 
trine that  all  men  arc  insane.  The  truth  that  men  are  the  slaves  of 
their  follies  and  vices  is  so  familiar  to  us,  that  we  are,  in  fact,  obliged 

234 


SERMOXKS  [2,7,0 

to  remind  ourselves  that  slavery  was  an  ever-present  reality  in  the  Roman 
world,  in  order  to  understand  how  the  doctrine  could  have  been  called 
a  paradox  at  all.  This  satire  is,  therefore,  even  more  than  the  third, 
and  more,  indeed,  than  any  other  in  the  Second  Book,  a  direct  attack 
upon  the  follies  of  mankind.  But  the  sharpness  which  shows  itself  in 
some  of  the  satires  of  the  First  Book  is  entirely  avoided  by  the  humorous 
expedient  of  representing  the  satire  as  directed  against  Horace  himselt, 
as  in  the  close  of  the  third.  That  Horace  is  not  drawing  a  picture  of 
himself,  however,  is  plain  from  such  passages  as  vs.  53,  vss.  89  ff.,  102 
ff.,  no  f. :  the  faults  there  attacked  are  not  those  to  which  Horace  was 
prone.  But  there  is  enough  caricature  of  himself  (vss.  23  ff.,  29  ff.)  to 
add  a  pleasant  humor  to  the  whole.  It  must  be  said  also  that  there  is 
some  return  to  the  intentional  coarseness  of  Sat.  I,  2. 

Davits.  lamdudumausculto,  etcupienstibi  dicere  servus 
pauca,  reformido.     Horat.  Davusne  ?     D.  Ita,  Davus, 

amicum 

mancipium  domino  et  frugi,  quod  sit  satis,  hoc  est, 
ut  vitale  putes.     H.  Age,  libertate  Decembri, 
5        quando  ita  maiores  voluerunt,  utere  ;  narra. 

D.  Pars  hominum  vitiis  gaudet  constanter  et  urget 

1.  ausculto :    the  slave  has  lis-      to  goodness;  '  honest,  or  at  least 
tened  at  the  door  to  see  whether      honest  enough.' 

Horace   has    a   caller  with    him;  4.  vitale:  ci.Sat.  2,  I.  60 f.,  nt 

finding  that  his  master  is  alone,  sis  vitalis  mefuo;  he  is  good,  but 

he  ventures  to  speak.     The  hesi-  not  so  good  as  to  be  in  danger  of 

tation  and  humility  (servus)  of  the  dying  young. — Decembri:  at  the 

first  words  are  meant  to  contrast  feast  of  the  Saturnalia  slaves  were 

with  his  boldness  later.  given    a    considerable    liberty    of 

2.  Davusne:    Horace   is   preoc-  speech  and  action,  in  memory  of 
cupied    and   only  half  recognizes  the  Golden  Age  when  there  were 
the  slave's  voice.     The  name  is  a  no  masters  and  no  slaves. 
traditional  name  for  a  slave.  5.   narra:    speak;    this    is   the 

3.  frugi:    the    ordinary    adjec-  early  meaning,   not  tell,  narrate. 
tive  in  comedy  for  a  geed  slave,  6-20.    '  Men    are    not    governed 
as  neqnam  is  the  adjective  for  the  by   reason    even    in    their    vices, 
opposite.  —  quod  sit  satis:    a  hu-  Priscus  swings  from  one  extreme 
morons  modification  of  the  claim  to  the  other,  as  if  he  were  the  very 


2,  7,  7] 


HORATI 


propositum;  pars  multa  natat,  modo  recta  capessens, 
interdum  pravis  obnoxia.     Saepe  notatus 
cum  tribus  anellis,  modo  laeva  Priscus  inani, 
vixit  inaequalis,  clavum  ut  mutaret  in  horas, 
aedibus  ex  magnis  subito  se  conderet,  unde 
mundior  cxiret  vix  libertinus  honeste  ; 
iam  moechiis  Romae,  iam  mallet  doctus  Athenis 
vivere,  Vertumnis  quotquot  sunt  natus  iniquis. 
Scurra  Volanerius,  postquam  illi  iusta  cheragra 
contudit  articulos,  qui  pro  se  tolleret  atque 
mitteret  in  phimum  talos,  mercecle  diurna 
conductum  pavit ;  quanto  constantior  isdem 
in  vitiis,  tanto  levius  miser  ac  prior  illo, 


god  of  change  himself,  while  Vola- 
nerius hangs  on  to  his  follies  with 
as  much  determination  as  if  they 
were  virtues.' 

7.  propositum :     cf.    iustum    et 
tenacem  propositi  vintm,  Car  in.  3, 
3,  I.  —  natat:  figurative  of  hesita- 
tion and  uncertainty  ;  float,  drift. 

8.  obnoxia :  submissive  to,  agree- 
ing with  pars. 

9.  tribus :    one  ring  was  usual, 
two  were  conspicuous,  three  would 
be  effeminate.  —  laeva  .  .  .  inani : 
i.e.  without  any  ring,  as  they  were 
worn  only  on  the  left  hand. 

10.  inaequalis :    cf.    nil  aequale 
homini  fuit  illi,  in  the  description 
of  Tigellius  at  the   beginning  of 
Sat.  i,  3.  —  clavum:  he  changed 
within   an   hour  from    the   broad 
stripe  of  the  senator  to  the  narrow 
stripe  of  a  knight. 

12.   mundior:    more  respectable, 


a  freedman  of  self-respecting  hab- 
its. —  honeste :  decently.  But  the 
contrast  is  between  the  refine- 
ments of  his  palace  and  the  dirt 
and  squalor  of  a  hut  —  obsoleti  sor- 
dibus  tecti,  Carm.  2,  10,  6. 

13.  doctus  Athenis :  like  Cicero's 
friend,  T.  Pomponius  Atticus. 

14.  Vertumnis:  the  god  of  the 
changing  year  and  so  of  all  change. 
—  quotquot  sunt :  a  colloquialism, 
a  little  more  emphatic  than  omni- 
bus. —  natus  iniquis:  dt.Sat.  I,  5, 
97  f. ;  2,  3,  8. 

15.  Volanerius  :       unknown.  — 
iusta:    deserved  by  his  habits. 

17.  in   phimum  talos:   put  the 
dice   into    the  box.  —  diurna:    he 
was  too  poor  to  own  a  slave,  but 
hired  a  man  by  the  day. 

1 8.  pavit:  from /to .SVY? ;  kept. 

19.  levius:  equal  to  minus',  cf. 
vs.  78. 


236 


SERMONES  [2,  7,  34 

20      qui  iam  contento,  iam  laxo  fune  laborat. 

H.   Non  dices  hodie  quorsum  haec  tam  putida  tendant, 
furcifer?     I).  Ad  te,  inquam.     H.  Quo  pacto,  pessime? 

D.  Laudas 

fortunam  et  mores  antiquae  plebis,  et  idem, 
si  quis  ad  ilia  deus  subito  te  agat,  usque  recuses, 

25      aut  quia  non  sends,  quod  clamas,  rectius  esse, 
aut  quia  non  firmus  rectum  defendis,  et  haeres 
nequiquam  caeno  cupiens  evellere  plan  tam. 
Romae  rus  optas ;  absentem  rusticus  urbem 
tollis  ad  astra  levis.     Si  nusquam  es  forte  vocatus 

30      ad  cenam,  laudas  securum  olus,  ac,  velut  usquam 
vinctus  eas,  ita  te  felicem  dicis  amasque 
quod  nusquam  tibi  sit  potandum.     lusserit  ad  se 
Maecenas  serum  sub  lumina  prima  venire 
convivam  :  '  Nemon'  oleum  fert  ocius  ?     Ecquis 

20.  contento,  laxo :  the  sense  of  30!   securum  olus:   the 'dinner 
this  figure  is  plain,  but  the  precise  of  herbs  where  love  is.'  —  usquam : 
comparison  is  not  clear.  i.e.   l  as    if    you   never   went  out 

21.  hodie:  in  the  weakened  col-  anywhere   except   on   compulsion 
loquial  sense,  as  often  in  comedy  ;  (irinctns}.'1  —  amas:    the    nearest 
'aren't    you   ever    going    to    tell  English  phrase  is 'you  hug  your- 
me  .  .  .  ?'     There  is  no  reference  self;  cf.  Sat.  I,  2,  54. 

to  the  Saturnalia.  33.  serum :  the  invitation  comes 

24.  ilia :    the  old  ways.  —  deus  so  late   that  Horace  had  already 

subito :  as  in  Sat.  I,  i,  i5fF.,  a  god  himself  invited  some  unimportant 

is  represented  as  suddenly  fulfilling  guests,  whom  he  is  represented  as 

wishes  that  were  not  sincere.  abandoning  in  order  to  accept  the 

28.  absentem :    not  often  used,  invitation  of  Maecenas. 

as  here,  of  things.  34.  Nemon'.  Ecquis:    these  are 

29.  levis:  fickle.     This   is   the  colloquial  forms  of  question  used 
point  of  the  criticism  ;  the  accu-  in  Plautus  and  Terence  with  im- 
sation    of  affectation    (vs.  25)   is  perative   force ;  '  won't  some  one 
aside   from    the   main  course    of  bring  the  oil?     Won't  some  one 
thought.  listen?1 

237 


2,  7,  35]  HORATI 

t 

35      audit  ? '  cum  magno  blateras  clamore  f  ugisque. 
Mulvius  et  scurrae,  tibi  non  referenda  precati, 
discedunt.     '  Etenim  fateor  me,'  dixerit  ille, 
'duel  ventre  levem,  nasum  nidore  supinor, 
imbecillus,  iners,  si  quid  vis,  adde,  popino. 

40      Tu,  cum  sis  quod  ego  et  fortassis  nequior,  ultro 
insectere  velut  melior,  verbisque  decoris 
obvolvas  vitium  ? '     Quid,  si  me  stultior  ipso 
quingentis  empto  drachmis  deprenderis  ?     Aufer 
me  voltu  terrere;  manum  stomachumque  teneto, 

45      dum  quae  Crispini  docuit  me  ianitor  edo. 

Te  coniunx  aliena  capit,  meretricula  Davum. 
Peccat  uter  nostrum  cruce  dignius  ?     Acris  ubi  me 
natura  intendit,  sub  clara  nuda  lucerna 
quaecumque  excepit  turgentis  verbera  caudae, 

50      clunibus  aut  agitavit  equum  lasciva  supinum, 
dimittet  neque  famosum  neque  sollicitum  ne 
ditior  autformae  melioris  meiat  eodem. 
Tu  CwiT:  proiectis  insignibus,  anulo  equestri 

35.  f  ugis :  and  off  yon  go.  point ;  '  you  are  proved   to   he  a 

36.  non  referenda :    things  that  worse  fool  than  I,  and  I  am  a  cheap 
/  must  not  repeal.  —  precati:  cf.  slave,  too.1  —  aufer:  like  noli ;  cf. 
Sat.  2,  6,  30,  iratis  precibus.  tnitte  sectari,  Carm.  I,  38,  3. 

37.  ille:  Mulvius.  44.    manum:  as  if  Horace,  an- 
39.   si  quid  vis:   if  you  choose.      noyed  by  vs.  42  f.,  had  started  up 

—  popino  :  a  haunter  of  cheap  tav-  to  strike  the  slave. 

erns.  45.   Crispini:     r  Sat.  I,  i,  120. 

40  f.    Tu  .  .  .  insectere:  arepu-  note.     The   absurdity  of  quoting 

dialing  question  or  exclamation.  —  him  to  Horace  as  an  authority  is 

verbis   decoris :    with    fine  words  heightened   by  the  fact   that   the 

about  his  obligations  to  Maecenas,  wisdom     had    trickled    down    to 

when  in  fact  he  is,  Mulvius  implies,  Davus  through  the  philosopher's 

going  simply  to  get  a  <jood  dinner.  door-keeper. 

43  f.    me  :  Davus.  —  quingentis:  53.    insignibus:    especially   the 

a  rather  low  price,  to  emphasize  the  tunic  with  the  narrow  purple  stripe. 

238 


SERMON KS  [2,  7,  69 

Romanoque  habitu,  prodis  ex  iudice  Dama 
55      turpis,  odoratum  caput  obscurante  lacerna, 

non  es  quod  simulas  ?     Metuens  induceris,  atque 
altercante  libidinibus  tremis  ossa  pavore. 
Quid  refert,  uri  virgis  ferroque  necari 
auctoratus  eas,  an  turpi  clausus  in  area, 
60      quo  te  demisit  peccati  conscia  erilis, 

contractum  genibus  tangas  caput  ?     Estne  marito 
matronae  peccantis  in  ambo  iusta  potestas  ? 
In  corruptorem  vel  iustior.     Ilia  tamen  se 
non  habitu  mutatve  loco  peccatve  superne, 
65      cum  te  formidet  mulier  neque  credat  amanti. 
Ibis  sub  furcam  prudens,  dominoque  furenti 
committes  rem  omnem  et  vitam  et  cum  corpore  famam. 
Evasti :  credo  metues  doctusque  cavebis  : 
quaeres  quando  iterum  paveas,  iterumque  perire 

—  anulo  :  the  gold  ring  which  was  59.   auctoratus:  bound  over,  as 
one  of  the  signs  of  equestrian  rank.  a  gladiator  was. 

—  equestri :  there  is  no  other  pas-  60.   conscia ;     cf.     Sat.     i,    2, 
sage    in    Horace   which    suggests  130. 

that  he  was  an  eques,  and  such  a  61  f.   Estne :  with  the  force  ot 

supposition   is  quite   inconsistent  nonne,  as  often  in  comedy.  —  iusta 

with i  the  tenor  of  Sat.  i,  6.     The  potestas  :  this  leads  directly  toward 

reference  is  general  and  tu  is  the  the  point,  that  in  such  a  case  the 

imaginary  person  to  whom  Horace  man  is  no  more  than  a  slave, 

so    frequently   addresses    his    re-  66.    sub    furcam :     a     common 

marks  ;    the  Davus-Crispinus  ma-  punishment  for  a  slave  ;  his  wrists 

chinery  is  for  the  moment  ignored.  were  bound  to  the  ends  of  a  forked 

54  f.   prodis:    i.e.    'when    you  beam,  which  rested  upon  his  neck. 

come  out,  you  are  no  longer  a  citi-  68  f.   Evasti :  i.e.  '  suppose  you 

zen  of  good  standing  (index),  but  have  got  off  once  safely.'  —  quae- 

a  miserable  slave.'     Cf.  Sat.  2,  5,  res:    an   adversative   conjunction 

1 8,  spitrco   Dainae.  —  lacerna:    a  would  be  used,  if  the  thought  were 

coarse  cloak  with  a  hood  for  con-  fully  expressed  ;  '  on  the  contrary, 

cealing  the  face.  you  will  seek.' 

239 


2.  7.  7°]  HORATI 

70      possis,  o  totiens  servus !     Quae  belua  ruptis, 
cum  semel  effugit,  reddit  se  prava  catenis  ? 
'  Non  sum  moechus,'  ais.     Neque  ego,  hercule,  fur,  ubi 

vasa 

praetereo  sapiens  argentea.     Tolle  periclum, 
iam  vaga  prosiliet  frenis  natura  remotis. 

75      Tune  mihi  dominus,  rerum  imperils  hominumque 
tot  tantisque  minor,  quern  ter  vindicta  quaterque 
imposita  baud  umquam  misera  formidine  privet  ? 
Adde  super,  dictis  quod  non  levius  valeat :  nam, 
sive  vicarius  est  qui  servo  paret,  uti  mos 

So      vester  ait,  seu  conservus,  tibi  quid  sum  ego  ?     Nempe 
tu,  mihi  qui  imperitas,  alii  servis  miser,  atque 
duceris,  ut  nervis  alienis  mobile  lignum. 

Quisnam  igitur  liber?     Sapiens,  sibi  qui  imperiosus, 
quern  neque  pauperies,  neque  mors,  neque  vincula  ter- 
rent, 

70.   totiens    servus:    this    ap-  may  be  himself  the   owner  of  a 

preaches  still  nearer  to  the  point  slave  and   they   are   then    simply 

of  the  argument.     Cf.  iusta  poles-  fellow-slaves,  like  you  and  me.'  — 

tas,  vs.  62.  vicarius :  a  slave  bought  or  hired 

75  f.    Tune   mihi :    repudiating  by  another  slave  to  do  his  work 

exclamation. — imperils :  abl.  after  for    him.  —  servis:     the    verb. — 

minor;  'subject  to  so  many  and  nervis:    puppets   were    made    of 

so  severe  commands.'  —  vindicta:  wood   and  jointed   so   that   their 

the  rod  which  the  lictor  laid  upon  arms  and  legs  could  be  moved  by 

(imposita)    the    slave    in    going  strings.  —  alienis:    controlled    by 

through  the  old  ceremony  of  man-  another  person, 
umission.  83.   Quisnam :    the    Stoic   form 

77.   privet:  deliver,  set  free.  of  argument,   by   brief  questions 

78-82.    'And  there   is  another  and  answers.  —  Sapiens :  the  Stoic 

argument,  not   less    forcible   than  philosopher. 

these.     For  the  fact  that  you  are  85.    responsare:  </>•/)';   cf.  Sat. 

my  master  proves  nothing  ;  accord-  2,  4,  18.     The  infin.  depends  upon 

ing  to  your  own  customs  a  slave  fortis. 

240 


SERMONES  [2  ,  7,  101 

$5      responsare  cupidinibus,  contemnere  honores 
fortis,  et  in  se  ipso  totus,  teres  atque  rotundus, 
externi  ne  quid  -valeat  per  leve  morari, 
in  quern  nianca  ruit  semper  fortuna.     Potesne 
ex  his  ut  proprium  quid  noscere  ?     Quinque  talenta 

90      poscit  te  mulier,  vexat  foribusque  repulsum 
perfundit  gelida,  rursus  vocat :  eripe  turpi 
colla  iugo.     'Liber,  liber  sum,'  die  age!     Non  quis; 
urget  enim  dominus  mentem  non  lenis,  et  acris 
subiectat  lasso  stimulos,  versatque  negantum. 

95      Vel  cum  Pausiaca  torpes,  insane,  tabella, 

qui  peccas  minus  atque  ego,  cum  Fulvi  Rutubaeque 
aut  Pacideiani  contento  poplite  miror 
proelia  rubrica  picta  aut  carbone,  velut  si 
re  vera  pugnent,  feriant,  vitentque  moventes 

ioo    arma  viri  ?     Nequam  et  cessator  Davus ;  at  ipse 
subtilis  veterum  iudex  et  callidus  audis. 

86  f.   in  se    ipso:     with    totus  is  traditional;   cf.  Ter.  Eun.  46- 

only ;  self-contained,  independent  49. 

of  all  else.     The  phrase  is  usually          94.    stimulos,  versat :  as  a  rider 

quoted  wrongly,  as  if  totus  by  itself  subdues    a    horse     by    wearying 

were  an  adjective  like  teres.  —  ex-  him. 

terni  .  .  .  morari:  <  so  that  nothing          95.  Pausiaca:  a  picture  by  the 

foreign  may  be  able  to  rest  upon  famous  Greek  painter  Pausias    of 

(morari)      its     smooth      surface  the  fourth   century.  —  torpes :   cf. 

(leve).''  stitpet,  Sat.  i,  4,  28,  of  unbounded 

88.  manca :  powerless.  admiration  for  works  of  art. 

89.  ex  his:  of  the  qualities  just          96.    Fulvi:  names  of  gladiators, 
mentioned.     The   answer  to   the  whose  performance  was  advertised 
question  is  given  in  the  following  by    pictures    in    black    and    red 
lines ;  he  cannot  be  sibi  imperi-  drawn  on  the  walls. 

osus    who    is    infatuated   with    a          ioo.   cessator:   i.e.   'you   blame 
woman  or  a  picture.       J*.  me  for  having  stopped  to  look  at 

91.    rursus  vocat:    cf.  Sat.  2,  3,      the   posters  when    you   had   sent 
260  ff.     The   picture  of  the  lover      me  on  an  errand.' 
HOR.  SAT. —  16  241 


2,  7,  1 02]  HORATI 

Nil  ego,  si  ducor  libo  f um ante :  tihi  ingens 
virtus  atque  animus  cenis  responsat  opimis  ? 
Obsequium  ventris  mihi  perniciosius  est  cur  ? 

105    Tergo  plector  enim.     Qui  tu  impunitior  ilia, 
quae  parvo  sumi  nequeunt,  obsonia  captas  ? 
Nempe  inamarescunt  epulae  sine  fine  petitae, 
illusique  pedes  vitiosum  ferre  recusant 
corpus.     An  hie  peccat,  sub  noctem  qui  puer  uvam 

no    furtiva  mutat  strigili ;  qui  praedia  vendit, 

nil  servile,  gulae  parens,  habet?     Adde,  quod  idem 
non  horam  tecum  esse  potes,  non  otia  recte 
ponere,  teque  ipsum  vitas,  fugitivus  et  erro, 
iam  vino  quaerens,  iam  somno  fallere  curam  : 

115    frustra :    nam  comes  atra  premit  sequiturque  fugacem. 
H.    Vnde   mihi   lapidem  ?      D.    Quorsum    est   opus  ? 

H.    Vnde  sagittas  ? 

D.  Aut  insanit  homo,  aut  versus  facit.  H.  Ocius  hinc  te 
ni  rapis,  accedes  opera  agro  nona  Sabino  ! 

102.   Nil  ego:    sc.   sum. — libo:  satire,  seem  to  be  a  condensation 

pancake.  of  Lucr.  3,  1053-1070. 

105!.  plector   enim:    <  I   get   a  116.   lapidem:     of   Sat.    2,    3, 

thrashing,    to    be  sure,   but   that  128  f.,    where    a    master    throws 

proves    nothing,    for    you    suffer  stones  at   his  slaves.  —  sagittas . 

worse   penalties.1  these  unusual  weapons  of  attack 

107.  inamarescunt:    turn  sour.  are   named   in   order   to  give  an 

—  sine  fine:  with  petitae.  opening   for   the   final  remark  of 

no.   mutat:  'gets   a   bunch   of  Davus,  versus fac it ;  that  is",  untie 

grapes  in  exchange  for  a  scraper  sagittas  ?  sounds  as  if  it  might  be 

that  he  has  stolen.'  taken  from  a  play. 

in.  nil  servile  .  .  .  habet:  has  118.   opera  .  .  .  nona:       'You 

nothing  of  the  slave  about  him.  —  shall   be   the  ninth    slave.'     The 

parens:  with  the  subject  of  vendit.  threat  to  send  a  slave  from  the 

111-115.  These  lines,  which  are  city' to- the   harder   work  of  the 

rather  more  serious  and  penetrat-  farm  is  frequent  in  comedy, 
ing   than  any   other    part  of  the 

242 


SERMONES 


8 

Nothing  in  this  satire  fixes  the  date  of  composition.  It  can  only 
be  said  that  it  was  written  between  35  and  30  B.C.,  and  that  in  subject 
and  general  treatment  it  is  like  the  other  satires  of  this  book. 

In  form  it  most  closely  resembles  Sat.  2,  4;  the  main  part  of  it  is 
an  account  of  certain  sayings  and  doings  related  by  another  person  to 
Horace  at  his  request,  with  a  brief  introductory  dialogue.  The  sub- 
ject-matter connects  it  both  with  Sal.  2,  2,  as  a  contrast  to  simple 
living,  and  with  2,  4,  as  a  satire  in  a  different  vein  upon  the  serious- 
minded  epicure. 

The  main  body  of  it  is  a  description  of  a  dinner,  given  in  much 
detail.  The  names  of  the  guests  are  mentioned  and  their  places  at  the 
table  and  there  are  elaborate  descriptions  of  the  food  and  cookery. 
After  the  dinner  had  advanced  a  little  and  the  host  had  shown  a  dis- 
position to  brag  of  his  food  and  wines,  some  of  the  guests  proposed 
heavy  drinking.  The  host  turned  their  attention  again  to  the  food,  but 
while  he  was  describing  one  of  the  dishes,  a  canopy  over  the  table  fell 
and  covered  the  whole  company  with  dust.  The  host  at -this  mishap 
burst  into  tears  and  was  with  difficulty  induced  by  the  encouragements 
of  some  of  his  guests,  which  he  did  not  perceive  to  be  ironical,  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  feast.  When  he  did  go  on,  he  continued  to  talk  so  much 
about  the  food,  that  the  guests,  in  revenge,  declined  to  eat  it.  The 
satire  ends  abruptly,  without  the  concluding  dialogue  or  comment  which 
is  generally  found  in  the  satires  of  this  book. 

This  is  not  a  description  of  some  actual  dinner  at  the  house  of  an 
individual  who  might  be  identified.  All  attempts  to  connect  the  host, 
Nasidienus  Rufus,  with  some  person  known  to  us,  —  for  example,  with 
Salvidienus  Rufus,  —  fail  in  details  and  are  mistaken  in  their  purpose. 
It  is  quite  inconceivable  that  Horace  should  have  made  public  the 
story  of  such  a  dinner,  at  which  Maecenas  and  Varius  were  guests, 
and  should  have  represented  a  well-known  man  like  Fundanius  as 
guilty  of  the  extreme  discourtesy  of  ridiculing  the  host  whose  invita- 
tion lie  had  accepted.  To  readers  of  Horace's  time  the  mere  fact  that 
the  story  is  told  by  Fundanius,  the  writer  of  humorous  plays,  would  at 
once  have  given  the  clew  to  the  burlesque  character  of  the  whole.  It 
is  no  more  to  be  taken  as  serious  narrative  than  the  legal  consultation 
in  Sat.  2,  I,  the  discourse  of  Ofellus  in  2,  2,  the  sermon  of  Damasippus 
in  2,  j.  or  in  fact  any  satire  of  this  book  except  the  earlier  half  of  the 
sixth. 

243 


2,  8,  i]  IIOKATI 

But  though  the  setting  and  the  details  are  pure  burlesque,  there  5s 
a  certain  amount  of  serious  purpose  underneath,  as  in  Sat.  2,  3,  for 
example,  where  the  Stoic  is  burlesqued,  but  the  follies  of  mankind  are 
also  satirized.  The  host  at  the  banquet,  who  is  here  ridiculed  on  his 
lighter  side,  is  a  type  of  the  same  man  who  is  attacked  with  savage 
directness  in  Epod.  4,  the  man  of  low  station  and  no  culture,  whose 
suddenly  acquired  wealth  has  not  changed  his  nature.  He  is  repre- 
sented here  as  an  aspiring  epicure,  proud  of  his  knowledge  of  the  art 
of  cookery  and  seeking  to  advance  his  acquaintance  with  Maecenas  by 
giving  him  a  particularly  fine  dinner.  But  the  ridicule  is  directed  quite 
as  much,  perhaps  even  more,  against  the  absurd  solemnities  of  the 
epicure.  There  are  passages  (vss.  6  ff.,  43  ff.,  especially  85  ff.)  which 
are  indistinguishable  in  tone  and  manner  from  parts  of  Sat.  2,  4,  and 
which  have  no  point  at  all  unless  we  understand  them  as  we  do  that 
satire,  —  as  ironical  parodies  of  the  precepts  of  fine  cookery. 

This  is  not  one  of  the  best  of  the  satires.  The  humor  is  not  always 
in  good  taste;  there  is  too  close  an  approach  to  horse-play  and,  though 
Maecenas  and  the  literary  men  are  kept  in  the  background,  with  the 
evident  purpose  of  guarding  their  dignity,  the  rest  of  the  guests  are  not 
superior  in  good-breeding  to  the  host  whom  they  ridicule.  The  scene 
is,  with  some  differences,  not  unlike  the  supper  described  in  Sat.  \,  5, 
51  ff.  and,  in  general,  this  satire  has  many  of  the  characteristics,  both 
positive  and  negative,  of  Sat.  I,  5.  The  explanation  is  that  Horace  is 
here  also,  as  in  I,  5,  following  a  satire  of  Lucilius  (Charis.  in  Gr.  Lat. 
p.  100  K.,  Lucilius  .  .  .  deridens  rusticatn  cenam ;  the  fragments  are 
in  Marx.  193  ff.),  doubtless  improving  upon  the  form,  but  hampered  by 
his  model.  The  grave  and  sustained  irony  of  Sat.  2,  4,  when  no  Lu- 
cilian  influence  is  discernible,  is  much  superior  to  this. 

Horatius.  Vt  Nasidieni  iuvit  te  cena  bead  ? 
Nam  mihi  quaerenti  convivam  dictus  heri  illic 

i.  Vt  .  .  .  iuvit    te  :     change  tion,  intentionally  used  in  the  first 

the   construction    in    translating;  line.  —  beati :    rich,   the    million- 

'how   did   you  enjoy  yourself  at  airt,  with  a  touch  of  irony. 

thedinnerof ?'  —  Nasidieni:  2.    quaerenti  convivam  :  sc.  fe ; 

in  four  syllables,  tin-  second  /  be-  <  when  I  tried  to  get  you  to  come 

ing  consonantal  and  lengthening  and  dine   with   me.'  —  dictus:  sc. 

(he    preceding    syllable;    this    is  es ;  tin-  omission  is  not  at  all  in- 

probably    a    plebeian    pronuncia-  frequent  in  colloquial  Latin,  as  in 

244 


SKKMnNKS 


[2,  8,  8 


de  medio  potare  die.     Fundanius.  Sic,  ut  mihi  num- 

quam 

in  vita  fuerit  melius.     Hor.  Da,  si  grave  non  est, 
quae  prima  iratum  ventrem  placaverit  esca. 
Fund.  In  primis  Lucanus  aper  leni  fuit  Austro 
captus,  ut  aiebat  cenae  pater ;  acria  circum 
rapula,  lactucae,  radices,  qualia  lassum 


comedy.  —  heri :  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  last  letter  was  so 
indistinct  that  the  word  was  writ- 
ten sometimes  fieri,  sometimes 
here. 

3.  de  medio  die  :  the  dinner  be- 
gan before  the  usual  hour,  which 
was  three  o'clock  or  later,  as  it 
was  to  be  a  formal  affair.     The 
Roman    custom    in    this    respect 
was  the  opposite  of  ours. 

4.  fuerit  melius  :  ;//////  bene  est, 
'I  am  enjoying  myself.'  is  a  com- 
mon colloquialism ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  2, 
1 20. 

5.  iratum  ventrem:  cf.  latran- 
tem  stomachum.  Sat.  2,  2.  18.   The 
question  is  ironical,  as  if  the  object 
of  a  formal  dinner  was  to  satisfy 
a  natural  hunger. 

6-9.  Our  knowledge  of  Roman 
dinner  customs  is  imperfect,  the 
fashions  changed  from  time  to 
time,  and  this  description  is  meant 
to  be  only  a  series  of  allusions. 
It  is  therefore  quite  impossible  to 
arrange  the  menu  or  even  to  de- 
cide whether  this  course  consti- 
tuted {\\zgustatii*  (promulsis)  :  the 
relishes  served  with  the  boar  would 
indicate  that  it  did ;  the  fact  that 


no  drink  (mulsum)  is  mentioned 
would,  however,  be  a  strange 
omission. 

6  f .   leni .  .  .  Austro  captus :  not 
predicate  with  fuit ;    i  one  of  the 
first  things  was  a  Lucanian  boar, 
killed,  as  the  host  said,  when  a 
mild  southerly  wind  was  blowing.' 
The  Lucanian  boar  was  especially 
prized  and  the  state  of  the  weather 
at  the  time  the  animal  was  killed 
was  supposed  to  affect  the  flavor 
of  the  meat ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  2,  32  fF. 
and     the     modern     superstitions 
about  the  'dark  of  the  moon.'  — 
cenae  pater:  he  is  called  also  erus 
(vss.  16,  43),  ipse  (23),  parochns 
(36),  and  coniri'vator  (73),  as  well 
as   Nasidienus    (i,   75,   84)    and 
Rufus  (58). 

7  f.  acria:      introducing     the 
whole  list  and  repeated  in  qualia 
.   .   .  stomachiiin.      The    relishes 
are  only  partly  in  use  now  nor  is 
the  precise  identification  of  them 
at  all    important :    '  rape,   lettuce, 
radishes,    skirret.   fish-pickle,  and 
burnt    tartar    from    Coan    wine.' 
These  were  arranged  around  (</>•- 
en  111}    the   boar,    perhaps   on   the 
same  platter. 


245 


2,  8,  9] 


HORATI 


pervellunt  stomachum,  siser,  allec,  faecula  Coa. 
His  ubi  sublatis  puer  alte  cinctus  acernam 
gausape  purpureo  mensam  pertersit  et  alter 
sublegit  quodcumque  iaceret  inutile  quodque 
posset  cenantis  offendere,  ut  Attica  virgo 
cum  sacris  Cereris  procedit  fuscus  Hydaspes 
Caecuba  vina  ferens,  Alcon  Chium  maris  expers. 


10.  ubi:  introduces  pertersit 
et  sublegit ;  '  when  these  had  been 
removed  and  after  a  slave  had 
wiped  .  .  .'  —  alte  cinctus  :  the 
same  as  succinctus,  2,  6,  107 ;  the 
slave  was  in  the  proper  dress  for 
waiting  at  the  table.  —  acernam : 
maple,  one  of  the  more  valuable 
woods  for  dining-tables ;  as  one 
might  speak  of  ' the  mahogany 
table,1  not  as  a  rarity,  but  as  the 
'proper  thing.' 

n.  gausape  purpureo:  abl.; 
this  was  a  bit  of  unnecessary  dis- 
play. Lucilius,  in  a  corresponding 
passage  (Marx,  568),  has  pur- 
pureo tersit  tune  latas  gausape 
mensas. 

12.  sublegit :  this  is  mentioned 
merely  as  a  part  of  the  ordinary 
table  service  in  order  to  prepare 
for  the  formality  of  the  next  event ; 
'a  slave  in  proper  dress  wiped  the 
table  — with  a  purple  cloth,  to  be 
sure  —  and  the  crumbs  were  gath- 
ered up,  when  in  came  .  .  .' 

13  f.  ut:  with  -i'/r^ei ;  'like  a 
girl  at  Athens  in  a  religious  pro- 
cession.' The  K<ii'r)<f>6pos  (cf. 
Sat.  1,3.  10  f.)  carried  the  sacred 
symbols  in  a  basket  on  her  head 


and  walked  with  slow  step  and 
upright  carriage.  —  Hydaspes :  an 
Eastern  slave-boy,  named  after 
the  river  of  his  native  land. 

15  f .  Alcon :  another  slave. 
The  fact  that  his  name  is  given 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  there 
was  some  point  in  it,  as  in  Hydas- 
pes, but  we  do  not  know  what  it 
was.  —  Caecuba :  one  of  the  best 
of  the  Italian  wines,  as  were  also 
the  Alban,  in  the  time  of  Horace, 
and  Falernian.  The  Chian  was  a 
fine  Greek  wine,  with  which  sea- 
water  was  sometimes  sparingly 
mixed  to  give  it  a  tang.  Horace 
frequently  mentions  these  and 
other  special  kinds  of  wine,  con- 
trasting them  with  the  ordinary 
Sabine  wine,  as  we  might  contrast 
special  French  or  German  wines 
with  Californian  claret,  but  he  docs 
not  make  sharp  distinctions  be- 
tween them.  The  preference  for 
Caecuban  came  .later,  when  the 
vineyards  were  dying  out  and  the 
wine  was  becoming  rare.  The 
many  attempts  of  commentators 
to  find  hidden  meanings  in  these 
lines  are  all  misleading.  The 
slaves  brought  in  the  best  of  wine, 


246 


SE KM ONES 


[2,  8,  20 


Hie  erus  :  '  Albanum,  Maecenas,  sive  Falernum 
te  magis  appositis  delectat,  habemus  utrumque.' 
Hor.  Divitias  miseras  1     Seel  quis  cenantibus  una, 
Fundani,  pulchre  fuerit  tibi,  nosse  laboro. 
Fund.  Summus  ego,  et  prope  me  Viscus  Thurinus,  et 
infra, 


with  a  trifle  more  ceremony  than 
was  necessary,  and  the  host,  also 
with  unnecessary  display,  said  '  if 
you  prefer,  I  can  give  you  some 
Alban  or  Falernian.1  The  wines 
are  all  right,  —  the  very  best, — 
but  why  such  a  fuss  about  them  ? 
—  maris  expers:  i.e.  not  mixed 
with  sea-water.  This  was  a  proper, 
if  less  usual,  way  of  serving  Chian 
wine,  but  it  might  have  been  left 
to  the  guests  to  discover  it,  instead 
of  making  a  formal  announcement, 
as  it  is  implied  that  the  slave  did. 
1 8  f.  Divitias  miseras :  '  oh,  the 
curse  of  being  so  rich ! '  or  perhaps 
like  saying,  '  oh,  poor  millionaire!' 
This  exclamation  interprets  to  us 
the  point  of  the  preceding  lines. 
The  unfortunate  host  thinks  that 
the  wines  and  cookery  which  his 
money  can  buy  are  the  things  that 
make  a  successful  dinner.  But 
Horace  goes  to  the  root  of  the  mat- 
ter by  asking  who  the  other  guests 
were.  —  quis :  quibus,  interroga- 
tive. The  English  structure  would 
make  cenantibus  the  leading  verb  : 
'but  who  were  dining  there  with 
you,  that  you  should  have  such  a 
good  time  ?  That's  what  I  want 
to  know.' 


20  ff.  The  guests  reclined  on 
couches  on  three  sides  of  the 
table.  The  arrangement  can  be 
understood  from  the  following 
diagram :  — 


i.  Fundanius;  2.  Viscus;  3.  Varius; 
4.  Servilius  Balatro;  5.  Vibidius;  6.  Mae- 
cenas; 7.  Nomentanus;  8.  Nasidienus  Ru- 
fus;  9.  Porcius. 

20.  Summus :  the  three  places 
numbered  i,  4,  and  7  were  the 
sttmini  loci,  in  position,  not  in 
honor,  and  infra  and  super  refer 
to  this  designation. — Viscus:  one 
of  the  brothers  mentioned  in  Sat. 
I,  10,  83,  here  distinguished  by 
the  addition  of  Thnrinus. 


247 


2,  8,  21] 


1IURAT1 


si  memini,  Varius  ;  cum  Servilio  Balatrone 
Vibidius,  quas  Maecenas  adduxerat  umbras; 
Nomentanus  erat  super  ipsum,  Porcius  infra, 
ridiculus  totas  simul  absorbere  placentas  ; 
25      Nomentanus  ad  hoc,  qui,  si  quid  forte  lateret, 
indice  monstraret  digito  :  nam  cetera  turba, 
nos,  inquam,  cenamus  avis,  conchylia,  piscis, 
longe  dissimilem  noto  celantia  sucum, 
ut  vel  continue  patuit,  cum  passeris  atque 


21.  Varius  :  cf.  Sat.  i,  5,  40; 
i,    10,    44.  and    often;    one    of 
Horace's     and     Vergil's     closest 
friends.     There  is  probably  some 
little  joke  in  si  memini. 

22.  Maecenas :   he   was  in  the 
place   of  honor,  the   locus  consu- 
laris,  numbered  6  in  the  diagram. 
—  umbras  :     persons    whom    the 
chief  guest  might  bring  with  him, 
without    special    invitation     from 
the  host.     So  Horace,  inviting  a 
friend,  says  (Epist.  i,  5,  28),  locus 
est  et  plurihus  utnbris.     Men  who 
came  in  such  a  way  would  ordina- 
rily be  of  lower  rank,  and  Servilius 
and  Vibidius  were  evidently  scur- 
rae  (see  note  on  Sat.  2,  3,  229), 
who    were    expected    to    furnish 
entertainment  for  the  others.     In 
fact  all  the  conversation  reported 
(vss.  34,  65  ff.,  80  ff.)  comes  from 
them   or  from   the  host  and  his 
own  scurrae. 

23.  Nomentanus,  Porcius:  two 
parasites   of  the   host.      Nomen- 
tanus is  not  the  spendthrift  men- 
tioned in  other  satires  (r,  i,  102; 
i,  8.  ii  :   2,  i,  22;  2.  3.  175.  224). 


The  name  Porcius  is  coined  from 
porcus ;  cf.  the  next  verse.  —  super 
ipsum :  i.e.  Nasidienus  had  given 
the  host's  place  (no.  7)  to  his 
more  fluent  parasite,  for  the  reason 
given  in  vs.  25. 

24.  totas  simul :  all  at  once. 
Various  kinds  of  buffoonery  like 
this  are  alluded  to  in  Plautus  as 
practiced  by  parasites. 

25  f.  ad  hoc:  also  in  Sat.  2,  i, 
36,  to  introduce  a  clause  of  pur- 
pose.—  lateret:  pass  unnoticed^- 
the  guests.  —  indice  digito :  i.e. 
he  should  not  only  speak  of  it, 
but  also  point  to  it.  —  cetera  turba : 
the  instruction  was  obviously  given 
to  Maecenas  and  the  others  were  a 
mere  turba,  left  for  the  most  part 
uninstructed  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  food  before  them. 

27.  inquam :  not  strengthen- 
ing the  previous  statement,  but 
explaining  it ;  we,  I  mean. 

28  ff.  celantia:  neut.,  agreeing 
with  the  three  nouns  of  different 
gender.  —  noto :  sc.  suco ;  dat. 
after  dissimilem.  —  vel :  /;/  fact. 
—  passeris :  flat-fish ;  the  name 


248 


SK KM ONES 


[2,  8,  3<i 


.30     ingustata  mihi  porrexerat  ilia  rhombi. 

Post  hoc  me  docuit  melimela  rubere  minorem 
ad  lunam  delecta.     Quid  hoc  intersit,  ab  ipso 
audieris  melius.     Turn  Vibidius  Balatroni, 
'  Nos  nisi  damnose  bibimus,  moriemur  inulti ; 

35      et  calices  poscit  maiores.     Vertere  pallor  vi*>n 
turn  parochi  faciem,  nil  sic  metuentis  ut  acris 


of  a  bird  transferred  to  a  fish,  as 
in  '  sea-robin.1  —  ingustata :  ap- 
parently found  only  here;  it  can 
mean  either  untasted,  i.e.  'which 
I  did  not  taste,'  or  untasted  hith- 
erto, '  of  such  a  flavor  as  I  had 
never  known  before.'  —  prorrex- 
erat :  the  subject  is  Nasidienus. 
—  ilia :  the  roe.  —  The  sense  is  : 
'  Nomentanus  explained  the  excel- 
lence of  the  dishes  to  Maecenas 
only,  for  the  rest  of  us  were  of  no 
importance  (titrba)  and  ate  all 
sorts  of  things  without  knowing 
what  was  fish,  flesh,  or  fowl ;  for 
the  ordinary  taste  was  covered  up 
by  some  extraordinary  sauce.  I 
in  fact  made  a  mistake  at  the  out- 
set by  failing  to  recognize  some' 
fish-roe  which  my  host  had  passed 
to  me  and  which  had  a  taste  that 
I  had  never  known  before.' 

31.  melimela  rubere :  'that  the 
honey-apples  were  red  because 
they  were  picked  .  .  .'  —  mino- 
rem: the  waning  moon.  This 
verse  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
preceding,  but  is  a  bit  of  esoteric 
wisdom  which  the  epicure  oblig- 
ingly imparted  (docuit)  to  his 
ignorant  guest.  Cf.  vs.  6  f.  This 


is  exactly  in  the  ironical  manner 
of  Sat.  2,  4. 

32  f .  ab  ipso :  i.e.  ( you  will 
have  to  ask  him ;  /  don't  pre- 
tend to  know.'  —  audieris:  the 
potential  with  a  comparative,  as 
often. 

34.  damnose :  i.e.  to  the  ruin 
of  the  host;  'drink  him  bank- 
rupt.'—  moriemur  inulti:  this  is 
the  cry  of  the  epic  hero  facing 
death ;  so  Hector,  //.  22,  304  f., 
pr)  pay  a<nrov8(  ye  KOL  OKAeiois 
a.Tro\oifj.T]v,  i  a\\a  p.tya  pefaori,  and 
Aeneas,  Aen.  2.  670,  niimquam 
omnes  hodie  moriemur  inulti. 

35  ff.  Vertere  pallor  .  .  .  fac- 
iem :  i.e.  '  he  turned  pale,'  but  the 
expression  is  somewhat  odd ;  not 
the  same  as  Epod.  4,  9  ff.  —  paro- 
chi; our  steward,  our  caterer ;  with 
some  contempt.  Cf.  for  the  use 
of  the  word  in  its  ordinary  sense. 
Sat.  i,  5,46. — vel  quod  .  .  .  vel 
quod :  there  is  no  reason  whatever 
for  looking  behind  these  perfectly 
good  explanations  to  discover  some 
discreditable  motive,  like  stingi- 
ness. Vss.  41  and  81  are  per- 
fectly consistent  with  these  lines 
taken  in  their  simple  sense.  - 


249 


2,  S,  37] 


HORATI 


potores,  vel  quod  male  dicunt  liberius  vel 
fervida  quod  subtile  exsurdant  vina  palatum. 
Invertunt  Allifanis  vinaria  tota 

40      Vibidius  Balatroque,  secutis  omnibus ;  imi 
convivae  lecti  nihilum  nocuere  lagenis. 

Affertur  squillas  inter  murena  natantis 
in  patina  porrecta.    Sub  hoc  erus  '  Haec  gravida,'  inquit, 
'  capta  est,  deterior  post  partum  carne  f utura. 

45      His  mixtum  ius  est :  oleo  quod  prima  Venafri 
pressit  cella  ;  garo  de  sucis  piscis  Hiberi ; 
vino  quinquenni,  verum  citra  mare  nato, 
dum  coquitur  —  cocto  Chium  sic  convenit,  ut  non 
hoc  magis  ullum  aliud ;  —  pipere  albo,  non  sine  aceto, 


male  dicunt :  as  in  Sat.  i,  4,  86  ff. 

—  exsurdant :   the  real  epicure  is 
especially   anxious   that   his    fine 
cookery   should  be  properly   ap- 
preciated. 

39.    Allifanis :        large       cups, ' 
named  from  the  town  of  Allifae. 

—  vinaria :  jugs ;  we  should  say 
'  bottles,'  '  decanters.' 

40  f.  imi  .  .  .  lecti :  the  three 
couches  were  called  summus  (nos. 
i,  2,  3  on  the  diagram),  medius 
(nos.  4,  5,  6),  and  imus.  The 
two  parasites  of  the  host  of  course 
followed  his  wish  and  drank  little. 

—  nihilum  nocuere  :  the  same  idea 
is  in  the   English    'to  spare  the 
bottle.' 

42  f .  The  Roman  cooks  sought 
to  produce  odd  or  realistic  effects 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  food  on 
the  platter.  —  Sub  hoc  :  at  this,  as 
this  appeared. 


44.  futura:  for  it  would  be. 
This  piece  of  epicure's  wisdom  is 
accepted  by  commentators  as 
sound  and  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge ;  it  may  be  so. 

45  ff.  His:  'the  following  in- 
gredients.' The  other  ablatives 

—  oleo,  garo,  vino,  pipere  —  are 
appositives  of  his.  —  Venafri :  the 
olives    of   Venafrum    were    con- 
sidered  especially  good   and   the 
oil  which  came  from  the  first  press- 
ing was  better  than  that  extracted 
later.  —  garo  :    something  like  ca- 
viare. —  piscis  Hiberi :   mackerel. 

—  citra  mare:  Italian;  the  phrase 
is  a  little  too  fine  to  be  used  of 
wine.    Cf.  Sat.   i,   10,  31.  —  dum 
coquitur  :    while  it   is   cooking.  — 
cocto :    after  it  is  cooked  Chian 
wine  is  exactly  the  right  thing  to 
pour  in ;  here  also  the  wisdom  is 
clothed  in  fine  language. 


250 


SERMON ES 


[2,  8,  62 


50      quod  Methymnaeam  vitio  mutaverit  uvam. 
Erucas  viridis,  inulas  ego  primus  amaras 
monstravi  incoquere  ;  inlutos  Curtillus  echinos, 
ut  melius  nuiria  quod  testa  marina  remittat.' 
Interea  suspensa  gravis  aulaea  ruinas 

55      in  patinam  fecere,  trahentia  pulveris  atri 

quantum  non  Aquilo  Campanis  excitat  agris. 
Nos  mains  veriti,  postquam  nihil  esse  pericli 
sensimus,  erigimur  :  Rufus  posito  capita,  ut  si 
films  immaturus  obisset,  flere.     Quis  esset 

60      finis,  ni  sapiens  sic  Nomentanus  amicum 

tolleret :  '  Heu,  Fortuna,  quis  est  crudelior  in  nos 
te  deus  ?     Vt  semper  gaudes  illudere  rebus 


50.  The  sense  is  almost  hidden 
under  the  poetic  expression  ;  '  vine- 
gar made  by  fermentation  (vitio) 
of  the  Methymnaean  cluster,'  i.e. 
from  Lesbian  wine. 

51  ff.  A  little  claim  to  original 
research  by  Nasidienus — he  had 
discovered  the  good  effect  of  boil- 
ing green  rockets  and  bitter  ele- 
campane into  the  sauce  —  with 
a  generous  acknowledgment  of 
the  investigations  of  a  certain  Cur- 
tillus, who  had  observed  that  if 
sea-urchins  are  not  washed  in  fresh 
water  be  fore  boiling,  the  brine  from 
their  shells  is  better  than  the  ordi- 
nary brine.  The  construction  in 
vs.  53  is  ut  (id)  quod  marina  testa 
(the  shell  of  the  sea-urchin)  re- 
mittat melius  (est)  muria.  Cf. 
89,  note. 

54  ff.  While  Nasidienus  was 
speaking,  the  canopy  which  hung 


from  the  ceiling  suddenly  fell  upon 
the  table,  destroying  the  valuable 
sauce  and  covering  the  guests  with 
dust.  —  Campanis :  the  level  lands 
of  Campania  were  especially  dusty 
in  the  dry  season. 

57.  maius :  the  fall  of  the  ceil- 
ing itself.  —  veriti :   make  this  a 
leading  verb  in  the  translation. 

58.  erigimur:    like    a    middle 
voice  and  in  a  literal  sense,  'we 
lifted  up  our  heads,'  to  contrast 
with  posito  capite.  —  Rufus :    i.e. 
Nasidienus.  —  posito  capite:    this 
also  should  be  a  leading  verb  in 
the  English  ;  '  put  down  his  head 
and  wept.1 

59  f.  Quis  .  .  .  finis:  'what 
would  have  ended  it  ? '  i.e.  '  he 
would  be  crying  still,  had  not 
Nomentanus  .  .  .'  —  sapiens :  like 
a  philosopher,  with  the  philosophic 
remarks  which  follow. 


251 


2,  8,  63] 


HOKATI 


humanis  ! '     Varius  mappa  compescere  risum 
vix  poterat.     Balatro  sospendens  omnia  naso, 

65      '  Haec  est  condicio  vivendi,'  aiebat,  'eoque 
responsura  tuo  numquam  est  par  fama  labori. 
Tene,  ut  ego  accipiar  laute,  torquerier  omni 
sollicitudine  districtum,  ne  panis  adustus, 
ne  male  conditum  ius  apponatur,  ut  omnes 

70      praecincti  recte  pueri  comptique  ministrent ! 
Adde  hos  praeterea  casus,  aulaea  ruant  si, 
ut  modo,  si  patinam  pede  lapsus  frangat  agaso. 
Sed  convivatoris,  uti  ducis,  ingenium  res 
adversae  nudare  so  lent,  celare  secundae.' 

75      Nasidienus  ad  haec:  'Tibi  di  quaecumque  preceris 
commoda  dent !     Ita  vir  bonus  es  convivaque  comis 


63.  Varius  :  a  little  joke  at  the 
expense  of  a  good  friend,  possibly 
with  some  special  point  to  it  which 
their  common  friends  would  see. 

64.  suspendens  .  .   .   naso :    cf. 
Sat.  i,  6,  5,  naso  snspendis  adunco, 
and  note.     Greenough  translates, 
always  a  scornful  cynic.     He  felt 
himself  to  be  a  great  man's  attend- 
ant. 

65.  eo :  for  that  reason,  because 
we  are  all  subject  to  the  chances 
of  life. 

67  ff.  A  distinct  reminiscence, 
both  in  structure  and  in  substance, 
of  the  parasite's  speech  in  Terence, 
Phorm.  339  ff.,  to  which  there  is  a 
reference  also  in  cena  dubia,  Sat. 
2,  2,  77.  —  ego:  ironical,  since 
Balatro  had  come  merely  as  Mae- 
cenas' umbra.  —  laute  :  colloquial ; 
handsomely.  —  male  conditum  ius  : 


with  reference  to  the  sauce  which 
Nasidienus  had  just  been  describ- 
ing. —  compti :  the  dressing  of  the 
hair  of  the  young  slaves  who  waited 
on  the  table  was  attended  to  as 
carefully  as  their  attire. 

71  f.  Adde  .  .  .  praeterea:  'and 
on  the  top  of  it  all  come  such  mis 
fortunes  as  these.'  —  ut  modo  :  as 
happened  just  now,  to  distinguish 
the  actual  occurrence  from  the 
imagined  mishap  of  a  fallen  plat- 
ter. —  agaso  :  i.e.  some  clumsy 
slave,  no  better  than  a  stable-boy. 

73  f.  uti  ducis :  a  flattering 
comparison  ;  '  the  giver  of  a  dinner 
is  like  a  general.'  —  nudare  :  dis- 
close, reveal  his  powers. 

75  f.  Tibidi .  .  .dent:  a  common 
kind  of  wish,  often  used  in  greet- 
ings;  Plaut.  M.  G.  1038,  di  tibi 
dent  (juacqitomqite  optes.  and  cf. 


252 


SKKMONES 


[2,  8,  85 


et  soleas  poscit.     Turn  in  lecto  quoque  videres 
stridere  secreta  divisos  aure  susurros. 

Hor.    Nullos  his  mallem  ludos  spectasse  ;  sed  ilia 

80      redde,  age,  quae  deinceps  risisti.    Fund.  Vibidius  dum 
quaerit  de  pueris,  num  sit  quoque  fracta  lagena, 
quod  sibi  poscenti  non  dantur  pocula,  dumque 
ridetur  fictis  rerum  Balatrone  secundo, 
Nasidiene,  redis  mutatae  frontis,  ut  arte 

85      emendaturus  fortunam  ;  deinde  secuti 

Sat.  I,  9,   5,  citpio  omnia   quae      story  and  introduces  the  conclu- 


vts.  It  is  like  'God  bless  you  !' 
Nasidienus  takes  the  ill-bred  irony 
of  Balatro  quite  seriously  and 
simply,  showing  in  fact  better 
manners  than  some  of  his  guests. 

77.  soleas    poscit :      the     light 
Shoes  ordinarily  worn  in  the  house 
were   removed  when    the    guests 
took  their  places,  and  to  ask  for 
them  was  to  express  a  desire  to 
rise  from  the  table.     Nasidienus, 
encouraged  by  what  the  two  para- 
sites had  said,  prepares  to  go  on 
with  the  feast  and  gets  up  in  order 
to  have  the  damage  repaired  and 
the    other  dishes   brought  in.  — 
Turn :  when  he  had  gone  out  to 
give   his  orders.  —  quoque:    from 
qtiisqiie.  — videres  :  yon  might  see; 
indefinite  2d  pers.  with  potential 
meaning,  as  often ;    cf.  Sat.  i,  5, 
76. 

78.  divisos :    first  to  one  side, 
then  to  the  other.     The  allitera- 
tion with  s  imitates  the  sound  of 
whispering. 

79  f.      The     interruption     by 
Horace  marks  the  end  of  the  main 


sion,  giving  the  effect  of  dialogue. 
Cf.  the  similar  and  rather  more 
skilful  dialogue  in  Sat.  2,  3,  300- 
307,  followed  by  the  speech  of 
Damasippus,  307-323.  —  Nullos 
.  .  .  ludos :  '  I'd  rather  have  seen 
this  than  any  games.'  Greenough 
compares  the  English  'as  good  as 
a  play.'  —  quae  deinceps  :  '  what 
you  found  next  to  laugh  at.' 

81  f .  quoque  :  with  sit  fracta  ; 
he  asked  whether  there  was  an- 
other breakage,  of  the  wine-jugs 
as  well  as  of  the  aulaea.  —  quod  : 
that.  —  pocula  :  the  wine,  not  the 
cups.  In  the  confusion  the  slaves 
had  forgotten  to  keep  the  cups 
filled. 

83.  fictis  rerum :  they  invented 
jokes  to  cover  their  laughter  at 
the  fall  of  the  canopy  and  the 
simplicity  of  the  host.  Cf.  i>anis 
rerum,  Sat.  2,  2,  25.  —  secundo: 
playing  second  to  Vibidius,  who 
led  the  pretended  jesting. 

84  f.  Nasidiene  :  the  vocative 
and  the  phrase  arte  entendatnrns 
are  parodies  of  the  epic  style. 


253 


2,  8,  86] 


HORATI 


mazonomo  pueri  magno  discerpta  ferentes 
membra  gruis  sparsi  sale  multo,  non  sine  farre, 
pinguibus  et  ficis  pastum  iecur  anseris  albae, 
et  leporum  avolsos,  ut  multo  suavius,  armos, 

90      quam  si  cum  lumbis  quis  edit.     Turn  pectore  adusto 
vidimus  et  merulas  poni  et  sine  chine  palumbes, 
suavis  res,  si  non  causas  narraret  earum  et 
naturas  dominus  ;  quern  nos  sic  fugimus  ulti, 
ut  nihil  omnino  gustaremus,  velut  illis 

95      Canidia  afflasset  peior  serpentibus  Afris. 


86.  mazonomo :  properly  a  plat- 
ter for  bread,  here  put  to  a  different 
use  as  a  novelty  in  table-service. 
—  discerpta  :  already  carved  ;  the 
custom  was  to  serve  fowls  and 
game  whole  and  have  them  carved 
on  the  table  by  a  specially  trained 
slave. 

87  f.  gruis :  here  masc.,  though 
commonly  fern.,  as  anser,  com- 
monly masc.,  is  here  made  fern. 
The  gender  of  such  words  is 
grammatical  and  somewhat  shift- 
ing, but  apparently  the  unusual 
gender  is  chosen  to  indicate  sex, 
as  though  the  epicure  could  tell 
the  sex  by  the  taste.  —  albae  : 
used  in  the  same  way,  to  ridicule 
the  epicure's  claim  to  delicacy  of 
palate.  —  iecur:  a  kind  of  ptitt  de 
foie  gras.  And  the  white  goose 
must  have  been  fed  upon  ripe  figs. 

89.  avolsos,  ut  suavius  :  an  exact 
parallel  to  inhitos  ut  inelius,  vss. 
52  f. ;  but  the  order  lu-re  expresses 
the  sense  better.  The  doctrine 


that  in  this  case  the  shoulders 
should  be  torn  off,  not  cut.  is  like 
the  notion  that  a  pear  should 
never  be  cut,  a  pure  fantasy. 

90  ff.  edit:  pres.  subjv.,  the 
older  optative  form,  for  the  most 
part  displaced  by  the  regular  subjv. 
edat.  —  The  peculiarity  of  the 
dishes  is  in  pectore  adusto '  with  the 
breasts  broiled'  and  sine  chine, 
'without  the  rump.1  —  suavis  res: 
'very  good  eating,  if  only  .  .  .' 
—  causas  .  .  .  et  naturas:  philo- 
sophical terms ;  Nasidienus  dis- 
coursed about  his  dishes  as  a 
philosopher  might  de  rernm 
natura. 

93.  sic :  with  ;////,  anticipating 
ut ;  '  taking  our  revenge  for  his  talk 
by  not  eating  any  more  of  his  food.1 

95.  Canidia :  often  mentioned 
as  a  sorceress  and  poisoner  and 
directly  attacked  in  Sat.  I,  8  and 
Epod.  5  and  17.  This  personal 
stroke  at  the  end  is  like  Sat.  i,  i, 
120  f. ;  i,  2,  134. 


254 


HORACE 


THE    EPISTLES 


WITH    INTRODUCTION   AND   NOTES 
BY 

EDWARD   P.    MORRIS 

PROFESSOR    OK    LATIN    IN    YALE   COLLEGE 


NKW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY 
EDWARD   P.  MORRIS  AND  MORRIS  H.   MORGAN, 

ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL,  LONDON. 


MORRIS.       HORACE,    EPISTLES 


PREFACE 

IT  has  been  taken  for  granted  in  the  preparation  of 
this  edition  that  the  Epistles  are  not  read  until  after  the 
Satires  and  perhaps  after  the  Odes,  and  parallels  in  the 
earlier  poems  have  been  rather  freely  used  for  illustra- 
tion. In  other  respects  the  commentary  is  like  that  upon 
the  Satires,  and  is  intended  to  direct  the  attention  of  the 
reader  both  to  the  artistic  structure  of  the  Epistles  and  to 
the  body  of  ideas  which  Horace  was  endeavoring  to  ex- 
press in  them.  I  have  tried  to  remember  that  the  student, 
learning  his  lessons,  is  in  reality  a  reader. 

E.  P.   MORRIS. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  Epistles  were  written,  with  perhaps  a  single  exception, 
between  23  B.C.  and  17.  No  event  of  Horace's  life  during  this 
period  is  on  record,  but  from  occasional  references  in  his  writ- 
ings it  is  to  be  seen  that  he  was  at  this  time  living  a  quiet  life, 
partly  in  Rome,  more  often  on  his  farm,  and  sometimes  in  the 
winter  months  at  Baiae  or  in  Southern  Italy.  His  circle  of 
friends  was  large  and  included  many  men  of  high  character  and 
position,  both  in  literature  and  in  public  life.  But  it  was  already 
a  narrowing  circle.  Men  of  the  earlier  generation,  whom  he 
had  known  when  he  was  a  young  man,  were  passing  off  the 
stage  and,  of  his  contemporaries,  Quintilius  Varus  had  died  in 
23,  Vergil  died  in  19,  and  Varius  not  long  after.  He  was 
already,  at  a  little  more  than  forty,  feeling  himself  to  be  a  rep- 
resentative of  an  older  generation.  On  the  other  hand,  as  the 
letters  show,  he  was  on  terms  of  friendly  intercourse  with  the 
younger  men  of  all  sets,  and  he  seems,  indeed,  to  have  made 
a  deliberate  effort  to  cultivate  and  maintain  such  relations.  His 
own  position  in  literature  was  assured.  There  is  evidence, 
it  is  true,  that  he  was  not  beyond  the  reach  of  criticism ;  the 
tone  of  Epist.  i,  19  shows  that;  and  it  is  possible  that  the  first 
reception  of  the  Odes  had  been  less  favorable  than  he  had 
hoped  it  would  be.  Undoubtedly,  also,  the  school  of  the  docti, 
the  poets  and  critics  who  preferred  the  more  ornate  manner 
of  the  Alexandrian  literature,  was  at  this  time  strong  in  popular 
favor.  But,  with  all  allowance  for  the  difference  between  con- 
temporary judgments  and  the  judgment  of  posterity,  it  is  quite 

7 


INTRODUCTION 

certain  that  Horace  was,  at  the  time  when  the  Epistles  were 
written,  a  leader,  perhaps  a  sort  of  dean  of  letters,  among 
Roman  writers. 

The  course  of  his  life  as  an  artist  up  to  the  year  23  B.C.  is 
clearly  revealed  in  his  writings.  He  had  begun  by  writing 
satires  in  the  general  form  set  by  Lucilius,  but  finding  this  in 
several  ways  unsuited  to  his  temperament  and  recognizing  its 
artistic  limitations,  he  had  made  such  modifications  in  it  as  to 
amount  to  the  creation,  or  perhaps  the  crystallization,  of  a  new 
literary  form,  the  sfrmo,  the  '  talk '  on  life  and  art.  These 
modifications  were  carried  still  further  in  the  Second  Book  of 
the  Satires ;  the  dialogue,  which  in  the  earlier  book  is  only  half 
recognized,  becomes  in  the  Second  Book  the  framework  of  the 
sermo,  and  is  worked  out  in  the  different  satires  with  very  great 
care.  During  the  same  period,  before  30  B.C.,  Horace  was  also 
making  his  first  attempts  in  lyric  poetry.  For  this  he  chose 
the  somewhat  restricted  field  of  iambi,  that  is,  of  the  form  that 
had  been  fixed  by  Archilochus,  in  which  the  iambic  couplet  was 
used  to  express  a  more  emotional  satire  than  could  be  expressed 
in  hexameters.  He  did  not,  however,  remain  long  content  with 
this  simple  form  ;  it  was  only  the  bridge  that  carried  him  over 
from  satire  to  the  more  complex  lyric. 

The  Odes,  of  which  three  books  were  published  as  a  com- 
pleted whole  in  23,  represent  a  second  and  quite  distinct  stage 
in  Horace's  artistic  development.  In  them  he  did  not  consider 
that  he  was  creating  a  new  art  form,  but  only  that  he  was  intro- 
ducing into  Latin  literature  a  form  which  had  not  before  been 
used  there,  the  lyric  form  of  Alcaeus  and  Sappho.  We  have 
too  little  of  the  Greek  lyric  poetry  to  be  able  to  judge  in  detail 
of  the  closeness  with  which  he  followed  his  models,  and  it 
would  perhaps  not  be  correct  to  claim  for  him  more  than  he 
claimed  for  himself.  Vet  it  is  probable  enough  that,  as  he 
became  master  of  this  new  form  and  learned  to  use  it  freely 
for  his  own  purposes,  he  did  with  it  what  Vergil  had  done  with 

8 


INTRODUCTION 

the  idylls  of  Theocritus,  that  is,  employed  it  for  purposes 
different  from  those  for  which  it  was  used  by  its  originators. 
The  connected  group  of  Alcaic  odes  which  stand  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Third  Book  would  then  represent  a  modification 
in  use  like  that  which  is  represented  in  Vergil's  Fourth  Eclogue. 
Such  an  adaptation  of  the  Alcaic  stanza  to  new  uses  is  in  fact 
a  modification  and  development  of  the  artistic  form,  less  in 
amount  than  Horace  had  undertaken  in  the  development  of 
the  Lucilian  satire,  but  similar  in  kind  and  revealing  the  same 
underlying  artistic  purpose. 

Horace's  career,  then,  as  an  artist,  had  been,  up  to  the  year 
23  B.C.,  that  of  a  man  whose  interest  had  been  in  the  shaping 
of  given  poetic  forms  to  new  uses.  In  satire  the  modifications 
had  been  deliberate  and  of  considerable  effect,  so  that  he  was 
in  this  field  almost  a  creator ;  in  lyric  poetry  the  adaptations 
had  been  of  narrower  scope,  yet  not  without  influence  upon  the 
poetic  form.  He  was  now  to  take  up  a  third  form  of  literature, 
the  Epistle. 

The  history  of  the  epistle  as  a  literary  form  is  not  yet  wholly 
clear.  In  early  Latin  literature  it  was  used  chiefly  for  practical 
ends.  Cato  published  letters  addressed  to  his  son,  probably 
of  a  didactic  character,  and  there  existed  in  Cicero's  time  a 
collection  of  letters  by  Cornelia  to  her  sons,  the  Gracchi. 
Cicero's  own  letters  have  come  down  to  us,  a  most  interesting 
collection,  but  they  are  real  letters  and  can  have  been  only 
in  an  incidental  way  models  for  Horace.  In  verse  the  historical 
sequence  is  even  less  clear.  The  custom  of  dedicating  a  poem 
to  an  individual  by  a  direct  address,  as  Horace  inscribes  his 
first  satire  to  Maecenas,  is  an  approach  to  the  epistolary  form  ; 
no  distinct  line  can  be  seen  between  the  manner  in  which  Lucre- 
tius addresses  Memmius  at  intervals  in  the  de  Remm  Natitra 
and  the  occasional  address  to  the  Pisones  in  the  Ars  Poetica. 
Some  of  the  poems  of  Catullus  are  epistolary  in  form  and  even 
in  substance.  But  from  these  scattered  approximations  to  the 

9 


INTRODUCTION 

epistolary  type  we  are  not  able  to  form  an  accurate  conception 
of  any  models  that  Horace  may  have  had  before  him  or  even 
to  be  sure  that  he  had  such  models  at  all. 

The  artistic  problem,  however,  is  clear.  It  was  to  unite  two 
elements,  the  personal  and  the  public,  into  a  harmonious  whole, 
that  is,  to  preserve  a  measure  of  personality  and  individuality 
and  a  certain  degree  of  spontaneity,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
introduce  a  considerable  element  of  a  kind  that  would  be  inter- 
esting to  the  general  reader.  The  two  are  to  some  extent 
antagonistic.  The  easy  confidence  which  characterizes  the  best 
private  letters  is  so  delicate  that  it  almost  surely  disappears 
if  it  is  known  to  the  writer  that  the  letter  is  to  be  read  by  others 
than  the  person  addressed.  Yet  if  this  disappears  entirely,  the 
epistle  is  a  letter  only  in  form.  In  the  solution  of  this  problem, 
Horace  has  gone  from  one  side  to  the  other,  as  circumstances 
led  him,  allowing  first  one,  then  the  other,  element  to  predomi- 
nate. The  invitation  to  dinner  (1,5)  addressed  to  Torquatus 
is  so  personal  and  natural  that  this  may  well  have  been  a  real 
letter  for  a  real  purpose,  put  into  verse  form  for  the  mere  pleas- 
ure of  the  writer  and  for  the  compliment  which  it  paid  to  the 
recipient.  The  same  thing  is  true  of  i,  9,  introducing  Septimius 
to  Tiberius.  One  of  the  three  Epistles  to  Maecenas  (i,  7)  is 
extremely  personal,  both  to  the  writer  and  to  the  recipient,  so 
much  so  that  it  seems  almost  too  confidential  for  publication, 
yet  it  contains  some  of  Horace's  best  stories  and  is  in  parts  not 
distinguishable  from  Sat.  j,  6.  In  others,  1,3;  i,  n  ;  i,  12; 
i,  15,  the  situation  of  the  recipient  or  the  writer  is  made  the 
occasion  for  comments  equally  interesting  to  the  general  public  ; 
in  i,  3  this  has  been  done  with  special  success,  and  the  two 
elements  are  so  harmoniously  blended  that  it  is  impossible  to 
tell  whether  this  is  really  a  letter,  sent  as  is  implied,  or  an 
Epistle  written  on  the  model  of  a  personal  letter.  At  the  other 
extreme,  i,  16  opens  with  a  description  of  the  farm,  but  runs 
off  into  a  poem  which  has  nothing  of  the  tone  of  a  letter  in  it, 

10 


INTRODUCTION 

while  1,2  is  a  letter  chiefly  by  virtue  of  the  address  'and  the 
closing  lines,  and  i,  6  is  not  a  letter  at  all,  but  a  sermo  on 
philosophy  addressed  to  an  individual.  To  the  skillful  mingling 
of  these  two  elements,  the  personal  and  the  public,  Horace  has 
plainly  devoted  much  thought,  shaping  the  Epistle  into  a 
literary  form,  as  he  had  shaped  the  dialogue-satire,  and  per- 
haps extending  its  range,  as  he  had  extended  the  range  of  the 
Alcaic  stanza. 

All  this,  however,  applies  chiefly  to  the  First  Book.  In  the 
Second  Book  there  is  less  attempt  to  preserve  the  epistolary 
form.  The  Ars  Poetica  has  scarcely  anything  but  the  address 
to  remind  the  reader  that  it  is  an  Epistle.  In  2,  2  the  fiction 
of  excusing  himself  from  further  writing  of  lyrics  is  used  by 
Horace  to  furnish  a  framework  for  the  thought  through  the 
first  half,  but  the  latter  part  is  quite  impersonal.  The  letter 
to  Augustus  (2,  i)  is  inevitably  formal,  but  the  consciousness 
that  it  is  addressed  to  one  who  had  it  in  his  power  to  influence 
the  trend  of  literary  taste  is  present  through  the  whole  and  influ- 
ences the  thought. 

It  is  not  to  be  thought,  however,  that  Horace's  attention  was 
given  wholly  to  the  form  of  his  writings.  He  was  primarily 
an  artist  in  words  and  phrases  and  forms  of  expression,  but  he 
had  also  something  to  say.  In  the  First  Epistle  he  announces 
the  subject  of  the  new  collection  ;  he  has  given  up  lyric  poetry 
and  is  to  devote  himself  hereafter  to  philosophy,  not,  indeed, 
the  philosophy  of  a  sect,  but  the  philosophy  of  life.  This 
announcement  fairly  describes  the  subject-matter  or  the  point 
of  view  of  the  book.  A  few  of  the  Epistles  (i,  5  ;  i,  9;  i,  13) 
make  no  reference  to  it;  in  others  (1,2;  1,4;  i,  6  ;  i,  16)  it  is 
the  staple  of  the  Epistle ;  in  several,  including  some  of  the  best 
(1,3;  1,8;  i ,  1 1  ;  1,12;  i ,  1 5),  it  is  not  quite  the  subject,  but 
is  the  conclusion,  as  if  to  show  how  in  the  writer's  mind  all 
things  lead  back  to  the  large  philosophy  of  life.  But  Horace 
was  not  by  temper  or  habit  a  student  or  what  is  called  a  pro- 

ii 


INTRODUCTION 

found  thinker.  He  was  a  man  who  had  seen  much  of  life  on 
various  sides,  had  observed  many  men  and  had  given  serious 
thought  to  their  conduct  and  his  own.  Out  of  this  experience 
and  consideration,  he  had  come  to  certain  conclusions  which 
he  had  formulated  into  what  we  call,  loosely,  a  philosophy  of 
life.  It  was  not,  of  course,  a  philosophy  of  the  schools ;  it  did 
not  concern  itself  with  questions  of  natural  or  physical  science 
or  with  the  nature  of  knowledge,  and,  though  it  was  ethical,  it 
did  not  involve  the  fundamental  problems  of  ethics.  But  it  had 
this  in  common  with  ethical  philosophy,  that  it  was  based  upon 
a  real  comprehension  of  vital  interests  and  that  it  was  to  Horace 
a  true  and  determining  principle  of  life.  In  this  sense  he  was 
justified  in  regarding  himself  as  a  philosopher  and  in  feeling 
it  to  be  his  right  and  his  duty  to  summon  other  men  to  accept 
his  doctrine.  He  is  thus,  as  indeed  he  had  been  in  the  earlier 
days  of  the  Satires,  a  preacher,  uttering  his  doctrine  with  con- 
viction and  seriousness.  Perhaps  it  should  rather  be  said  that 
he  was  at  once  preacher  and  artist.  The  variety  of  setting  and 
of  personalities  which  a  collection  of  letters  involves  afforded 
him  an  opportunity  to  set  forth  his  philosophy  with  variety, 
as  a  climax  and  a  final  answer  to  all  troubles  and  queries  and 
situations. 

The  subject  of  the  Second  Book  is  literature ;  the  three  long 
letters  consist  of  comments  on  the  prevailing  tendencies  of 
literature  in  Rome.  In  this  comment  some  two  or  three  ele- 
ments are  combined.  Horace  had  read,  though  perhaps  not 
very  deeply  or  widely,  the  treatises  on  rhetoric  and  on  the 
history  of  literature,  and  he  made  considerable  use  of  the  knowl- 
edge thus  acquired.  Much  of  this,  however,  must  be  recognized 
as  conventional  and  traditional,  without  any  very  real  connection 
with  the  condition  of  things  in  Rome.  Especially  the  history 
of  literature,  of  the  drama  or  the  satura,  or  the  origins  of  certain 
poetic  forms,  which  was  once  accepted  as  authoritative,  must 
not  be  taken  seriously.  Horace  had  no  access  to  real  sources, 

12 


INTRODUCTION 

for  example,  of  the  early  Latin  literature ;  no  such  sources  ex- 
isted. This  element  in  his  writings  has  no  great  value  or  inter- 
est. A  second  element  has  more  life  in  it ;  in  so  far  as  his 
comments  reveal  the  tendencies  of  contemporary  literature,  they 
have  real  value.  The  extant  remains  of  the  literature  of  the 
Augustan  Age,  even  though  they  include  so  much,  are  but 
scanty  in* amount  compared  with  the  writings  of  all  kinds  that 
were  published  in  that  period,  and  all  the  glimpses  that  we  get 
in  Horace  of  the  work  of  younger  men  or  of  minor  writers 
enable  us  to  understand  better  the  literature  that  has  survived. 
A  third  element  is  the  most  important  of  all;  it  is  the  personal 
judgment  which  Horace  expresses.  For  the  work  of  the  critic 
he  was  all  the  better  qualified  because  his  own  work  was  not 
inspired,  but  was  the  result  of  a  conscious  process.  He  had 
thought  much  of  the  choice  of  words,  of  the  combination  of 
phrases,  of  the  enlargement  of  vocabulary,  and  all  that  he  says 
on  such  things  is  weighty  with  authority.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  of  experiences  is  to  hear  a  good  craftsman  speak  of 
the  art  that  he  practices.  It  is  this  which  makes  Cicero's 
Brutus  and  Orator  interesting ;  Horace's  presentation  is  more 
indirect  than  Cicero's  and  less  systematic,  but  it  has  the  same 
essential  quality  of  authority. 

It  is  not  always  possible  to  distinguish  these  three  elements, 
the  traditional,  the  contemporary,  and  the  personal,  but  so  far 
as  it  is  possible  it  throws  much  light  upon  the  meaning  of  these 
Epistles.  Thus  it  is  probable  that  the  great  space  given  to  the 
drama  has  nothing  to  do  with  Horace's  own  interest ;  it  may 
be  due  to  some  transient  public  interest,  but  it  is  probably  a 
tradition  from  the  books  of  rhetoric.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  discussion  of  the  satyric  drama  is  to  be 
explained  by  a  revived  interest  in  mimes  and  farces.  But 
much  of  the  general  discussion  of  poetry",  the  injunctions  to  fre- 
quent revision,  the  constant  reference  to  Greek  models,  comes 
from  Horace  himself  and  constitutes  the  most  attractive  element 

'3 


INTRODUCTION 

in  these  writings.  For  behind  the  artist  and  critic  the  Epistles 
reveal  to  us  a  man  of  most  human  temper  and  judgment,  at  once 
shrewd  and  mellow,  by  turns  an  observer  of  men  and  a  lover 
of  retirement.  To  turn  back  after  reading  the  latest  of  these 
letters,  Epist.  2,  i,  and  reread  Sat.  i,  7  and  i,  8,  is  to  see  what 
some  twenty  years  of  life  had  done  for  Horace. 


Q.    HORATI    FLACCI 

E  P  I  S  T  V  L  A  E 

LIBER  PRIMVS 


The  date  of  this  Epistle  is  not  fixed  by  any  definite  allusion  in  the 
text.  It  is.  however,  clearly  introductory  to  the  book  and  was  therefore 
written  after  the  others,  at  about  the  same  date  as  Epist.  20,  in  the 
year  20  B.C.  This  was  three  years  after  the  publication  of  the  first 
three  books  of  the  Odes  ;  the  writer  was  nearly  forty-five  years  old. 

•  My  dear  Maecenas,  you  are  proposing  that  I  should  go  back  to  my 
verse  writing.  I  must  decline  the  invitation  ;  I  have  won  my  discharge 
and  am  through  with  the  follies  of  youth.  Philosophy  is  now  my  only 
interest.  "What  school  ?"  you  "ask.  My  own  school  ;  sometimes  I 
rise  to  Stoic  heights,  and  then,  before  I  know  it,  I  am  a  follower  of  Ans- 
tippus.  But,  school  or  no  school,  I  am  impatient  of  delay.  For  even 
the  rudiments  of  philosophy  have  their  value  ;  they  will  cure  our  ava- 
rice, our  ambition,  our  laziness.  And  to  get  rid  of  our  faults  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom.  See  what  pains  men  take  to  satisfy  their  desires, 
when  half  the  labor  would  rid  them  of  the  desire  itself.  But  all  the 
Roman  world  is  money-mad  and  careless,  in  its  madness,  of  the  higher 
claim  of  character. 

'  I  know  that  I  am  setting  myself  against  the  common  judgment,  but 
the  common  judgment  is  both  inconsistent  and  inconstant.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  ludicrous  exhibition  of  whims  and  contradictions.  You  laugh  at 
it  yourself,  as  you  laugh,  rightly  enough,  at  my  carelessness  in  dress. 
But  don't  you  see  that  carelessness  in  regard  to  the  principles  of  life  is 
much  worse  ?  This  is  the  very  thing  that  I  am  trying  to  cure  by  the 
study  of  philosophy.  I  tell  you.  philosophy  is  a  cure  for  everything  — 
except  influenza.1 

This  introductory  epistle  has  two  objects,  which  are  not  distinctly 
stated,  but  are  left  to  be  inferred  from  the  general  tone.  The  first  is 

15 


HORATI 


to  explain  the  writer's  change  from  lyric  poetry  hack  to  the  social 
comments  with  which  he  began  his  career  in  the  Satires.  This  is 
accomplished  by  the  device  of  a  supposed  request  from  Maecenas  — 
which  mayor  may  not  have  been  real  —  that  Horace  would  continue 
his  writing  of  lyrics.  In  answering  this  request  the  writer  is  able  tc 
give,  without  the  appearance  of  egotism,  his  reasons  for  following  a 
different  course.  The  second  purpose  is  to  announce  the  fact  that  this 
collection  of  writings  contains,  more  distinctly  than  the  Satires,  a  kind 
of  life  philosophy,  not  systematic  and  not  too  serious,  yet  by  no  means 
wholly  humorous. 

Of  the  change  of  form,  from  the  satire  to  the  epistle,  nothing  is  said. 
It  is  evident  and  is  left  to  explain  itself. 

Prima  dicte  mihi,  summa  dicende  Camena, 
spectatum  satis  et  donatum  iam  rude  quaeris, 
Maecenas,  iterum  antique  me  includere  ludo. 
Non  eadem  est  aetas,  non  mens.     Veianius,  armis 


1.  This  verse,  like  the  first  two 
verses  of  the  first  Ode,  is  distinct 
in  thought  from  the  rest  of  the 
poem  and  constitutes  therefore  a 
more  formal  dedication  than  that 
with  which  the  first  Satire  and  the 
first  Epode  begin.  —  The  thought 
is  entirely  general ;  cf.  Verg.  Ed. 
8,   n,  a  te  (Pollio)  principiiun, 
tibi  desinam ;  Horace  is  not  think- 
ing of  the  precise  chronology  of 
his  writings  nor.  in  using  Camena 
(the  Latin  equivalent  of  Musa), 
is  he  distinguishing  between  satire 
and  lyric  poetry. 

2.  spectatum :  a  technical  term 
applied   to  a  gladiator  who   had 
fought  with    credit.     The   letters 
sp.  or  sped.,  on  medals  (tesserae) 
presented  to  such  gladiators,  seem 
to  be  an  abbreviation  of  this  word. 
—  rude :    the  wooden  sword  was 
given  to  a  gladiator  when  he  was 


finally  discharged  from  service ;  he 
was  thereafter  riidtarius  (  —  dona- 
tus  rude).  The  implied  compari- 
son of  one  who  had  completed  his 
term  of  service  to  a  discharged 
gladiator  occurs  in  other  writers 
also. 

3.  antique  .  .  .  ludo:  'in  the 
old  gladiatorial  school  where  I 
used  to  serve.'  But  there  is  also 
a  suggestion  of  the  other  meaning 
of  Indus,  which  is  taken  up  again 
in  vs.  10.  —  includere:  this  word 
is  selected  to  contrast  the  disci- 
pline of  the  gladiator's  life  with 
the  freedom  of  the  rudiarius, 

4-6.  Veianius  :  the  context  im- 
plies that  he  had  been  successful 
and  had  retired.  —  Herculis:  so 
Horace,  Carm.  3.  26.  3  f,  pro- 
poses to  dedicate  to  Venus  the  lyre 
with  which  he  had  accompanied 
his  love  songs  and  in  Carm. 


16 


EPISTVLAE 


L  '•  '• 


Herculis  ad  postern  fixis,  latet  abditus  agro, 
ne  populum  cxtrema  totiens  exorct  arena. 
Est  mihi  purgatam  crebro  qui  personct  aurem  : 
1  Solve  senescentem  mature  sanus  equum,  ne 
peccet  ad  extremum  ridendus  et  ilia  ducat.' 
Nunc  itaque  et  versus  et  cetera  ludicra  pono; 
quid  verum  atque  clecens  euro  et  rogo  et  omnis  in  hoc 
sum; 


I,  5,  13  ff.,  the  shipwrecked  sailor 
hangs  his  dripping  garments  in  the 
temple  of  Neptune.  —  latet  abdi- 
tus  :  to  be  taken  together ;  '  goes 
and  buries  himself  in  the  coun- 
try.1—  ne  .  .  .  exoret:  i.e.,  lest  he 
should  be  tempted  again  into  his 
old  life,  with  its  inevitable  conse- 
quences.—  extrema  .  .  .  arena: 
the  defeated  gladiator  laid  down 
his  arms  and  went  toward  the 
barrier  between  the  seats  and  the 
arena  to  ask  for  favor  and  par- 
don. This  would  be  granted  by 
the  giver  of  the  games  when  the 
spectators  (populus)  indicated 
that  they  were  satisfied  with  the 
fight.  —  totiens  :  so  many  times,  as 
he  would  probably  be  obliged  to, 
if  he  went  back  into  the  profes- 
sion. —  This  line  suggests  what  is 
put  more  clearly  in  vss.  8-9,  that 
Horace  felt  himself  to  be  too  old 
for  resuming  the  writing  of  poe- 
try. 

7.  est  qui :  render  freely ;  '  I 
hear  a  voice  that  warns  me.  .  .  .' 
—  purgatam,  crebro,  personet : 
these  emphasize  in  different  ways 
the  idea  that  the  warning  is  clear 
HOR.  KP.  —  2 


and  unmistakable.  Cf.  Sat.  I,  3, 
25,  per -v <  ideas  .  .  .  lippus,  see 
dimly. 

8-9.  The  figure  of  the  old  race- 
horse repeats  more  distinctly  the 
whole  thought  of  vss.  2-7.  — 
sanus:  'if  you  are  wise,'  as  in 
Sat.  I,  5,  44,  nil  ego  contulerim 
iucundo  sanus  amico,  and  Sat.  I, 
6,  89.  —  ilia  ducat :  strain  his 
flanks,  become  broken-winded. 

10.  itaque :  acknowledging  the 
force  of  the  argument  which  un- 
derlies the  preceding  comparisons. 
—  cetera  ludicra :  i.e.,  '  as  I  lay 
aside  all  the  other  light  pursuits, 
amusements,  in  order  to  devote 
myself  to  serious  philosophy.1 
The  implication  is  that  verse 
writing  is  also  ludicrum ;  cf.  Sat. 
i,  10,  37,  haec  ego  ludo,  of  the 
Satires. 

n.  verum:  the  general  term. 
• — decens  :  more  specific,  translat- 
ing the  technical  term  TO  irptTrov, 
which  Cicero  translates  also  by 
honestum  ;  trite  and  right.  —  om- 
nis in  hoc:  cf.  Sat.  I,  9,  2,  tot  us 
in  illis. 


I,   I,  I2J 


HO  K  ATI 


condo  et  compono  quae  mox  dcpromere  possim. 
Ac  ne  forte  roges  quo  me  duce,  quo  lare  tuter, 
nullius  addictus  iurare  in  verba  magistri, 
quo  me  cumque  rapit  tempestas,  deferor  hospes. 
Nunc  agilis  fio  et  mersor  civilibus  undis, 
virtutis  verae  custos  rigidusque  satelles ; 
nunc  in  Aristippi  furtim  praecepta  relabor, 
et  mihi  res,  non  me  rebus,  subiungere  conor. 


12.  condo.  depromere :  regularly 
used  of  laying  in  and.  later,  draw- 
ing out  a  stock  of  provisions  at 
a  country  house.  —  compono :  ar- 
range in  order. 

13.  ne  . . .  roges :  cf.  nete  morer, 
Sat.    i.  I,  14.     A   leading  clause 
may   be   expressed    (andi,  scito), 
but  is  not  necessary. — The  ques- 
tion to  what  school  of  formal  phi- 
losophy Horace  proposed  to  attach 
himself  is  one  which,  in  fact,  would 
not  have  been  asked  by  Maecenas 
or  by  any  reader  of  the  Satires  and 
Odes,  since  Horace   has  made  it 
abundantly  clear  that  he  did  not 
belong  to  any  school.     But   the 
question  with  the   humorous   an- 
swer, vss.  14-19.  leads  on  to  the 
illustrations  of  a  practical   social 
philosophy,   which    make   up   the 
main  body  of  the  epistle. — lare: 
a  school  of  philosophy  was  some- 
times   called    familia    or   damns 
(Carm.  I,  29, 14)  and  might  there- 
fore be  supposed  to  have  a  hearth 
and  a  IMT  familiarix. 

14.  addictus :     property     of    a 
debtor,  bound  over  or  assigned  to 
the  creditor,  but   also   used  of  a 


gladiator ;  the  line  is  thus  a  remi- 
niscence of  vss.  2-6  and  the  figure 
is  continued  in  iurare  and  magis- 
tri,  which  may  be  either  master 
of  a  gladiatorial  school  or  of  a 
philosophical  sect. 

15.  tempestas :  the  figure  was 
a  common  one ;  cf.  Cic.  Acad. 
2,  3,  8,  ad  quamctnnque  sunt  dis- 
ciplinam  quasi  tempestate  delati, 
and  Ephes.  4,  14,  'carried  about 
with  every  wind  of  doctrine.' 

16-17.  The  sense  is  '  I  become 
for  a  time  a  Stoic.'  —  agilis :  Trpax- 
TUCOS-  The  Stoic  doctrine  was 
that  intelligent  action  was  a  neces- 
sary part  of  the  philosopher's  life 
and  that  he  should  therefore  take 
his  part  in  public  matters.  —  There 
is  humorous  irony  in  almost  every 
word  of  vs.  17,  especially  verae, 
cnsfos,  rtgidus. 

18-19.  '  Then  again  I  slip 
quietly  back  into  the  school  of 
Aristippus.'  Cf.  the  story  referred 
to  in  Sat.  2,  3.  100  ff..  which  illus- 
trates the  way  in  which  Aristippus 
released  himself  from  the  bondage 
of  things.  —  There  is  irony  also  in 
these  lines,  in  furtim,  refabor,  conor. 


18 


EPISTVLAE 


[l,  i,  29 


.*5 


Vt  nox  longa  quibus  mentitur  arnica,  diesque 
longa  videtur  opus  debentibus,  ut  piger  annus 
pupillis  quos  dura  premit  custodia  matrum, 
sic  mihi  tarda  fluunt  ingrataque  tempora,  quae  spem 
consiliumque  morantur  agendi  gnaviter  id  quod 
aeque  pauperibus  prodest,  locupletibus  aeque, 
aeque  neglectum  pueris  senibusque  nocebit. 
Restat  ut  his  ego  me  ipse  regam  solerque  elementis. 
Non  possis  oculo  quantum  contendere  Lynceus, 
non  tamen  idcirco  contemnas  lippus  inungi ; 


21.  opus  debentibus:  'to  those 
who  are  obliged  to  work  by 
the  day,1  servants  and  day  la- 
borers. 

21-22.  A  year  seems  an  endless 
time  to  a  boy  eagerly  anticipating 
the  day  when  he  shall  be  his 
own  master  and  chafing  under 
restraint.  To  him  any  control 
seems  harsh  and  oppressive  {dura, 
premif),  especially  control  by  a 
woman,  even  by  his  mother. 
Strictly,  a  fatherless  boy  would  be 
under  the  guardianship  (tutela) 
of  a  man ;  custodia  is  used  only 
in  a  general  sense. 

23-24.  spem  consiliumque :  the 
intention  already  announced  in 
vss.  11-12. — morantur:  it  is  not 
precisely  the  time  which  causes 
the  delay,  but  the  obstacles  in  the 
form  of  other  occupations,  like  the 
writing  of  poetry. — agendi  ...  id 
quod :  i.e.,  '  of  devoting  myself 
wholly  to  philosophy.' 

25-26.  Instead  of  using  some 
single  word  for  philosophy  (vir- 


tus, sapientia,  vs.  41)  or  some 
phrase  like  verum  atque  deceits 
(vs.  n)  which  would  emphasize 
the  theoretical  side,  Horace  here 
lays  stress  upon  philosophy  as  a 
guide  in  the  practical  affairs  of  life. 
There  is  a  half-humorous  earnest- 
ness in  the  sweeping  phrases  ;  not 
only  prodest,  but  also  (si  neglectum 
ftierit)  nocebit,  and  it  applies  to 
all  ages  and  conditions. 

27.  restat :  i.e.,  '  in  spite  of  de- 
lays (20-24)  and  of  my  inability 
to  attain  to  perfection  (24-29),  I 
can  at  least  get  a  rudimentary 
knowledge  that  will  meet  my 
practical  needs.1  —  his  :  without 
definite  reference  either  backward 
or  forward ;  '  such  rudiments  as 
I  have.'  —  ipse  regam  solerque: 
since  he  has  no  dux  or  lar  (vs. 
13)  to  guide  or  protect  him. 

28-31.  The  same  idea  is  ex- 
pressed twice  in  the  two  compar- 
isons, with  slight  variation  in  the 
construction.  Non  possis  is  re- 
peated in  despfres,  both  being 


30] 


HORATI 


30      nec,  quia  desperes  invicti  membra  Glyconis, 
nodosa  corpus  nolis  prohibere  cheragra. 
Est  quadam  prodire  tenus,  si  non  datur  ultra. 
Fervet  avaritia  miseroque  cupidine  pectus : 
sunt  verba  et  voces,  quibus  hunc  lenire  dolorem 

35      possis  et  magnam  morbi  deponere  partem. 


potentials  of  the  indefinite  sec- 
ond person,  and  the  two  clauses 
are  at  the  same  time  concessive, 
as  is  implied  by  tamen,  and 
causal ;  the  causal  meaning  is 
expressed  by  idcirco  in  the  first 
main  clause  and  by  quia  in  the 
second  subordinate  clause.  —  oculo 
.  .  .  contendere :  so  quantum  po- 
tero  voce  contendam,  Cic.  pro  Lig. 
3.  6.  —  Lynceus :  the  far-sighted 
Argonautic  hero,  referred  to  also 
in  Sa/.  i,  2,  90.  —  Glyconis:  a 
famous  athlete,  to  whom  a  Greek 
epigram  (Ant/i.  Pal.  7,  692)  is 
addressed ;  he  is  called  6  7ra/x- 
fjui\(t>v  and  the  adj.  dvtWros  (/'«- 
iiictus)  is  applied  to  him.  — 
prohibere  cheragra :  for  the  con- 
struction cf.  Epist.  i,  8,  10,  me 
arcere  veterno.  The  other  con- 
struction, prohibere  cheragram  a 
corpore,  is  more  frequent.  Gout 
in  the  hand  or  in  the  foot  (po- 
dagra.}  was  called  nodosa  because 
of  the  chalk  stones  that  it  pro- 
duces in  the  joints. 

32.  est :  almost  the  same  as 
potest,  but  with  tin-  implication 
that  it  is  also  worth  while,  since 
it  is  possible.  This  is  the  main 
thought  of  the  whole  passage,  27- 


40,  expressed  in  possis,  28,  possis^ 
35,  poterunt,  37,  and  possit,  39. 
—  quadam  .  .  .  tenus :  like  qua- 
tenus,  hactenus. 

33.  avaritia :    the    vice    which 
Horace   everywhere   puts    at    the 
head   of  his   list;    cf.  Sat.   I,    I, 
Epod.  i,  33  f.  and  often.  —  cupi- 
dine :    the  general  term,  passion, 
following     the     particular ;     they 
mean    only    one    thing,   as    hunc 
dolorem  shows. 

34.  verba  et  voces  :  words  and 
sayings,  i.e.,  teachings  of  philoso- 
phy which  will  be  as  effectual  as 
the  magic  formulas  by  which  dis- 
ease   is    cured.      This   does    not 
imply  a  real  belief  in  charms,  any- 
more than  the  English  phrase  '  it 
acts    like  magic.'     The  line   is   a 
paraphrase  of  a  well-known  line 
of  Euripides,  Hippol.  478. 

35.  morbi :  a  translation  of  ird- 
6os,  the  technical  term  for  a  dis- 
turbing   passion,  used   here   with 
literal   meaning  also:    cf.  fervet, 
lenire,   dolorem,   tumes,   recreare, 
all  words  from  the  medical  vocab- 
ulary. —  partem :    the   same  idea 
already  expressed  in  dementis,  est 
qnadam  prodire  tenitx.  and  in  vss. 
28-31. 


20 


EPISTVLAE 


[it  i»44 


Laudis  amore  tumes :  sunt  certa  piacula,  quae  te 
ter  pure  lecto  poterunt  recreare  libcllo. 
Invidus,  iracundus,  iners,  vinosus,  amator, 
nemo  adeo  ferus  est  ut  non  mitcscere  possit, 
40      si  modo  culturae  patientem  commodct  aurem. 
Virtus  est  vitium  fugere,  et  sapientia  prima 
stultitia  caruisse.     Vides  quae  maxima  credis 
esse  mala,  exiguum  censum  turpemque  repulsam, 
quanto  devites  animi  capitisque  labore ; 


/  •> 

VY 


36.  laudis  amore :  ambition  ;  cf. 
Sat.  2,  3,  164  ff.,  esp.  tiimiditm, 
213.  —  piacula  :    =  -vcrba  et  voces. 

37.  ter:     the  sacred    number, 
carrying  on  the  thought   of  pia- 
cula ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  I,  7  f.,  ter  uncti 
transnanto  Tiber  im.  —  pure :  after 
religious      purification.  —  libello  : 
the   little    book   of  magic  verses 
and  also  the  book  of  philosophic 
teaching. 

38-40.  The  list  of  sins  —  not  un- 
like the  seven  deadly  sins  of  early 
Christian  teaching  —  is  summed 
up  in  nemo,  by  a  kind  of  apposi- 
tion. —  amator :  cf.  Sat.  2.  3.  247- 
280.  —  ferus :  a  change  of  figure ; 
the  cure  of  envy  or  hot  temper 
by  philosophy  is  like  the  taming 
(mitescere)  of  a  wild  animal.  — 
culturae :  properly  of  the  cultiva- 
tion of  land,  but  in  this  line  the 
figurative  meaning  is  almost  lost 
sight  of  and  patientem  commodet 
aurem  is  used  simply  of  the  lis- 
tener to  philosophic  teaching. 

41.  prima:  with  virtus  as  well 
as  with  sapjentia.  The  sentence  is 
used  in  a  condensed  form  (prima 


virtus  est  vitio  carere)  by  Quin- 
tilian,  8,  3,  41,  and  was  probably 
a  current  maxim  of  philosophy. 
It  summarizes  and  enforces  the 
thought  of  vss.  28-40 ;  '  it  is 
worth  while  to  take  the  first  steps 
by  listening  to  the  teachings  of 
wisdom,  by  which  our  faults  may 
be  cured.  For  to  get  rid  of  our 
follies  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.' 
At  the  same  time  it  introduces 
the  argument  of  42-52  ;  '  take  the 
first  steps,  which  are  not  difficult ; 
for  half  the  labor  you  spend  in 
the  pursuit  of  your  foolish  ends 
would  suffice  to  rid  you  of  your 
folly.' 

43.  exiguum  censum:  referring 
to  avaritia.  —  turpem   repulsam : 
referring  to  ambition,  laudis  amor. 

44.  animi     capitisque     labore : 
this  cannot  be  simply  'labor  of 
mind  and  body.'  —  animi  labor  is 
'  trouble  of  spirit,'  capitis  labor  is 
'risk  of  life';  labor  is  used  in  a 
vague  sense  for  which  there  is  no 
exact  English  equivalent  and  must 
therefore  be  translated  twice,  'anx- 
iety of  spirit  and  peril  of  life.' 


21 


i,  i,  45] 


HORATI 


45      impiger  extremos  curris  mercator  ad  Indos, 

per  mare  pauperiem  f  ugiens,  per  saxa,  per  ignie : 
ne  cures  ea,  quae  stulte  miraris  et  optas, 
discere,  et  audire,  et  meliori  credere  non  vis  ? 
Quis  circum  pagos  et  circum  compita  pugnax 
50      magna  coronari  contemnat  Olympia,  cui  spes, 
,  '    cui  sit  condicio  dulcis  sine  pulvere  palmae  ? 
Vilius  argentum  est  auro,  virtutibus  aurum. 

'  O  cives,  cives,  quaerenda  pecunia  primum  est, 


45-46.  The  thought  is  often 
expressed  by  Horace,  in  substan- 
tially this  form;  cf.  Sat.  i,  i,  30; 
I,  4,  29  ff. ;  Carm.  I,  31,  10  ff.  It 
was  undoubtedly  proverbial. 

47-48.  'Are  you  not  willing  to 
attain  the  same  end,  freedom  from 
anxieties,  by  the  easier  method  of 
learning  from  philosophy  to  be 
indifferent  to  your  foolish  ambi- 
tions?'—  ne  cures:  a  clause  of 
purpose,  depending  on  the  whole 
of  the  next  line ;  '  in  order  to  at- 
tain to  indifference.'  —  meliori: 
the  wise  philosopher,  whose  supe- 
riority the  learner  acknowledges 
by  the  act  of  seeking  instruction 
from  him. 

49.  circum    .  .  .    pugnax:     an 
allusion  to  the  wrestlers  and  boxers 
who   gave    street    shows    to    the 
crowds  gathered  for  feast  days  like 
the     Paganalia    and    Compitalia. 
They  are  alluded  to  in  other  places 
(Suet.  Oct.  45, caterimrii oppidani, 
inter  angustias  viconun  pttgnan- 
tes). — circum    compita:    also    in 
Sat.  2,  3,  281. 

50.  Olympia :  a  cognate  accus., 


like  vicit  Olympia,  Cic.  Cat.  M. 
14,  both  from  the  Greek  <TTe<f>avov~ 
<r6ai  'OA.v/u,7Tia. 

51.  sine  pulvere:  O.KOVITI.   The 
expression  was  proverbial  and  was 
extended  beyond  its  strict  mean- 
ing, so  that  it  came  to  be  used  of 
prizes  awarded  to  athletes  whose 
fame  was   so   great   that   no   one 
dared  to  contend  with  them.     It 
suggests  therefore   the  ease  with 
which  the  benefits  of  philosophy 
may  be   obtained,  in   contrast  to 
the    struggles    necessary    to    get 
money  or  satisfy  ambition  (44-46). 

52.  The  conclusion  of  the  argu- 
ment ;  'just  so  character,  the  pro- 
duct of  philosophy,  is  better  than 
the  rewards   which    men   rate   so 
high.'     But,  as  often,  the  conclu- 
sion is  put  in  the  form  of  a  general 
assertion,  without  indication  of  its 
connection  (Sat.  i,  I,  59  f.,  78  f., 
105  ;   i ,  3,  24 ;   1,6,  23,  and  often), 
and  in  a  form  which  leaves  its  real 
force   intentionally   in   the    back- 
ground. 

53-69.    '  Rut  this  conclusion,  we 
must  acknowledge,  runs  counter  to 


EPiSTVLAE 


[I,  i,  60 


virtus  post  nummos.'     Haec  lanus  summus  ab  imo 
55      prodocet,  haec  reciiiunt  iuvenes  dictata  senesque, 
laevo  suspensi  loculos  tabulamque  lacerto. 
Est  animus  tibi,  sunt  mores  et  lingua  fidesque, 
sed  quadringentis  sex  septem  milia  desunt : 
plebs  eris.     At  pueri  ludentes,  '  Rex  eris,'  aiunt, 
60      '  si  recte  fades.'     Hie  murus  aeneus  esto, 


the  opinion  of  Rome,  which  places 
money  above  character.' 

54.  summus  ab  imo :  from  top 
to  bottom  ;  cf.  A.  P.  254,  primus 
ad  extrcmum,  from   beginning  to 
end.     But  the  precise  meaning  of 
the  phrase  as  applied  to  lanus  is 
not  clear,  because  our  knowledge 
of  the  topography  of  the  Forum  in 
the     Augustan     period     is     very 
limited.      The   same   spot    is  re- 
ferred to  in  Sat.  2,  3,  18  (jmedius 
faints)  and  by  Cicero  as  the  center 
of  the  banking  business  in  Rome  ; 
it  was  in  the  lower  corner  of  the 
Forum.      Translate    'Janus,  from 
top    to    bottom.'    like    'all    Wall 
Street,1    '  the    whole    Stock    Ex- 
change.' 

55.  prodocet :  only  in  this  pas- 
sage ;     proclaims    loudly.  —  re"ci- 
nunt :  the  pupils  repeated  in  a  kind 
of  chant    the   words    pronounced 
slowly  (dictata)  by  the  teacher.— 
senesque  :  a  humorous  addition  to 
the  picture  of  the  school  children. 

56.  Repeated     without    change 
from  Sat.   i,  6.  74.     There  are  a 
few  other   repetitions   of  lines  in 
Horace,  some  of  which  are  mere 
errors  in  the  Mss.     In  this  case. 


however,  the  point  of  the  compari- 
son of  business  men  to  school 
children  is  heightened  by  the 
quotation  ;  '  like  the  children  I  de- 
scribed once,  with  their  satchels 
and  slates  hanging  from  their 
arms.'  —  loculos  tabulamque  :  ac- 
cus.  of  the  part  with  suspensi. 

57.  The   four   nouns   are  care- 
fully chosen  and  arranged,  animus, 
ability,  is  balanced  by  mores,  char- 
acter, and   then  each  is  repeated 
in  a  more  specific  way  in  eloquence 
and  loyalty. 

58.  quadringentis:    sc.    milibus 
sestertium.      This    sum,    400,000 
sesterces,  was  the  rating  necessary 
to  enrollment  among  the  equites. 
—  sex  septem :  used  in  this  way, 
without     connective,     in     several 
other  places  (Ter.  Eun.  331,  Cic. 
Att.     10,    8,    6),    apparently    for 
phonetic  reasons.     No  other  car- 
dinal numbers  are  so  used. 

59-60.  The  full  verse  is  given 
by  the  Scholiast:  -rex  erit  qtii 
re"cte  faciet,  qui  non  faciet  n6n 
erit,'  a  trochaic  septenarius.  sung 
by  boys  in  some  game. 

60-61.  The  underlying  thought 
is, '  in  this  song  of  children  at  play 


1, 1, 61] 


HORATI 


nil  conscire  sibi,  nulla  pallescere  culpa. 
Roscia,  die  sodes,  melior  lex,  an  puerorum  est 
nenia,  quae  regnum  recte  facientibus  offert, 
et  maribus  Curiis  et  decantata  Camillis  ? 
65      Isne  tibi  melius  suadet  qui  rem  facias,  rem, 
si  possis,  recte,  si  non,  quocumque  modo  rem, 
ut  propius  spectes  lacrimosa  poemata  Pupi, 
an  qui  Fortunae  te  responsare  superbae 
liberum  et  erectum  praesens  hortatur  et  aptat  ? 


one  may  find  a  rule  of  life ;  up- 
right conduct  gives  secure  happi- 
ness.1 Munis  aeneus  is  a  common 
figure  to  express  security  and  stabil- 
ity, here  in  contrast  to  the  troubles 
of  a  life  spent  in  the  pursuit  of 
money  or  position  (43-46).  The 
whole  of  vs.  61  is  nothing  but  an 
expansion  of  recte  faccre.  —  con- 
scire :  absolute,  as  the  noun  con- 
sciential  occasionally. — sibi:  not 
ttbi,  because  the  words  are  a  maxim 
of  general  application.  The  line 
should  be  paraphrased,  rather  than 
rendered  literally. 

62.  Roscia    ...   lex:    the   law 
which  reserved   the  first  fourteen 
rows  behind  the  orchestra  for  the 
knights.     As  the  equites  were  in 
general  the  capitalists,  the  law  is 
taken  as  an   embodiment   of  the 
public  opinion  which  gave  undue 
honor  to  wealth  (vs.  53). 

63.  nenia  :  used  of  any  rhyme  or 
jingle  in  rhythm,  like  charms  and 
proverbs,  in  distinction  from  formal 
poetry.     Here  with   intention,    to 
contrast  the  song  of  I  >oys  at  play 
witli  the  law  of  the  Roman  people. 


64.  maribus :  manly.  As  these 
heroes  of  the  good  old  times  sang 
the  verse  when  they  were  boys, 
so  they  acted  upon  the  principle 
when  they  became  men.  Curius 
and  Camillus  are  named  together 
in  Carm.  I,  12,  41  f.  as  products 
of  saeva  panpertas. 

65-66.  rem  .  .  .  rem  .  .  .  rem : 
the  repetition  is  made  more  em- 
phatic by  the  position  of  the 
monosyllable  at  the  end  of  the 
hexameter.  —  facias :  in  parataxis 
with  suadet  to  be  supplied  as  the 
verb  for  qui',  it  represents  an  in- 
dependent fac. 

67.  propius :    i.e.,    '  become    a 
knight  by  reason  of  your  money 
and  sit  in  one  of  the  front  rows.' 
Pupi:    unknown.     The  Scholiast 
quotes  a  couplet  in  which  Pupius 
is  supposed  to  pride  himself  upon 
his  success  in  moving  his  audience 
to  tears.     Hut  lacrimosa  is  of  course 
ironical,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  line. 

68.  responsare  :  defy,  as  in  Sat . 
•2,  7,  85,  103. 

69.  praesens:    most  frequently 
used  of  a  god  who  is  present  in 


KPISIA  I.AI-; 


77 


70      Quod  si  me  populus  Roman  us  forte  roget,  cur 
non,  ut  porticibus,  sic  iudiciis  fruar  isdem, 
nee  sequar  aut  f  ugiam  quae  diligit  ipse  vel  odit, 
olim  quod  vulpes  aegroto  cauta  leoni 
respondit  referam  :  '  Quia  me  vestigia  terrent, 

75      omnia  te  adversum  spectantia,  nulla  retrorsum.' 

Belua  multorum  est  capitum.     Nam  quid  sequar  aut 


quern 


Pars  hominum  gestit  conducere  publica ;  sunt  qui 


person  to  give  help.  The  use  here 
suggests  that  the  help  of  the  moral 
philosopher  is  like  that  of  a  divinity. 
70-93.  'If  I  am  asked  why  I 
advocate  views  so  opposed  to  the 
popular  standards,  my  answer  is 
that  there  is  no  common  standard ; 
men  are  utterly  at  variance  with 
each  other  and  inconsistent  with 
themselves.' 

70.  Romanus :    not  in  contrast 
to  the  Greek,  but  'the  great  Ro- 
man people,  my  countrymen,  with 
whom    I    might    be    expected    to 
agree.'     Cf.  ctves,  53,  and  Roscia 
fe.r,  62. 

71.  porticibus  :  the  public  colon- 
nades, where  men  met  for  talk  ;  cf. 
Sat.  i,  4,  133,  cum  lectnlits  ant  me 
port  tens  excepit.     This  is  a  figura- 
tive way  of  saying  'since  I  live  in 
the  same  city,  in  the  same  society/ 

72.  An    expansion    of    itnticfis 
fruar  isdem.  —  sequar :  —  diligit. 
—  fugiam :  —  odit.    The  variety  of 
expression   prepares   the  way  for 
vs.  76. 

73 .  olim :  once,once  upon  a  time. 


as  often  {e.g.,  Sat.  2,  6,  79)  to 
introduce  a  fable.  The  story  which 
follows  is  not  in  Phaedrus,  but  was 
one  of  Aesop's  fables  and  had  been 
used  by  Lucilius  (30,  80  ff.  M.). 
The  moral  is  that  one  who  gives 
up  his  own  judgment  and  adopts 
the  popular  views  surrenders  his 
independence  beyond  recovery. 

76.  belua  .  .  .  capitum :  the  fig- 
ure was  proverbial  and  has  passed 
over  through  Horace  into  modern 
literature.     There  is  a  change  of 
argument  here,  from  the   danger 
of  losing  one's  independence  to 
the  new  argument  drawn  from  the 
confusing  variety  in  public  opinion 
(76-80),  but  the  figure  of  the  beast 
of  many  heads  is  suggested  by  the 
previous  comparison  of  the  people 
to  a  lion. 

77.  conducere  publica :   to  take 
government  contracts.     This  was 
one  of  the  chief  uses  of  large  capi- 
tal in    Rome,  but  it  was   looked 
upon  with  some  contempt,  as  is 
shown  by  its  association  here  with 
legacy  hunting  and  usury. 


1. 1, 78] 


HOKATI 


crustis  et  pomis  viduas  venentur  avaras, 
excipiantque  senes  quos  in  vivaria  mittent; 

80      multis  occulto  crescit  res  faenore.     Verum 
esto  aliis  alios  rebus  studiisque  teneri : 
idem  eadem  possunt  horam  durare  probantes? 
'  Nullus  in  orbe  sinus  Bais  praelucet  amoenis' 
si  dixit  dives,  lacus  et  mare  sentit  amorem 

85      festinantis  heri ;  cui  si  vitiosa  libido 

fecerit  auspicium,  '  Cras  ferramenta  Teanum 
tolletis,  fabri.'     Lectus  genialis  in  aula  est : 
nil  ait  esse  prius,  melius  nil  caelibe  vita : 
si  non  est,  iurat  bene  solis  esse  maritis. 


78-79.  The  practice  of  seeking 
for  legacies  from  rich  and  childless 
old  people  is  the  subject  of  Sat.  2, 
5,  where  illustrations  of  these  lines 
can  be  found ;  crustis  ct  pomis, 
vs.  12;  viduas,  84-88 ;  vivaria, 
44. 

80.  occulto :     the    context    re- 
quires that  this  should  mean  secret 
and    therefore    discreditable,    be- 
cause the  loan  was  in  some  sense 
illegal  or  improper. 

81.  esto  .  .  .  teneri:  i.e., 'pass- 
ing over  this  point  without  further 
argument ' ;  a  frequent  use  of  esto, 
Sat.  i,  6,  19;  2.  2.  30. 

82.  idem  :  nom.  plur.   'Can  these 
same  persons,  who  an;  so  at  vari- 
ance with  each  other,  be  consistent 
with  themselves  ?' 

83.  Bais :  a  fashionable  resort 
on  the  shore  of  Campania. 

84.  lacus  et  mare  :  houses  were 
built  out  into  the  sea  or  into  the 
shallow  salt  water  pools,  like  the 


Lucrine  lake.     Cf.  esp.  Carm.  3, 

',33ff- 

85.  vitiosa  libido  :  nwrbid  fancy, 
carrying  on  to  an  extreme  the  fig- 
ure suggested  in  amorem. 

86.  auspicium  :  gives  the  signal. 
Properly  auspiciiun  is  a  sign  sent 
by  the  gods,  but  to  the  capricious 
and   self-indulgent    man  his  own 
whim  is  as  good  as  a  sign  from 
heaven.  —  Teanum :  an  inland  re- 
sort in  Campania ;  he  changes  in 
a  day  from    the   seashore  to  the 
mountains.    The  order  is  given  by 
the  master  to  the  workmen  who  are 
still  engaged  upon  the  unfinished 
villa  at  Haiae. 

87.  lectus    genialis :    the  mar- 
riage cuiich  which    stood   in   the 
atrium  in  honor  of  the   (ienius  of 
the    family,    the   god    of   fruitful- 
ness. 

88.  prius,  melius :   better,  more 
dfsirablf.     The  same  idea  is  also 
expressed  by  anliquius. 


Kl'ISTVLAE 


[i,  i,  i«o 


90      Quo  teneam  voltus  mutantem  Protea  nodo? 
Quid  pauper  ?     Ride  :  mutat  cenacula,  lectos, 
balnea,  tonsores,  conducto  navigio  aeque 
nauseat  ac  locuples  quern  ducit  priva  triremis. 
Si  curatus  inaequali  tonsore  capillos 

95      occurri,  rides  ;  si  forte  subucula  pexae 

trita  subest  tunicae  vel  si  toga  dissidet  impar, 
rides :  quid,  mea  cum  pugnat  sententia  secum, 
quod  petiit  spernit,  repetit  quod  nuper  omisit, 
aestuat  et  vitae  disconvenit  ordine  toto, 

ioo    diruit,  aedificat,  mutat  quadrata  rotundis  ? 


90.   Protea:  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  71  ff. 

91-93.  'And  as  the  rich  man 
(84)  is  subject  to  his  whims,  so 
the  poor  man  in  his  small  way 
indulges  his  caprices.1  All  the 
details  are  intentionally  petty ; 
cenacula,  lodgings,  is  a  parody 
upon  vss.  83-87,  the  lectos,  balnea, 
tonsores  are  the  cheap  luxuries 
of  the  poor,  and  the  poor  man, 
seasick  in  his  hired  boat,  is  an 
especially  keen  hit.  There  is  in 
these  lines  a  tone  of  sharpness 
not  usual  in  Horace  and  more 
like  the  bitterness  of  Juvenal's 
satire. 

94-108.  '  These  and  other  like 
inconsistencies,  ridiculous  as  they 
are,  are  small  compared  to  the  in- 
consistencies of  judgment  from 
which  I  hope  to  save  myself  by 
philosophy.' 

94.  curatus  :  almost  a  technical 
term  of  attention  to  health  or  the 
toilet.  Cf.  Sat.  2,  5,  38,  pelliculam 
curare.  —  inaequali :  uneven,  a 


humorous  transfer  of  the  adj.  from 
the  \Vork  to  the  workman. 

95-96.  subucula :  uiiderlurn'c. 
The  inconsistency  is  between  the 
well-worn  undergarment,  from 
which  the  nap  has  been  rubbed 
off  (trita),  and  the  new  tunic  with 
long  and  fresh  nap  (pexae).  — 
dissidet  impar :  sets  badly,  hangs 
unevenly ;  cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  31,  rusti- 
cius  tonso  toga  defluit.  The  care- 
ful creasing  of  that  part  of  the  toga 
which  hung  across  the  chest  was 
a  matter  of  importance  to  a  Roman 
who  wished  to  be  well  dressed. 

98-100.  The  list  of  moral  in- 
consistencies is  given  rapidly,  as 
if  they  had  only  to  be  named  in 
order  to  be  recognized  and  ac- 
knowledged. —  aestuat :  ebbs  and 
flows  like  the  tide.  —  diruit,  aedi- 
ficat :  i.e.,  is  guilty  of  the  same 
foolish  vacillation  that  was  de- 
scribed in  vss.  83-87.  —  quadrata 
rotundis :  a  proverbial  figure,  used 
of  making  a  meaningless  change. 


27 


i,   I,    101] 


HORATI 


105 


Insanire  putas  sollemnia  me  neque  rides, 

nee  medici  credis  nee  curatoris  egere 

a  praetore  dati,  rerum  tutela  mearum 

cum  sis  et  prave  sectum  stomacheris  ob  unguem 

de  te  pendentis,  te  respicientis  amici. 

Ad  sum  mam  :  sapiens  uno  minor  est  love,  dives, 

liber,  honoratus,  pulcher,  rex  denique  regum, 

praecipue  sanus,  nisi  cum  pituita  molesta  est. 


101.  'You  think  that  my  madness 
is  merely  the  usual  thing  —  not  re- 
markable at  all  —  and  do  not  laugh.' 
—  neque  rides:  recalling  ride  91, 
rides  95  and  97.     All  the  laughter 
that  external  incongruities  excite 
comes  to  an  end  when  the  incon- 
sistency is  in  the  moral  sphere. 

102.  medici,  curatoris :  i.e., l  you 
do  not  see  that  this  is  real  insanity 
which  calls  for  the  care  of  a  physi- 
cian and    the    appointment   of  a 
guardian/ 

103.  tutela:    this   is   an   inten- 
tional reminder  of  Carm.  i,  1,2, 
o  et  praesidium    et   dulce   decus 
meum.  —  prave  sectum :  cf.  Epist. 
i,   7,   51.  —  stomacheris:    not    of 
serious  anger,  but  humorously  and 
with  recognition   of  the   friendly 
concern  which  causes  the  annoy- 
ance of  Maecenas.     •  Though  you 
are  so  anxious  to  have  me  avoid 
even  the  most  trifling  carelessness.' 


105.  The  line  is  an  explicit  and 
intentional  profession  of  friendship, 
to  guard  against  the  possibility 
that  the  preceding  reproaches 
(94-104)  addressed  directly  to 
Maecenas  might  be  taken  too 
seriously  by  any  reader. 

106-108.  Cf.  the  abrupt  and 
humorous  conclusion  of  Sat.  i,  I  ; 

1,  3 ;   i,  4;  I,   6.     On    the   Stoic 
paradox   which   is   here  ridiculed 
cf.  Sat.  i,  3,  124  ff.  —  sanus  :  this, 
in  contrast  to  the  insania  of  all 
other  men,  was  the  quality  which 
the    Stoic    philosopher   especially 
claimed  as  his  own.     It  is  the  sub- 
ject of  the  longest  of  the  Satires, 

2,  3.     Hut   Horace,  accepting  its 
correctness  on   the   philosophical 
side,  turns  it  into  a  joke  by  taking 
it  in  a  physical  sense  ;  •  healthy  — 
except  for  an  occasional  cold  in 
the  head.' 


This  letter  is  addressed  to  a  certain  Lollius  Maximus.  who  is  also 
addressed  in  Epist.  i,  18.  From  the  latter,  written  in  20  B.C.,  it  ap- 
pears that  he  had  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  against  the  Cantabri, 

28 


EPISTVLAE  [i,  2,  2 

25-24.  This  letter  was  therefore  written  somewhere  between  24 
and  20. 

Beyond  this  nothing  is  known  of  the  young  man,  but  he  may  well 
have  been  a  relative  of  the  distinguished  M.  Lollius  to  whom  Carm.  4, 
9,  is  addressed. 

'  My  dear  young  friend,  I  have  just  been  re-reading  Homer  and 
am  struck  with  the  wealth  of  illustration  of  philosophic  doctrines 
in  his  poems.  He  is  really  better  than  the  philosophers  themselves. 
Just  consider  the  debate  between  Antenor  and  Paris  or  the  quar- 
rel between  the  two  chiefs  of  the  Greeks.  The  follies  of  kings  could 
not  be  better  shown.  And  Ulysses,  in  the  Odyssey,  is  as  good  as 
a  Stoic  ;  recall  the  description  of  him  in  the  opening  of  the  poem. 
And  you  and  I  are  there,  too,  in  the  picture  of  the  easy-going  Phaea- 
cians. 

'  But  don't  be  too  easy-going ;  don't  postpone  too  long  the  beginning 
of  serious  philosophic  living.  There  are  temptations  everywhere.  Do 
not  be  like  the  men  who  hope  to  find  happiness  in  their  possessions, 
instead  of  cleansing  their  own  hearts.  Avoid  pleasure,  love  of  money, 
envy,  anger  ;  especially  anger.  Begin  early  to  train  yourself.  But 
don't  expect  me  to  be  your  companion  in  the  path  of  reform  ;  I  am 
middle-aged  and  I  go  my  own  sober  way.' 

The  tone  of  the  letter  is  half  serious,  half  light,  as  suits  an  older 
man's  advice  to  a  younger  friend.  It  is  probable  that  the  advice  has 
some  personal  applications  which  can  no  longer  be  understood,  but  the 
general  tenor  is  impersonal ;  begin  in  youth  to  train  yourself  to  virtue. 

Troiani  belli  scriptorem,  Maxima  Lolli, 
dum  tu  declamas  Romae,  Praeneste  relegi ; 

1.  Maxime  :    the   family   name  schools  of  rhetoric.      The  sense 
is  not  infrequently  put  before  the  therefore  is  '  while  you  at  Rome 
gentile  name,  e.g.,  Carm.  2,  2,  3,  are-  studying    Homer    from    the 
Crispe  Sallnsti.                                  .  rhetorical    point    of    view,    I    at 

2.  declamas  :    with  scriptorem  Praeneste    have   been    re-reading 
as   a  cognate  accus.,  meaning  to  him  and  find  him  a  philosopher." 
write    and    deliver    declamations  —  Praeneste  :     a    summer   resort 
based     upon     situations     in     the  among  the  mountains.     The  men- 
HoiTU'Hc  poems,  e.g.,  the  prayer  tion  of  the  two  towns  where  the 
of  Priam  to  Achilles  for  the  return  writer  and  the  recipient  were  gives 
of  the  body  of  Hector.     This  was  the  epistle  a  more  distinct  letter 
a  very   common   practice   in   the  form. 

29 


«,  2,  3] 


HORATI 


qui  quid  sit  pulchrum,  quid    turpe,  quid    utilc,    quid 

non, 

planius  ac  melius  Chrysippo  et  Crantore  dicit. 
Cur  ita  crediderim,  nisi  quid  te  detinet,  audi. 
Fabula,  qua  Paridis  propter  narratur  amorem 
Graecia  barbariae  lento  collisa  duello, 
stultorum  regum  et  populorum  continet  aestus. 
Antenor  censet  belli  praecidere  causam  : 
quid  Paris  ?     Vt  salvus  regnet  vivatque  beatus 
cogi  posse  negat.     Nestor  componere  litis 


3.  pulchrum,  turpe,  utile  :    the 
technical    terms    of    ethical    phi- 
losophy, which  taken  together  de- 
tine  the  sitmmum  bonum. 

4.  planius :    more  clearly,   and 
therefore    better,    than    any   phi- 
losopher. —  Chrysippo  :  the  Stoic, 
mentioned  sever.il  times  by  Horace. 
—  Crantore  :     a     leader    of    the 
Academy. 

5 .  detinet :    draws  you  away, 
distracts  you  from  giving  me  your 
undivided  attention. 

6-31.  'The  Iliad  gives  us  pic- 
tures of  the  follies  of  mankind, 
the  Odyssey  a  picture  of  a  prac- 
tical philosopher;  and  we  may 
even  find  our  own  portraits  there.' 

7.  Graecia  .  .  .  collisa  :  the  fre- 
quent construction  of  noun  with 
participle  instead  of  a  gen.  with  an 
abstract  noun,  —barbariae:  Phry- 
gians, who  did  not  speak  Greek, 
but  with  a  suggestion  of  the  mod- 
ern meaning. — lento:  the  ten 
years'  war.  — duello  :  this  old 
form  for  hello  is  used  several  times 


by    Horace,   perhaps   with    some 
epic  tone. 

8.  stultorum  :   i.e.,   not  philos- 
ophers.—  aestus:    passions;    not 
from  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide, 
as  in  Epist.  I,  I,  99,  but  from  the 
irregular  tossing  of  waves,  making 
a  slight  contrast   with    the  literal 
meaning  of  continet. 

9.  Antenor :  //.  7,  347  fF.  —  cen- 
set :  in  the  formal  sense, almost  like 
the  English  mm>es.  —  This  line  is 
merely  preliminary  to  vs.  10,  which 
gives    the    example    of  siiiltitia ; 
1  vyhen  Antenor  gives  good  advice, 
Paris  refuses  to   consider  it,  and 
when  Nestor  tries  to  heal  the  breach 
between    Achilles   and    Agamem- 
non, their  foolish  passions  prevent.' 

10.  salvus  .  .  .  beatus  :   this  is 
what  the  giving  up  of  Helen  would 
really    bring    about.       Hut    Paris 
cannot  even  be  compelled,  much 
less  persuaded,  to   take   the   sen- 
sible course. 

n.    Nestor:    //.    I,   247  ff.  and 
9,  96  ff. 


Kl'ISTVI.AK 


2,  25 


inter  Peliden  festinat  et  inter  Atriden  ; 

luinc  amor,  ira  quidem  communiter  urit  utrumque. 

Quicquid  delirant  reges,  plectuntur  Achivi. 

Seditione,  dolis,  scelere,  atque  libidine  et  ira, 

Iliacos  intra  muros  peccatur  et  extra. 

Rursus,  quid  virtus  et  quid  sapientia  possit, 

utile  proposuit  nobis  exemplar  Vlixen  ; 

qui,  domitor  Troiae,  multorum  providus  urbes 

et  mores  hominum  inspexit,  latumque  per  aequor, 

dum  sibi,  dum  sociis  reditum  parat,  aspera  multa 

pertulit,  adversis  rerum  immersabilis  undis. 

Sirenum  voces  et  Circae  pocula  nosti ; 

quae  si  cum  sociis  stultus  cupidusque  bibisset, 

sub  domina  meretrice  fuisset  turpis  et  excors 


12.  inter  .  .  .  et  inter:     so   in 
Sat.    i,   7,    ii  ;    an    example   of 
slightly  illogical  colloquialism. 

13.  hunc  :  Agamemnon,  who  in 
//.  I,  113  speaks  of  his  love  for 
Chryseis.       In    fact,    both    were 
moved  by  the  same  motives,  amor 
and    ira,    but    as    the   wrath    of 
Achilles  is  the  announced  subject 
of  the  Iliad,  only  this  passion  is 
attributed  to  him. 

14-16.  '  Every  folly  of  the  chiefs 
involves  the  people,  too,  and  it  is 
all  a  mad  world,  within  Troy  and 
without/  A  concise  summary  of 
the  meaning  of  vss.  9-13,  repeat- 
ing the  statement  of  vs.  8. 

17.  rursus  :  on  the  other  hand, 
as  vs.  3  had  spoken  of  quid  pul- 
chruin,  quid  utile,  as  well  as  the 
opposite. 

19-22.    A     paraphrase     of    the 


first  lines  of  the  Odyssey.  — 
domitor  Troiae  :  this  is  the  stand- 
ing Roman  tradition  from  Plautus 
down.  —  providus  .  .  .  inspexit  : 
iSev  KCU  vdov  tyvw.  —  immersabilis  : 
an  addition  to  the  Homeric  de- 
scription ;  the  Stoic  phrase  (cf. 
Epist.  i,  i,  1 6,  mersor  chiilibus 
undis)  suggests  '  like  a  true  Stoic 
philosopher.1 

23.  Sirenum:   Od.   \\,  39  ff. — 
Circae  pocula  :  Od.  10,  136  ff. 

24.  stultus    cupidusque :     iv;(/i 
foolish  eagerness',   lie  did  in  fact 
drink,  but  not  until  lie  had  taken  the 
antidote  and  not,  therefore,  stultus. 

25.  turpis :    in  the  form  of  an 
animal,  losing   his    human   form. 
Cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  100.  Haitian  et  turpe 
pecus. — et :  connects  the  verbs; 
turpis  goes  \i'\\.\\  fuisset,  and  excors 
with  irixisset. 


I,  2,  26] 


link  ATI 


vixisset  canis  immunclus  vel  arnica  Into  sus. 
Nos  numerus  sumus  et  fruges  consumere  nati, 
sponsi  Penelopae  nebulones,  Alcinoique 
in  cute  curanda  plus  aequo  operata  iuventus, 
30      cui  pulchrum  fuit  in  medios  dormire  dies  et 

ad  strepitum  citharae  cessantem  ducere  somnum. 
Vt  iugulent  hominem,  surgunt  de  nocte  latrones ; 
ut  te  ipsum  serves,  non  expergisceris  ?     Atqui 
si  noles  sanus,  curres  hydropicus ;  et  ni 


26.  canis :  not  in  the  Homeric 
story.     But  the  legend  easily  took 
various  forms. 

27-31.  'We  too  may  find  our 
prototypes  there,  among  the  com- 
mon people,  of  course,  and  the 
easy-going.' 

27.  numerus :      mere     ciphers. 
dpi$/ios  is  used  in  this  sense,  but 
niimerus    apparently    only    here. 
The  rest  of  the  line  is  also  Greek, 
ol  dpovprfi  Kapvov  tBovmv,  '  mere 
consumers  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth.1 

28.  sponsi :    suitors.      Strictly, 
they    were   proct,   but    all    these 
words  of  relation,  sponsits,  sponsa, 
getter,  socer,  are   loosely  used.  — 
nebulones  :  here  as  an  adj.,  waste- 
ful. —  Alcinoi :  king  of  the  Phaea- 
cians,  Od.  8,  1 1  and  249  f. 

29.  cute  curanda  :  cf.  esp.  pelli- 
citlam  curare,  Sat.  2,   5,  38  and 
membra,    corpora    curare.  —  ope- 
rata :  with  intentional  irony;  their 
only  labors  are  the  labors  of  the 
toilet. 

30-31.  pulchrum:  the  philo- 
sophical term ;  they  found  their 
suHtinnm  bonum  in  sleeping  late. 


—  These  details  are  not  in  Homer 
nor  is  the  character  of  the  Phaea- 
cians    so    entirely    self-indulgent. 
But  on  the  basis  of  a  few  lines, 
esp.  Od.    8,  248  f.,  they  had  be- 
come types  of  ease  and  luxury  in 
philosophical  writings,  and  Horace 
is  here  following  the  later  inter- 
pretation,   rather    than    the    pure 
Homeric  description. 

32  ff.  The  following  lines,  al- 
most to  the  end  of  the  epistle, 
contain  a  series  of  exhortations  in 
philosophical  form.  There  is  no 
real  relation  between  them  and  the 
Homeric  allusions,  but  the  two 
parts  are  connected  by  the  exhor- 
tation to  energetic  living  which  is 
itself  suggested  by  the  slothfulness 
of  the  Phaeacians. 

33.  serves:  /.<?..' if  robbers  will 
get  up  early  to  take  life,  will  you 
not  do  it  to  save  your  own  soul  ? ' 

—  expergisceris :  with  a  literal  ref- 
erence backward,  but  also  in  the 
figurative  sense. 

34.  noles  :  sc.  currere.    This  is 
one  of  the  forms  of  exercise  pre- 
scribed for  dropsy. 


32 


EPISTVLAE 


LI.  2,44 


35      posces  ante  diem  librum  cum  lumine,  si  non 
intendes  animum  studiis  et  rebus  honestis, 
invidia  vel  amore  vigil  torquebere.     Nam  cur 
quae  laedunt  oculum  festiuas  demere ;  si  quid 
est  animum,  differs  curandi  tempus  in  annum  ? 

40      Dimidium  facti  qui  coepit  habet :  sapere  aude  : 
incipe.     Qui  recte  vivendi  prorogat  horam, 
rusticus  exspectat  dum  defluat  amnis;  at  ille 
labitur  et  labetur  in  omne  volubilis  aevum. 
Quaeritur  argentum  puerisque  beata  creandis 


35-36.  The  two  meanings,  lit- 
eral and  figurative,  are  intention- 
ally run  together ;  <  unless  you 
waken  early  to  work,  you  will  find 
yourself  sleepless  as  a  result  of 
your  self-indulgence,  and  unless 
you  study  philosophy,  you  will 
suffer  from  the  passions  that  phi- 
losophy would  have  cured.'  — 
posces:  so  Epist.  2,  I,  112  f., 
priiis  orto  sole  vigil  calamuin  et 
chartas  et  scrinia  posco.  The 
habit  of  reading  or  writing  in  the 
early  morning,  reclining  on  a 
couch,  was  general.  —  rebus  ho- 
nestis :  i.e.,  philosophy,  which  is 
alluded  to  with  increasing  distinct- 
ness in  curandi  39,  sapere  40,  and 
recte  vivendi  41. 

37.  cur:  with  both  verbs,  festi- 
nas  and  differs;  'why  is  it  that 
you  hasten  .  .  .  and  yet  post- 
pone ...  ? ' 

39.  est :  from  edo. 

40.  dim  id  him  .  .  .  habet :  a  fa- 
miliar  proverb ;    '  well    begun   is 
half  done.' 


42*  rusticus:  i.e.,  'is  like  the 
countryman  who  .  .  .  ,'  with  the 
condensed  comparison  so  frequent 
in  Horace.  The  story  is  not  other- 
wise known  to  us,  but  the  brief 
form  of  the  allusion  presupposes  a 
knowledge  of  it  on  the  part  of  the 
readers.  —  ille :  amnis. 

43.  The  repetition  of  the  letter 
/,  the  feminine  caesura,  and  the 
rapid  movement  of  the  line  are  in- 
tentional.    Cf.  Epod.  1 6,  48,  lez>is 
crepante  lyjnpha  desilit  pede. 

44.  From  this  point  the  exhor- 
tations become  more  specific,  be- 
ginning, as  always  in  Horace,  with 
exhortations    addressed    to    men 
of   wealth    (44-54).  —  quaeritur: 
emphatic  ;      '  men      are      always 
seeking.'  —  beata:     rich;  dotata. 
—  creandis  :  the  formula  of  mar- 
riage contract  contained  the  words 
liberorum  quaerundontin  causa  as 
expressing  the  legitimate  object  of 
marriage,  the  founding  of  a  fam- 
ily.     The  insertion  of  beata  into 
the  phrase  is1  intentional  irony. 


HOR.  KP.  —  3 


33 


HoKATl 


45      uxor  et  incultae  pacantur  vomere  silvae ; 

quod  satis  est  cui  contingit,  nihil  amplius  optet. 
Non  domus  et  fundus,  non  aeris  acervus  et  auri 
aegroto  domini  deduxit  corpore  febris, 
non  animo  curas  ;  valeat  possessor  oportet, 

50      si  comportatis  rebus  bene  cogitat  uti. 

Qui  cupit  aut  metuit,  iuvat  ilium  sic  domus  et  res, 
ut  lippum  pictae  tabulae,  fomenta  podagram, 
auriculas  citharae  collecta  sorde  dolentes. 
Sincerum  est  nisi  vas,  quodcumque  infundis  acescit. 


45.  incultae  .  .  .  silvae :  merely 
a  vivid  mention  of  one  form  of 
wealth,  like  downs  el  fitndus.  47. 
Cf.  also  Carm.  i,  31,  7-10. 

46.  The  apodosis  of  44-45,  in 
paratactic  form.     For  the  thought 
cf.  Sat.  I,  I,  50,  62  flf.,  92  ff. 

48.  deduxit  :  perfect  tense  of 
"  an  action  often  done,  or  [with  a 
negative,  as  here]  never  clone  '' ; 
Lane.  §  161 1 .  '  has  never  removed 
the  fevers  from  the  body.'  The 
two  parts  of  this  sentence  also, 
like  44-46,  are  in  paratactic 
relation.  The  thought  is,  'as 
they  have  never  cured  bodily 
ills,  so  they  have  never  cured  the 
soul.' 

49-50.    '  The  owner  of  all  this 
wealth    must  first    be    well,    must 
first  cure  himself  of  his  passions,' 
if  he  hopes  to  enjoy  his  property.' 

—  valeat  .  .  .  oportet :    parataxis. 

—  bene:  with  uti.  —  The  thought 
is  expressed  at  greater  length  in 
Sat.  2,  3,  104-120. 

51.    cupit   aut   metuit:    i.e.,   is 


under  the   dominion  of  the  pas- 
sions. —  sic  ut :  110  more  .  .  .  than. 

52.  lippum:    this   disease,   fre- 
quently   referred    to    in    Horace, 
would  not  actually  blind  the  vic- 
tim, but  would  render  the  use  of 
his  eyes  so  painful  that  he  could 
not     enjoy    the    finest    painting. 
—  fomenta :  not  poultices  to  cure 
the  gout,  but  warm  wrappings  or 
foot  muffs   used  by  the  luxurious 
(Sen.   de  Prmrid.  4,  9;    de   Vita 
Beat.  1 1 ) .    But  a  sufferer  from  the 
acute  pains  of  gout  would  get  no 
pleasure  from  them. 

53.  collecta  sorde :    with  dolen- 
tes. 

54.  This  summarizes  the  argu- 
ments of  44  ff.,  esp.  that  of  49-50, 
in  a  single  condensed  comparison  : 
'the    man,    I    say,   must   first   be 
sound    himself  in   order   to   find 
his  possessions  sweet  to  him,  as 
a  jar  must  be  clean  if  it  is  to  keep 
sweet  the  wine  that  is  poured  intc 
it.1     It  will  be  seen  that  this  treat- 
ment of  tlie  familiar  theme  is  more 


34 


KPISTVLAE 


i,  2,  68] 


55      Sperne  voluptates ;  nocet  empta  dolore  voluptas. 
Semper  avarus  eget ;  certum  voto  pete  finem. 
Invidus  alterius  macrescit  rebus  opimis ; 
invidia  Siculi  non  invenere  tyranni 
maius  tormentum.     Qui  non  moderabitur  irae, 

60      infectum  volet  esse  dolor  quod  suaserit  et  mens, 
dum  poenas  odio  per  vim  festinat  inulto. 
Ira  furor  brevis  est:  animum  rege,  qui  nisi  paret, 
imperat;  hunc  frenis,  hunc  tu  compesce  catena. 
Fingit  equum  tenera  docilem  cervice  magister 

65      ire  viam  qua  monstret  eques;  venaticus  ex  quo 
tempore  cervinam  pellem  latravit  in  aula, 
militat  in  silvis  catulus.     Nunc  adbibe  puro 
pectore  verba  puer,  nunc  te  melioribus  offer. 


mature  and  more  profound  than 
the  earlier  treatment  in  Sat.  i,  i 
or  2,  3. 

55-63.  Brief  apothegms  on 
pleasure,  avarice,  envy,  and  anger. 

56.  certum  :  definite,  fixed,  since 
the  great  danger  is  that  the  ai>arns 
will  never  know  quod  satis  est. 
—  voto :  to  the  desires,  which 
are  expressed  as  solemnly  as  a 
vow. 

58.  Siculi  .  .  .  tyranni  :  their 
cruelty  and  their  ingenuity  in  in- 
venting tortures  had  become  pro- 
verbial. 

60.  infectum  volet :  />.,  '  shall 
often  have  occasion  to  wish  that 
he  could  undo  .  .  . '  —  dolor  et 
mens:  'anger  (wens')  roused  by 
a  sense  of  injury  (dolor). .'  —  odio 
.  .  .  inulto :  •  for  his  unsatisfied 
hatred.' 


62.  brevis:  while  it  fasts;  the 
emphasis  is  upon  furor,  a  raging 
madness. 

63.  frenis:  anticipating  the  fig- 
ure of  the  horse.  —  catena :    an- 
ticipating the  comparison  with  the 
hound. 

64.  tenera    docilem :     the    em- 
phatic  words.      Training    should 
begin  early. 

65-66.  ex  quo  tempore:  i.e.,  his 
training  is  begun  in  the  courtyard, 
as  in  a  school.  The  hound  was 
trained  by  means  of  a  stuffed  figure 
of  a  deer,  which  he  was  taught  to 
bark  at. 

67-68.  nunc,  puer.  nunc  :  empha- 
sizing in  its  direct  application  to 
Lollins  the  truth  which  had  been 
set  forth  in  figures,  that  youth  is 
lthafctime  t^learn.  —  melioribus: 
cf.  Epist.  f^^48.  meliori  credere, 


35 


I,  2,  69]  HORATI 

Quo  semel  est  imbuta  recens  servabit  odorem 
70      testa  diu.     Quodsi  cessas  aut  strenuus  anteis, 
nee  tardum  opperior  nee  praecedentibus  insto. 

of  acknowledging  the  authority  of  70-71.    The     frequent     jesting 

the  philosopher.  close,  with  humorous  abruptness. 

69.    recens:  continuing  the  idea  '  Such  is  my  advice.     Take  it  and 

of  tenera,  catulus,  piter.     For  the  go  your  way.     But,  as  for  mo,  I 

general  thought  cf.  Carm.  I,  20,2,  am  middle-aged  and  shall  neither 

Graeca  quod  ego  ipse  testa  con-  wait  for  you,  if  you  are  slow,  nor 

ditmn  levi,  which  refers  to  the  fact  press  after  you,  if  you  hurry  on ..." 
that  the  jar  kept  the  flavor  of  the 
Greek  wine. 


The  date  is  fixed  by  the  first  lines.  In  the  year  20  Tiberius  went  to 
the  East  as  the  personal  representative  of  Augustus,  taking  with  him, 
as  was  usual  on  such  occasions,  a  considerable  retinue.  Among  those 
who  accompanied  him  were  several  young  men  interested  in  literature, 
as  was  Tiberius  himself. 

Julius  Florus,  to  whom  the  letter  is  addressed,  is  the  same  person  to 
whom  Epist.  2,  2  is  dedicated.  Both  letters  are  evidence  of  his  friend- 
ship with  Tiberius,  as  of  his  interest  in  literature,  but  beyond  this 
nothing  is  known  with  certainty  of  him. 

'  I  am  anxious  to  know,  my  dear  Florus,  where  you  and  your  com- 
panions are.  In  Thrace  ?  Or  on  the  Hellespont  ?  Or  already  in 
Asia  ?  And  what  are  you  doing  ?  Who  has  undertaken  the  epic  on 
Augustus  ?  How  is  Titius,  my  Pindaric  hero  ?  Or  has  he  turned 
tragic  poet  ?  And  how  is  Celsus  ?  Remind  him  again  of  that  fable  of 
Aesop.  And  what  are  you  undertaking  ?  I  expect  great  things  of  you, 
whatever  line  you  choose  to  follow.  If  only  you  would  drop  some  of 
your  ambitions  and  turn  to  philosophy  !  This  —  as  I  am  telling  every- 
body nowadays  —  is  the  duty  of  us  all.  And.  speaking  of  duty,  have 
you  made  up  your  quarrel  with  Munatius  ?  I  hope  so,  for  I  think  too 
well  of  you  both  to  be  satisfied  with  anything  less  than  a  complete 
reconciliation.' 

This  Epistle  deserves  careful  study.  It  is,  on  the  one  hand,  a  per- 
fectly natural  letter,  expressing  the  interest  of  the  writer  in  his  corre- 
spondent, revealing,  ibr  personality  of  both  and  the  friendly  relation 
between  them.  It  reark  like  a  letter  dashed  off  in  high  spirits,  full  of 

36   " 


EPISTX  I.AK 


C',3,7 


friendly  banter,  and  yet  at  bottom  serious  enough.  On  the  other  hand. 
it  is  a  most  carefully  written  piece  of  literature,  artistic  in  expression 
and  in  the  transition  from  one  topic  to  another.  The  combination  of 
spontaneity  of  feeling  with  artistic  expression,  which  is  one  of  the 
charms  of  the  lyric  poetry  of  Catullus,  is  rarely  to  be  found  in  the  Odes. 
In  the  Satires  there  is  a  nearer  approach  to  it.  In  this  letter  it  is 
attained. 

lull  Flore,  quibus  terrarum  militet  oris 
Claudius,  August!  privignus,  scire  laboro. 
Thracane  vos  Hebrusque  nivali  compede  vinctus, 
an  freta  vicinas  inter  currentia  turres, 
~J'?J   an  pingues  Asiae  campi  collesque  morantur? 

Quid  studiosa  cohors  operum  struit  ?    Hoc  quoque  euro. 
Quis  sibi  res  gestas  Augusti  scribere  sumit  ? 


1.  terrarum:   the  plural  makes 
the   question    more    general ;    cf. 
itbi  terrarum.  —  militet :    he   was 
in  command  of  troops,  though  the 
mission  was  not  in  reality  a  cam- 
paign. —  oris  :  distant  lands ;  or  a 
is  not  necessarily  a  seashore,  but 
any  edge ;  cf.  '  ends  of  the  earth.1 

2.  Claudius :  Tiberius  Claudius 
Nero,  the  stepson  and  successor  of 
Augustus,  not  yet  adopted  as  a  son. 
—  laboro:   so  Sat.  2,  8,   19,  nosse 
laboro:  repeated  in  cttro,  vs.  6. 

3.  Thraca :  the  form  Thracia  is 
later.     In  the  Odes   Horace  uses 
the  Greek   form    Thrace.  —  nivali 
.  .  .  vinctus :   this  fixes  the  time 
of  the  year.     But  compede  vinctus 
is  not  to  be  taken  quite  literally ; 
the  cold  of  Thrace  was  proverbial. 

4.  freta :  the  Hellespont,  on  op- 
posite  sides    of  which    stood,   in 
poetic  tradition,  the  towers  of  Herd 


and  Leander,  near  Sestos  and 
Abydos.  The  Hellespont  is  here 
less  than  a  mile  wide  (vicinas)  and 
the  current  runs  swiftly. 

6.  studiosa  cohors  :  the  suite  of 
young     men     who     accompanied 
Tiberius,  as  Catullus  went  on  the 
staff  of    Memmius   to    Bithynia. 
Tiberius  was  himself  in  early  life 
interested   in   literature    and   was 
doubtless  inclined   to    follow   the 
example  of  Maecenas  and  Messala 
and  Augustus  in  the  patronage  of 
men   of    letters.  —  operum  :    with 
quid',    in  this  context  necessarily 
works  of  literature. 

7.  sumit  :   chooses,    takes   upon 
himself.     This  is  the  task  which 
had   more   than    once   been   sug- 
gested  to  Horace    (cf.  Sat.  2,  i, 

_o  ff.).  but  whkh  he  had  always 
.     There  is 
t. 


a  little  irony   n  su 


37 


, 


3,  8] 


HORATI 


10 


Bella  quis  et  paces  longum  diffundit  in  aevum  ? 
Quid  Titius,  Romana  brevi  venturus  in  ora, 
Pindarici  fontis  qui  noil  expalluit  haustus, 
fastidire  lacus  et  rivos  ausus  apertos  ? 
Vt  valet  ?     Vt  meminit  nostri  ?     Fidibusne  Latinis 
Thebanos  aptare  modos  studet  auspice  musa, 
an  tragica  desaevit  et  ampullatur  in  arte  ? 


8.  diffundit :    of   the   extensive 
circulation  that  an  epic  poem  on 
Augustus    ought     to    merit.  —  in 
aevum :  such  a  poem    should   be 
good  enough  to  endure  for  all  time. 

9.  Titius :  unknown.     The  ac- 
counts in  the  Scholiasts  are  made 
up  from  the  text.  —  in  ora  :  so  in 
the  epitaph  attributed  to  Ennius, 
volito  per  ora   viruin ;   '  soon  to 
be  famous  in  Rome.' 

lo-n.  non  expalluit :  it  required 
a  certain  audacity  to  attempt  a 
Pindaric  ode  (cf.  Carm.  4,  2,  I, 
Pindarum  quisqitis  studet  aemu- 
lari).  The  thought  is  repeated  in 
positive  form  in  a HSHS,  vs.  n.  For 
the  accus.  haustus  cf.  Carm.  3.  27, 
27,  fraudes  pallitit.  —  The  con- 
trast between  the  draughts  from 
the  fountain  of  the  Muses  on  Heli- 
con and  the  waters  of  the  public 
pool  (lacus)  or  the  stream,  easy  of 
access  to  all  (apertos},  is  used  by 
Quintilian,  10,  i.  109,  non  eniin 
pluvias,  ut  ait  Pindarus,  aquas 
colligit,  sed  vivo  gurgite  exundat, 
with  a  slightly  different  sense. 

13.    Thebanos ^.c.,  Pindaric  — 
auspice  musa  :  <?«  wijii  the  hf'Mtf^ 
the  Muses';  tiSc:  ted 


by  the  proximity  of  studet,  so  that 
it  means  '  hoping  for  the  blessing 
of  the  Muses.' 

14.  desaevit :  only  here  in  Hor- 
ace. The  word  is  coined  to  go 
with  ampullatur  and  to  express 
humorously,  because  it  is  coined, 
the  high  emotions  of  tragedy.  — 
ampullatur :  a  translation  of  A.T/KV- 
0t'£«  (cf.  A.  P.  97).  This  word, 
from  \r]KvBo<i,  ampulla,  a  flask,  was 
used  in  derision  of  the  tendency 
of  tragedy  to  run  into  bombast. 
The  figure  seems  to  be  taken  from 
the  hollow  humming  sound  made 
by  the  wind  in  the  neck  of  a  jar. 
—  It  is  certainly  impossible  to  take 
these  lines,  which  are  in  effect  a 
message  to  Titius,  quite  seriously ; 
the  phrasing  (non  expalliiit,  ausus, 
auspice,  musa,  desaevit,  ampulla- 
tur) forbids  that  interpretation. 
But  neither  can  they  be  taken,  in 
so  friendly  a  letter  meant  for  pub- 
lication, as  mere  irony.  They  are 
the  friendly  banterings  of  an  older 
man  addressed  to  a  young  friend 
of  high  ambitions  and  they  are  at 
the  same  time  a  reminder  of  the 
writer's  disinclination  to  attempt 
•cither  tragedy  or  the  Pindaric  ode. 


EPISTVLAE 


I'.  3.  25 


15      Quid  mihi  Celsus  agit  ?     Monitus  multumque  monen- 

dus, 

privatas  ut  quaerat  opes  et  tangere  vitet 
scripta,  Palatinus  quaecumque  recepit  Apollo; 
ne,  si  forte  suas  repetitum  venerit  olim 
grex  avium  plumas,  moveat  cornicula  risum 

20      f  urtivis  nudata  coloribus.     Ipse  quid  audes  ? 

Quae  circumvolitas  agilis  thyma  ?     Non  tibi  parvum 
ingenium,  non  incultum  est  et  turpiter  hirtum  : 
seu  linguam  causis  acuis  seu  civica  iura 
respondere  paras  seu  condis  amabile  carmen, 

25      prima  feres  hederae  victricis  praemia.     Quodsi 

15.  mihi :  an  excellent  example 
of  the  ethical  dative.  —  Celsus: 
this  must  be  Celsus  Albinovanus, 
addressed  in  Epist.  i,  8  as  comes 
scribaque  Neronis.  —  monitus  :  al- 
ready, when  he  was  with  me  in 
Rome. 

16-17.  privatas :  explained  by 
the  rest  of  the  line ;  he  should  not 
imitate  the  great  and  well-known 
writers,  whose  works  were  already 
in  the  library  of  the  temple  of 
Apollo,  but  should  seek  after  some 
originality. 

18-20.  The  fable  of  the  bird 
that  dressed  itself  out  in  the 
feathers  of  other  birds,  Phaedrus 
i,  3.  Horace  has  slightly  changed 
the  story  to  fit  his  purpose  here.  — 
olim  :  sometime.  —  cornicula  :  the 
diminutive  form  is  apparently  de- 
risive, the  poor  crow;  but  in  all 
fables  the  birds  and  animals  are 
changed  about  without  much  re- 
gard to  tradition  or  natural  history,  • 

39 


and  cornicula  may  be  some  smaller 
bird  of  the  crow  family.  —  Tiie 
bantering  tone  of  9-14  is  continued 
in  these  lines. 

20.  audes  :  attempt  ;  used  abso- 
lutely the  word  suggests  more  of 
encouragement  and  less  of  raillery 
than  is   implied  in  fastidire  .  .  . 
ausrts,  vs.  1  1. 

21.  thyma:    i.e.,     'from    what 
flowers  do  you  gather  honey  ?' 

22.  turpiter  hirtum  :    the  figure 
is  of  a  field  left  uncultivated  and 
therefore  ugly  with  rough-growing 
bushes. 

23-24.  causis  :  as  pleader  in 
court,  as  orator.  —  iura  respon- 
dere :  as  tun's  consttlliis,  like  Tre- 
batius  in  Sat.  2,  I.  —  carmen  :  lyric 
poetry. 

25.  hederae:  cf.  Carm.  I,  I.  29, 
doctarum  hederae  praemia  fron- 
tinw.  This  is  applicable  only  to 
-st  of  the  three  forms  of 
J.mt  is  somewhat 


i»  3.  26] 


HORATI 


frigida  curarum  fomenta  relinquere  posses, 

quo  te  caelestis  sapientia  duceret,  ires. 

Hoc  opus,  hoc  studium  parvi  properemus  et  ampli, 

si  patriae  volumus,  si  nobis  vivere  cari. 

Debes  hoc  etiam  rescribere,  sit  tibi  curae, 

quantae  conveniat,  Munatius.     An  male  sarta 

gratia  nequicquam  coit  et  rescinditur  ?     At  vos 


generalized  \>y  prima  feres ;  'you 
will  reach  the  first  rank,  you  will 
get  the  reward  of  the  ivy  wreath.1 

26-27.  fomenta:  not  like  the 
fomenta  of  Epist.  I,  2,  52,  but 
bandages  to  be  kept  wet  with  cold 
water.  This  kind  of  water  cure 
was  used  by  Augustus  on  the 
advice  of  his  physician  (Sueton. 
Aug.  81)  and  was  at  this  time  in 
fashion.  —  curarum  :  gen.  of  defi- 
nition (Lane,  §  1255)  or  material, 
like  hederae  praemia,  vs.  25.  Cf. 
Cic.  de  Fin.  2,  29,  95,  patientiae, 
fortitudinis  fomentis  dolor  miti- 
gari  solet.  The  sense  is,  '  if  you 
could  bring  yourself  to  give  up 
the  practice  of  treating  your  soul 
with  the  cold-water  bandages  that 
your  anxieties  wrap  around  you, 
you  would  follow  where  philosophy 
would  lead.'  —  sapientia  :  this 
single  reference,  with  the  two  vss. 
which  follow,  is  the  only  con- 
nection between  tlie  epistle  and 
the  social  philosophy  which  is  the 
general  theme  of  this  Book. 

28.  parvi :  not  necessarily  a  ref- 
erence to  the  circumstances  of 
either  Fionas  orjiorace  ;  cf. 
I,  I,  *C< 


29.  nobis . . .  cari :  not  different, 
in  spite  of  Lachmann's  dictum, 
from  nobis  amid  (Epist,  i,  18, 
101) ;  the  sense  is  'to  be  in 
harmony  with  others  and  with 
ourselves.' 

30-31.  debes  :  i.e.,  <I  especially 
urge  you,'  'you  are  especially 
bound  to  tell  me.'  —  etiam:  the 
earlier  part  of  the  letter  contains 
many  questions,  direct  and  in- 
direct, which  call  for  a  reply  to 
the  epistle. — sit  tibi  curae:  indi- 
rect question  after  rescribere,  the 
second  member  being  expressed 
in  the  direct  form  an  .  .  .  rescin- 
ditur f  The  sense  is  'whether 
Munatius  is  as  dear  to  you  (curae 
dat.)  as  he  ought  to  be.'  —  Muna- 
tius :  another  of  the  young  men  in 
the  retinue  of  Tiberius,  with  whom 
Florus  had  quarreled.  The  quar- 
rel had  been  partly  made  up,  and 
Horace  is  asking  whether  the 
reconciliation  was  proving  per- 
manent. —  sarta :  transferred  figu- 
ratively from  the  sewing  up  of  a 
rent  in  cloth  or  a  wound ;  cf. 
Engl.  '  patch  up  a  quarrel.' 

32.   coit:    also  a  surgical   term, 
lused  of  the  healing  of  a  wound. 

40 


EPISTVIAE 


«i  3.  36 


seu  calidus  sanguis  sen  rerum  inscitia  vexat 
indomita  cervice  feros,  ubicumque  locorum 
35      vivitis  indigni  fraternum  rumpere  foedus, 
pascitur  in  vestrum  reditum  votiva  iuvenca. 


33.  rerum  inscitia :  i.e.,  l  inexpe- 
rience in  life,  in  affairs.'     As  cali- 
dus sanguis  would  be  to  a  young 
man  a  grateful  excuse,  so  rerum 
inscitia  is  just  the  form  of  reproach 
which  would  be  most  efficacious  in 
bringing  him  back  to  good  sense. 

34.  cervice:    like   young   cattle 
or  horses  that   have  not  yet  felt 
the  yoke. 

35-  vivitis  indigni :  to  be  taken 
together ;  indigni  is  the  important 
word  ;  '  you  ought  not,  wherever 
you  may  be  (cf.  vs.  i),  to  break  so 
close  a  friendship.' 

36.  '  Nor  shall  I  permit  it ;  fcr 
I  feel  affection  for  you  both,  and 


you   must    dine    together  at   my 
house  when  you  return.' 

Vss.  30-36  are  a  kind  of  post- 
script containing  the  only  wholly 
serious  thoughts  of  the  epistle. 
The  opening  word,  debes,  connects 
them  directly  with  the  preceding 
exhortation  to  philosophy,  and  the 
closing  invitation  to  both  to  dine 
with  him  is  a  most  graceful  expres- 
sion of  his  determination  to  see 
their  friendship  renewed.  'The 
lines  are  scrupulously  neutral  and 
yet  there  is  not  a  word  that  could 
give  offense  to  Florus.  It  would 
not  be  possible  to  express  such 
thoughts  as  these  "With  greater  tact. 


The  date  of  this  Epistle  cannot  be  definitely  fixed.  The  absence  of 
any  allusion  to  the  Odes  in  vs.  I  seems  to  require  a  date  before  23  B.C., 
when  the  Odes  were  published,  and  the  reference  to  a  favorable  judg- 
ment expressed  by  Tibullus  in  regard  to  the  Satires  points  to  a  still 
earlier  date.  Tibullus  returned  to  Rome  from  a  campaign  in  Aquitania 
in  27  and  may  then  for  the  first  time  have  read  the  Satires. 

Albius  Tibullus,  addressed  in  this  epistle  and  in  Carm.  I,  33,  the 
elegiac  poet,  was  a  younger  friend  of  Horace  and  a  man  of  attractive 
character.  He  was,  however,  of  a  somewhat  melancholy  temperament, 
and  this  note  of  general  invitation  and  inquiry  is  intended  to  cheer  him. 

'  What  are  you  doing  at  your  home  in  Pedum,  my  dear  Albius  ? 
Writing  or  philosophizing  in  silence  ?  The  gods  have  given  you  much  ; 
be  grateful  for  what  you  have.  If  you  will  make  me  a  visit,  you  will 
find  me  fat  and  cheerful,  as  an  Epicurean  ought  fo  be.1 

41 


1,4. 


HORATI 


Albi,  nostrorum  sermonum  candide  iudex, 
quid  nunc  te  dicam  facere  in  regione  Pedana  ? 
Scribere  quod  Cassi  Parmensis  opuscula  vincat, 
an  taciturn  silvas  inter  reptare  salubris, 
curantem  quicquid  dignum  sapiente  bonoque  est  ? 
Non  tu  corpus  eras  sine  pectore :  di  tibi  formam, 
di  tibi  divitias  dederunt  artemque  f ruendi. 
Quid  voveat  dulci  nutricula  maius  alumno, 
qui  sapere  et  fari  possit  quae  sentiat,  et  cui 


1.  sermonum:    the    Satires.— 
candide  :    the   opposite,    nigcr,   is 
used  in  Sat.  I,  4,  85,  91.  and  can- 
didae  animae  of  Plotius  and  Va- 
rius.and  Vergil,  Sat.  i,  5,  41,     It 
means  fair  or  friendly,  rather  than 
•candid.' 

2.  dicam  :  often  inserted  into  a 
question  in  colloquial  style  (quo 
te  dicam  ego  ire?   Plant.     Cure. 
12,  nnde  id  fntiirum  dicam  ?   Ps. 
1 06)  to  increase  the  effect  of  un- 
certainty.    Cf.  Engl.  '  what  am  I 
to  suppose  that  you  are  doing  ? ' 
—  Pedana  :  Tibullus  had  an  estate 
near   Pedum,  which   was   not  far 
from  Horace's  Sabine  farm. 

3.  scribere:     sc.    dicam    te.— 
Cassi :    one   of  the   assassins   of 
Caesar,  called  Parmensis  here  to 
distinguish     him     from     Cassius 
Longinus.     He  was  put  to  death 
after  the  battle  of  Actium  by  the 
order  of  Augustus.     Of  his   lite- 
rary  activity    almost    nothing   is 
known,  but  the  comparison  here 
is  entirely  respectful.       opuscula  : 
the  word  could  properly  be  used 
of  elegies,  which  wouloXafford  a 


natural    standard    of   comparison 
for  the  poems  of  Tibullus. 

4.  taciturn  .  .  .  reptare :  this  co- 
incides well  with  the  character  of 
Tibullus,  as  it  is  revealed  in  his 
elegies. 

5.  curantem:  i.e.,  intent  upon 
philosophy. 

6-7.  eras  :  the  tense  refers  back 
to  the  time  in  the  past  when  they 
were  together,  in  contrast  to  Hor- 
ace's present  state  (HHHC,  vs.  2) 
of  ignorance.  '  You  were  not, 
when  I  knew  you.1  —  formam,  di- 
vitias, artem  :  the  blessings  of  the 
fortunate,  expressed  in  somewhat 
conventional  terms,  and  made 
more  individual  and  specific  in 
vss.  9-11. 

8.  voveat :  -wish,  pray  for.  — 
maius :  i.e.,  what  more,  what  be- 
sides ;  the  standard  of  comparison 
is  implied  in  vss.  6-7. 

9-10.  qui:  i.e.,  'if  he  have  the 
power.  .  .  .'  —  Tibullus  had  all  the 
gifts  of  fortune  here  specified 
intelligence,  power  of  expression, 
attractiveness,  a  good  narne-- 
except  perhaps  valet iuio;  he  was 


KI'ISTVLAE 


[i,  4,  16 


10      gratia,  fama,  valetudo  contingat  abunde, 
et  mundus  victus  non  deficiente  crumina  ? 
Inter  spem  curamque,  timores  inter  et  iras 
omnem  crede  diem  tibi  diluxisse  supremum  : 
grata  superveniet  quae  non  sperabitur  hora. 

15      Me  pinguem  et  nitidum  bene  curata  cute  vises, 
cum  ridere  voles,  Epicuri  de  grege  porcum. 


of  a  somewhat  melancholy  tem- 
perament, and  valetudo  is  added 
to  the  list  as  an  encouragement 
to  him  in  his  depression.  —  Vs. 
10  is  a  more  accurate  statement 
than  divitias  (7) ;  Tibullus  had 
an  estate  and  money  enough  for 
his  moderate  needs. 

12.  'In  the  ordinary  experi- 
ences of  life,  which  is  a  succes- 
sion of  varying  emotions.'  This 
description,  not  quite  in  Horace's 
usual  vein,  is  in  reality  meant  to 
be  encouraging  to  Tibullus  by 
reminding  him  that  there  is  noth- 
ing unusual  in  his  experience. 

13-14.   The  doctrine  of  the  Odes 

(i,  9,  9-16;   i,  ii  ;  2,  3;  2.  10). 

-  The  two  lines  are  in  paratactic 

relation  ;  '  accept  each  day  as  your 


last ;    (then)  you  will  be  grateful 
when  a  new  day  dawns.1 

15-16.  The  allusions  to  Hor- 
ace's own  cheerful  state  of  mind 
are  humorously  clothed  in  allu- 
sions to  his  physical  well-being. 
It  is  said  of  him  in  the  Vita  of 
Suetonius,  habitu  corporis  brevis 
fiiit  atqite  obesus.  —  cute :  cf., 
Epist.  i,  2,  29,  note.  —  vises:  i.e., 
1  you  shall  find  me  in  the  best  of 
condition,  when  you  come  to  see 
me,  as  I  hope  you  will.'  —  grege  : 
in  a  double  sense,  as  the  usual 
word  for  a  school  of  philosophy, 
and  with  reference  to  porcum.  — 
porcum  :  often  used  as  a  term  of 
reproach  of  Epicureanism,  which 
the  Romans  generally  understood 
only  in  its  less  elevated  form. 


5 

The  year  in  which  this  Epistle  was  written  is  left  entirely  uncertain, 
as  is  natural  in  an  invitation  to  dinner.  The  day  of  the  month  was 
Sept.  22d  (vs.  7). 

Torquatus  was  probably  of  the  family  of  the  Manlii  Torquati,  a  lawyer 
and  orator,  but  otherwise  unknown.  He  is  addressed  in  Carin.  4,  7, 
where  \v\s  genus,  factHtdia,  and  pietas  are  mentioned. 

The  letter  has  all  the  appearance  of  being  a  real  invitation  to  a  dinner 
that  actually  took  place  on  a  special  occasiofl.  Two  things  make  it 

43 


i,  5,  ij  HORATI 

worthy  of  preservation  in  this  collection  of  letters.  It  is,  in  the  first 
place,  a  very  successful  illustration,  in  concrete  form,  of  a  fundamental 
principle  of  Horace's  social  philosophy.  He  is  here  in  the  position  of 
the  host  of  no  wealth  or  social  position  approaching  a  man  of  high 
standing  and  of  importance  in  the  world  of  affairs.  The  merit  of  the 
invitation  is  that  it  recognizes  these  differences,  but  with  such  openness 
and  humor  as  to  show  that  the  writer  did  not  overestimate  their  impor- 
tance and  was  confident  that  his  guest  also  did  not  give  them  undue 
weight.  As  host,  Horace  is  humorously  profuse  in  saying  that  he  is 
making  anxious  preparations  for  the  dinner  ;  as  a  friend,  he  takes  for 
granted  the  absolute  equality  which  is  the  only  foundation  for  friend- 
ship, without  either  servility  or  self-assertion.  To  this  subject  his  rela- 
tion to  Maecenas  had  led  Horace  to  give  careful  attention,  and  it  is  the 
theme  of  Saf.  I,  6  and  of  two  Epistles,  7  and  18.  of  this  Book. 

In  the  second  place,  the  occasion  gave  an  opportunity  for  the  recom- 
mendation of  that  philosophy  of  moderate  enjoyment  of  pleasure  to 
which  Horace  so  frequently  recurs.  The  praise  of  wine  was  a  standing 
theme  of  Greek  and  Roman  lyric  :  an  invitation  to  dinner  furnished  an 
appropriate  motive  for  introducing  it  again. 

Si  potes  Archiacis  conviva  recumbere  lectis 
nee  modica  cenare  times  olus  omne  patella, 
supremo  te  sole  domi,  Torquate,  manebo. 
Vina  bibes  iterum  Tauro  diffusa  palustris 

i.   Archiacis:  the  implication  is  2.   olus  omne  :  i.e.,  'nothing  but 

that  this  was  some  modest  kind  the  plainest  food.1  —  patella:  the 

of  couch,  not  quite  fitted  for  use  diminutive  form  is  expressive  of 

at  a  dining  table.     The  Scholiast  the  pretended  humility, 

says   Archias  breves  lectos  fecit,  3-  supremo  sole:    'at  the   end 

which    may  be   a  genuine   tradi-  of    the    day.1     The    more    usual 

tion.  —  conviva:  to  be  taken  with  hour  was   in   the  middle  of  the 

recumbere;  ( to  recline  as  one  does  afternoon,  but  this  dinner  was  to 

at  the   table.1     Horace  does   not  be  prolonged  into  the  night,  10- 

use  the  ordinary  verb,  accumbere ;  1 1  • 

but   it   is  possible    that   there   is  4.   iterum   Tauro:    sc.   consult-. 

some  special  point  in  recumbere;  Taurus  was  consul  for  the  second 

'  if  you  are  able  to  stretch  yourself  time,  with    Augustus,    in   26  B.C. 

out  in  the  usual  way  on  a  short  The  wine  was  of  a  respectable  age, 

couch.'  though  not  at  all  remarkable.  — 

44      ^\ 


KPISTVLAK 


inter  Minturnas  Sinuessanumque  Petrinum. 
Si  melius  quid  habes,  arcesse,  vel  imperium  fer. 
lamdudum  splendet  focus  et  tibi  munda  supellex. 
Mitte  levis  spes  et  certamina  divitiarum 
et  Moschi  causam  :  eras  nato  Caesare  festus 
dat  veniam  somnumque  dies  ;  impune  licebit 
aestivam  sermone  benigno  tendere  noctem. 
Quo  mihi  fortunam,  si  non  conceditur  uti  ? 


diffusa :  bottled,  i.e.,  poured  from 
the  single  large  jar  in  which  it  had 
fermented  into  the  many  smaller 
amphorae  (hence  dis-fusci)  in 
which  it  was  sealed  up  to  ripen. 

5.  These    places    were    all    in 
the  better  wine-producing  district, 
though  not  in  the  best  part  of  it ; 
the   wine   was   neither   Falerman 
nor  Massic,  but  still  pretty  good, 
as  the  careful  description  shows. 

6.  arcesse:  send  it. — imperium 
fer :    '  or  put  yourself  under  my 
command,'  i.e.,  '  take  what  I  give 
you,'  but  with  a  secondary  refer- 
ence to  the  office  of  magister  bi- 
bendi,  which  Horace  pretends  to 
assume  for  himself.  —  The  line  is 
to  be  taken  humorously,  as  a  sort 
of  climax  to  the  description  of  the 
dinner. 

8-9.  mitte :  a  natural  and  per- 
haps also  a  conventional  part  of  an 
invitation  to  a  banquet ;  cf.  Carm. 
3,  8,  17,  mitte  ciirilis  super  nrbe 
earns;  Car  in.  \,  26,1-6.  —  spes: 
a  very  general  reference  to  all 
kinds  of  ambition.  —  certamina  di- 
vitiarum :  a  more  definite  reference 
to  the  struggle  for  wealth  which. 


in  Horace's  judgment,  was  far  too 
common  at  Rome  ;  divitiarum  is 
an  objective  gen. — Moschi  causam : 
a  direct  allusion  to  a  case  which 
was  then  occupying  the  attention 
of  Torquatus.  Moschus  was  a 
rhetorician,  accused  of  poisoning, 
and  defended  by  Torquatus  and 
Asinius  Pollio. 

9.  nato  Caesare :  to  a  reader  of 
Horace's  time  this  bare  phrase 
would  have  been  perfectly  intelli- 
gible;  to  us,  knowing  little  of 
the  circumstances,  it  is  not  clear 
whether  the  reference  is  to  Julius 
Caesar  or  to  Augustus.  But  we 
know  of  no  custom  of  celebrating 
the  birthday  of  Julius  Caesar  so 
long  after  his  death  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  birthday  of  Augus- 
tus was  an  occasion  for  festivities 
(Sueton.  Oct.  62).  This  fell  on 
September  23,  and  we  must  there- 
fore take  aestivam  (vs.  11)  in  a 
general  sense.  The  weather  would 
still  be  summer-like  at  that  date.  — 
festus :  there  would  be  no  session 
of  courts  and  no  public  business. 

12.  fortunam  :  the  accus.  is  reg- 
ular in  this  exclamation :  cf.  Sat. 


HORATI 


Parcus  ob  heredis  curam  nimiumque  severus 
adsidet  insano  ;  potare.et  spargere  flores 
incipiam,  patiarque  vel  inconsultus  haberi. 
Quid  non  ebrietas  designat  ?     Operta  recludit, 
spes  iubet  esse  ratas,  ad  proelia  trudit  inertem, 
sollicitis  animis  onus  eximit,  addocet  artes. 
Fecundi  calices  quern  non  fecere  disertum, 
contracta  quern  non  in  paupertate  solutum  ? 
Haec  ego  procurare  et  idoneus  imperor  et  non 
invitus  :  ne  turpe  toral,  ne  sordida  mappa 


2,  5,  102;  2,  7,  116;  with  slight 
variations  the  phrase  occurs  half  a 
dozen  times,  followed  by  a  st- 
clause.  It  is  not  necessary  to  sup- 
ply any  definite  verb.  '  What  is 
fortune  for  if  not  for  use  ? '  Cf.  the 
same  thought  more  fully  expressed 
in  Carm.  2,  3,  9  ff. 

13.  parcus  .  .  .  curam:  'the man 
who  starves  himself  in  order  to 
provide  for  his  heir.'     Cf.  Carm. 
2,  14,  25,  absitmet  heres. 

14.  adsidet :  Engl. '  is  next  door 
to.'     Cf.  'sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the 
scornful.'      Those   who  are  alike 
will  naturally  sit  together.  — flores  : 
a  usual  accompaniment  of  a  feast. 

15.  inconsultus:    Horace's  best 
phrase  for  this  is  duke  est  desipere 
in  IIKO  {Carm.  4,  12,  28);  here, 
however,  the  word  is  selected  with 
reference  to  his  giK'st.  who  is  juris 
consultus    and   would    regard   in- 
consnltiis  as  a  synonym  of  hi-santts 
or  in-sipiens. 

16-18.   ebrietas:  not.  of  course, 
intoxication,  but  the  exhilaration 


produced  by  wine.  The  best  com- 
mentary on  this  passage  is  Carm. 
3,  2 1 ,  1 3-20  ;  designat  (effect,  ac- 
complish) is  the  same  as  tu  lene 
tor  men1  urn  (i.e.,  stimulus)  ingenio 
admm/es  \  plerumque  duro ;  operta 
recludit  is  a  short  phrase  for  tu 
sapientium  \  curas  et  arcanum 
iocoso  |  consilittm  retegis  Lyaeo ; 
spes  iubet  esse  ratas  is  equivalent 
to  tu  spent  reducis  mentibus  anxiis, 
and  ad  proelia  trudit  inertem  to 
virisque  et  addis  cornua  pauperi. 
The  following  phrases,  however, 
have  no  precise  parallel  in  the  Ode. 

19-20.  fecundi:  frequent,  fre- 
quently refilled ';  in  effect  the  same 
as  ebrietas.  —  contracta :  contrasted 
with  soli/turn  at  the  end  of  the 
verse;  'freed  from  the  limitations 
of  poverty.' 

az.  haec  :  the  details  of  arrange- 
ment and  preparation  which  follow 
in  tie  and  ///  clauses.  —  imperor : 
/  am  bound,  as  host,  •  I  take  it 
upon  myself.' 

22-25     <-'•  m  general,  Sat.  2.  4, 


EPISTVLAE  l'.5»ji 

corruget  nares ;  ne  non  et  cantharus  et  lanx 

ostendat  tibi  te ;  ne  fidos  inter  amicos 
25      sit  qui  dicta  foras  eliminet;  ut  coeat  par 

iungaturque  pari.     Butram  tibi  Septiciumque 

et  nisi  cena  prior  potiorque  puella  Sabinum 

detinet  adsumam.     Locus  est  et  pluribus  umbris ; 

sed  nimis  arta  premunt  olidae  convivia  caprae. 
30      Tu  quotus  esse  velis  rescribe  et  rebus  omissis 

atria  servantem  postico  falle  clientem. 

81-87,  where  some  emphasis  is  the  chief  guest  might  bring  with 
laid  upon  the  fact  that  these  mat-  him.  Cf.  Sat.  2,  8,  22,  qnas  Mae- 
ters  demand  only  attention,  not  cenas  adduxerat  umbras.  —  But 
expense,  and  are  therefore  within  not  so  many  as  to  make  it  neces- 
the  reach  of  persons  of  moderate  sary  to  sit  close  together, 
means,  as  Horace  represents  him-  30-31.  quotus:  /.*.,'  name  your 
self  to  be.  —  ostendat:  i.e.,  'be  number,' and  I  will  provide  accord- 
brightly  polished.' —  eliminet:  ingly. —  rescribe:  the  note  was 
'carry  beyond  the  threshold  of  the  sent  by  a  slave,  who  would  wait 
dining  room.'  for  an  answer.  —  rebus  omissis: 

26-27.   The   three   men    named  'drop  your  business';  a  renewal 

are   all   unknown    to   us.  —  prior:  of  the  exhortation  in  vs.  8.  —  The 

earlier,  one  to  which  he  has  al-  humorous  suggestion  of  vs.  31  is 

ready  .been  invited.  also  an  indirect  compliment  to  the 

28-29.  umbris :    persons   whom  busy  lawyer. 


There  is  no  evidence  to  determine  the  date  of  this  Epistle,  and 
Numicius.  whose  name  stands  in  the  first  line,  is  entirely  unknown. 

•  The  steady  composure  of  philosophy  is  the  only  source  of  happiness, 
Numicius.  If  men  can  look  without  superstitious  dread  upon  the  won- 
ders of  the  universe,  they  must  surely  be  able  to  look  without  passion 
upon  the  petty  attractions  of  ambition  and  wealth,  neither  desiring  their 
rewards  nor  fearing  their  loss.  For  they  are  all  a  passing  show,  here 
to-day  and  gone  to-morrow.  But  the  rewards  of  philosophy  are 
permanent. 

'  You  think  otherwise  ?  Very  well  ;  follow  your  own  course.  Hurry 
and  labor  to  get  rich  and  then  to  get  richer,  until  you  are  so  rich  that 


- 


1,6,1] 


IIORATI 


your  money  is  a  mere  superfluity  to  you  and  ,1  temptation  to  thieves. 
Or  is  it  office  that  is  to  make  you  happy  ?  Then  crawl  in  the  dirt  to 
get  votes.  Or  are  you  going  to  lie  a  lover  of  good  dinners  ?  That  is 
a  simple  ambition,  and.  certainly  a  low  one.  Or  is  it  to  be  love  and 
jests  ?  You  know  where  that  ends. 

'  If  this  statement  of  your  views  does  not  suit  you,  make  a  better  one 
or  else  accept  my  ideals.' 

This  Epistle  is  not  a  letter.  In  its  general  form  it  is  not  essentially 
different  from  the  Satires  of  the  First  Book.  The  only  indications  of 
that  personal  tone  which  distinguishes  a  letter  from  a  short  essay  are 
the  purely  formal  address  in  vs.  i,  the  two  dosing  lines,  and  the  possi- 
ble allusion  to  the  opinions  of  Numicius  in  vs.  3  1  ,  1'irtntem  verba  pittas. 
These,  however,  are  too  slight  to  produce  the  impression  of  a  letter. 
For  this  reason  it  may  be  surmised  that  this  is  one  of  the  earlier  of  the 
Epistles,  in  which  Horace  is  endeavoring  to  shape  a  new  form  for  his 
social  comments,  different  from  the  Lucilian  form  of  the  First  Book  and 
from  the  dialogue  form  of  the  Second  Book. 

In  the  substance  of  the  Epistle,  however,  in  the  handling  of  the 
familiar  thoughts  about  wealth  and  ambition,  there  is  a  decided  change. 
Horace  here  writes  as  one  to  whom  philosophy  is  a  reality,  an  actual 
and  accepted  guide  in  the  affairs  of  life.  In  this  respect  the  Epistle  is 
quite  unlike  the  earlier  work  and  this  element  brings  it  into  harmony 
with  the  other  writings  in  this  collection. 

Nil  admirari  prope  res  est  una,  Numici, 
solaque,  quae  possit  facere  et  servare  beatum. 
Hunc  solem  et  Stellas  et  decedentia  certis 
tempora  momentis  sunt  qui  formidine  nulla 


x.  nil  admirari:  to  be  undis- 
tnrbed  in  spirit,  '  to  be  free  from 
the  distractions  of  fear  and  desire.' 
No  words  in  Horace  or  perhaps 
in  Latin  literature  have  been 
more  completely  misunderstood 
than  these.  Horace  is  not  preach- 
ing  indifferentism  :  the  words 
stand  for  that  self-control  and 
inward  composure  which,  under 
various  names  (dra^tcYu.  airdOtta.), 


was  the  end  sought  after  in  all 
Greek  systems  of  philosophy.  To 
express  this  he  translates  TO 
firjSiv  0ui>/xo£etv,  a  phrase  used  by 
Pythagoras  and  often  repeated  in 
later  philosophical  writings.  The 
same  thought  is  expressed  in  vs. 
14,  below. 

3-5.  hunc  :  as  if  pointing  to  it. 
—  tempera  :  the  seasons.  —  mo- 
mentis  :  not  times,  but  c/ianges, 


EPISTVLAE 


[1,6,  14 


imbuti  spectent ;  quid  censes  munera  terrae, 
quid  maris  extremes  Arabas  ditantis  et  Indos, 
ludicra  quid  plausus  ct  arnici  dona  Quiritis, 
quo  spectanda  modo,  quo  sensu  credis  et  ore? 
Qui  timet  his  adversa,  fere  miratur  eodem 
quo  cupiens  pacto ;  pavor  est  utrobique  molestus, 
improvisa  simul  species  exterret  utrumque. 
Gaudeat  an  doleat,  cupiat  metuatne,  quid  ad  rem, 
si  quidquid  vidit  melius  peiusque  sua  spe 
defixis  oculis  animoque  et  corpore  torpet  ? 


alternations  (movi-mentis}.  —  The 
machinery  of  the  universe  is  looked 
upon  by  the  savage  as  something 
awful,  something  to  be  feared,  but 
some  men  (especially  the  Epi- 
curean philosophers  like  Lucre- 
tius) can  gaze  upon  its  wonders 
without  superstitious  dread.  The 
whole  sentence  is  a  paratactic 
protasis  to  the  thought  of  vss.  5-8  ; 
'  if  men  can  look  upon  the  wonders 
of  nature  without  undue  excite- 
ment, can  we  not  remain  unmoved 
by  trifles  like  wealth  or  office?' 

5-8.  quid  censes :  the  question 
is  put  in  its  most  general  form  and 
then  taken  up  at  the  end  in  the 
more  definite  form  in  vs.  8.  This 
is  a  colloquialism,  like  the  use  of 
quid  ais  ?  to  introduce  a  question. 
Cf.  Cic.  pro  Rose.  17,  49,  'quid 
censes  hunc  ipsum  Sex.  Roscium, 
quo  studio  et  qua  intellegentia  esse 
in  rusticis  rebus?'  and  often. — 
maris :  with  munera ;  the  refer- 
ence is  to  pearls  from  the  eastern 
seas.  —  ludicra  .  .  .  plausus:  the 

HOR.  KP. — 4  49 


absurd  applause ;  plausus  is  appo- 
sitional  gen.  with  ludicra.  [The 
line  is,  however,  by  no  means  clear 
in  sense.]  —  dona :  i.e.,  offices.  — 
ore  :  expression ;  i.e.,  '  with  what 
kind  of  looks.' 

g.  his  ...  adversa :  the  oppo- 
sites  of  wealth  (vs.  6)  and  honors 
(vs.  7).  —  miratur:  his  fear  of 
poverty  is  in  effect  the  same  kind 
of  emotion  as  love  of  money ; 
either  is  an  unworthy  passion. 

1 1 .  simul :  =  simul  ac,  as  often. 
—  species :    i.e.,    the    unexpected 
appearance  of  either  success   or 
defeat. 

12.  quid  ad  rem:  i.e.,  what  dif- 
ference does  it  make  whether  it  is 
pleasure  or  pain?  — The  argument 
of  these  lines  is  enforced  by  being 
repeated  in  different  forms,    mira- 
tur =  pavor  =  torpet ;   improvisa 
species  =  melius  peiusque  sua  spe ; 
but  the  variation  is  produced  by 
the  use  of  slightly  changed  figures, 
so  that  there  is  no  impression  of 
useless  repetition. 


1,6,  is] 


Insani  nomen  sapiens  ferat,  aequus  iniqui, 

ultra  quam  satis  est  virtutem  si  petat  ipsam. 

I  nunc,  argentum  et  marmor  vetus  aeraque  et  artes 

suspice,  cum  gemmis  Tyrios  mirare  colores ; 

gaude  quod  spectant  oculi  te  mille  loquentem  ; 

navus  mane  forum  et  vespertinus  pete  tectum, 

ne  plus  frumenti  dotalibus  emetat  agris 

Mutus  et  —  indignum,  quod  sit  peioribus  ortus,— 

hie  tibi  sit  potius  quam  tu  mirabilis  illi. 

Quicquid  sub  terra  est  in  apricum  proferet  aetas, 


15-16.  This  is  a  summary  of 
the  argument  in  an  extreme,  al- 
most paradoxical,  form  ;  '  even  the 
pursuit  of  the  philosophic  coolness 
may  be  too  ardent/  —  insani  no- 
men  .  .  .  ferat:  cf.,  with  the  same 
meaning,  adsidet  insano,  Epist.  i, 
5,  14.  —  aequus:  this  particular 
virtue  is  selected  for  specification, 
after  the  general  word  sapiens,  be- 
cause this  is  precisely  the  virtue 
which  should  prevent  ultra  quam 
satis  est. 

17-18.  i  nunc:  /.<?.,  'in  view  of 
these  facts  go  on,  if  you  can,  and 
surrender  yourself  to  the  passion 
for  art  or  honors  or  wealth/  — 
The  objects  named  in  these  lines 
have  not  been  mentioned  above ; 
they  are  the  signs  of  a  life  of  lux- 
ury and  self-indulgence,  silver 
plate,  statues,  and  other  artistic 
objects.  Cf.  the  reference  in  Sat. 
2,  7,  95  to  excessive  devotion  to 
the  enjoyment  of  art,  which  is 
there  satirized  as  a  form  of 
slavery. 


19.  The  gratified  ambition  of 
the  orator. 

20-23.    The  seeker  after  money. 

—  forum :  as  the  market  place,  the 
Exchange,  not  the  place  of  public 
business.  —  vespertinus  :  only  the 
especially  eager  man  of  business 
would    stay   so   late.  —  frumenti : 
one  form  of  wealth,  as  in  Sat.  I, 
i,   49  ff.  and   often.  —  dotalibus: 
this  is  parenthetic  in  sense,  like 
the  formal  parenthesis  in  the  next 
line ;    '  lest  Mutus  should  have  a 
larger     income     than     you  —  his 
money  came  from  his  wife,  by  the 
way,  and  he  is  a  man  of  very  hum- 
ble origin/  —  emetat:  reap,  liar- 
vest;  only  here  in  classical  Latin. 

—  Mutus  :  unknown.     He  is  of  the 
same    class   as    the   man    who   is 
attacked  in  Epod.  4. 

24-25.  The  emphasis  is  on  the 
second  part  of  the  sentence,  defo- 
diet  condetque,  and  the  first  part  is 
in  sense  a  clause  of  comparison ; 
'as  time  lias  brought  all  this  to 
light,  so  time  will  bury  it  all/  — 


A 


EP1STVLAE 


25      defodiet  condetque  nitentia.     Cum  bene  notum 
porticus  Agrippae  et  via  te  conspexerit  Appi, 
ire  tamen  restat  Numa  quo  devenit  et  Ancus. 
Si  latus  aut  renes  morbo  tentantur  acuto, 
quaere  f  ugam  morbi.     Vis  recte  vivere  :  (quis  non  ?) 

30      si  virtus  hoc  una  potest  dare,  fortis  omissis 
hoc  age  deliciis.     Virtutem  verba  putas  et 


in  apricum :  i.e.,  into  the  light  of 
day,  into  our  range  of  vision.  This 
particular  expression  for  a  thought 
which  is  more  frequently  expressed 
by  birth  and  death  or  growth  and 
decay  is  chosen  in  order  to  con- 
tinue the  figure  of  seeing,  gazing 
upon,  which  is  prominent  in  the 
earlier  lines  (spectent  5,  spectanda 
8,  species  11,  vidit  13,  oculis  14, 
suspice  1 8). 

25.  bene  notum:  i.e.,  when  you 
win  the  fame  you  are  seeking. 

26.  porticus  Agrippae :    a   new 
portico   opened   in   the    year  25. 
Cf.  also  Epist.  i,  i,  71.  — via  .  .  . 
Appi :  the  same  form  (for  Appia 
via)  in  Epist.  i,  18,  20.    This  was 
a  favorite   place  for  driving ;   cf. 
Epod.  4.  14,  Appiam  mannis  terit. 

28-68.  *  Since  philosophy  is,  as 
I  have  proved,  the  only  source 
of  happiness,  give  up  all  else  — 
money  making,  ambition,  pleasure 
—  and  seek  this/  The  thought 
is  clear,  but  its  connection  with  the 
earlier  part  of  the  Epistle  is  some- 
what obscured  by  the  detailed  de- 
scription of  the  three  pursuits 
which  are  to-  be  abandoned. 

28.    This  line,  with  quod  instead 


of  si,  is  repeated  from  Sat.  2,  3, 
163;  cf.  Epist.  i,  i,  56.  In  this 
case  there  is  no  point  in  the  repe- 
tition, which  seems  to  be  merely 
an  accidental  reminiscence. 

29.  vis :     a    condition    in    the 
form  of  a  statement,  in  order  to 
avoid    the    awkwardness    of    two 
conditions  with  one  main  clause, 
hoc  age. 

30.  virtus  .  .    .  una:    referring 
back  to  vs.  i.  —  omissis:  this   is 
the    real    verb,   corresponding  to 
quaere  fugam ;    '  if    you   have  a 
disease  of  the  body,  go  to  a  doctor 
and  be  cured ;  if  you  have  a  dis- 
ease of  the  soul  and  wish  to  be 
freed  from  it  (recte  -vivere),  then 
give  up  the  follies  that  have  caused 
it  and —  if  my  argument  has  con- 
vinced you  that  philosophy  is  the 
only  cure  —  go  to  philosophy.' 

31.  The    opposite    of    vs.    30; 
'but  if  you  think  that  philosophy 
is   nonsense,   then   go   your  own 
way.'     The  rest  of  the  Epistle  is 
an   amplification  of  this  thought, 
expressed   in  words  which  reveal 
the  unsoundness  of  the    hope  of 
finding   happiness   in   such   ways 
and  therefore,  by  indirection,  re- 


',  6,  32] 


HORATI 


lucum  ligna :  cave  ne  portus  occupet  alter, 

ne  Cibyratica,  ne  Bithyna  negotia  perdas; 

mille  talenta  rotundentur,  totidem  altera,  porro  et 

35      tertia  succedant,  et  quae  pars  quadret  acervum. 
Scilicet  uxorem  cum  dote  fidemque  et  amicos 
et  genus  et  formam  regina  pecunia  donat, 
ac  bene  nummatum  decorat  Suadela  Venusque. 
Mancipiis  locuples  eget  aeris  Cappadocum  rex: 

40      ne  fueris  hie  tu.     Chlamydes  Lucullus,  ut  aiunt, 
si  posset  centum  scaenae  praebere  rogatus, 
'  Qui  possum  tot  ? '  ait,  '  Tamen  et  quaeram  et  quot 
habebo 


mind  the  reader  of  the  doctrine  of 
vs.  i  and  vs.  30. 

32.  lucum  ligna:  i.e.,  to  think 
that  philosophy  is  mere  words  is 
as  foolish  as  to  think  that  a  sacred 
grove  is  nothing  but  so  much  fire- 
wood. —  portus  occupet :  not  as  in 
Carm.  i,  14,  2,  where  the  port  is 
a  harbor  of  refuge  from  storm  ;  the 
port  MS  is  here  the  harbor  where 
the  cargo  is  to  be  sold  and  the 
first  comer  will  get  the  best  prices. 

33-  Cibyratica:  business  with 
Cibyra,  a  city  in  Asia  Minor.  — 
negotia:  ventures  was  the  word 
used  in  the  China  trade. 

35.  quadret :     '  make    the    pile 
four-square,'    add    still    a    fourth 
thousand  talents. 

36.  scilicet :  of  course,  you  know, 
often  as  here  with  irony.  —  fidem: 
credit,  in  the  business  sense. 

37.  regina :  another  ironical  sug- 
gestion  of  the  absurdity  of  this 
ideal. 


38.  Suadela:    goddess  of  per- 
suasive   eloquence.  —  The    terms 
used   here  are   in  part   the  same 
used  in  stating  the  Stoic  Paradox 
that  the  sapiens  possesses  every- 
thing; cf.  Sat.  i,  3,  123  ff. 

39.  mancipiis :  with  locuples.  — 
aeris :     after    eget.  —  Cappadocia 
furnished  many  slaves  to  Roman 
masters,  but  the  kingdom  was  hard 
pressed   for  cash  {aeris).     Of  the 
previous  king  Cicero  says, '  nullum 
aerarium,   nullum    vectigal    habet 
.  .  .  nihil  illo  regno  spoliatius,  nihil 
rege  egentius,'  ad  Att,  6,  i,  3. 

40.  ne  fueris :    i.e.  '  do   not  be 
content  unless  you  have  wealth  of 
every  kind,'  of  course  ironically. 
—  The  following  story  of  Lucullus 
is    repeated     also     by     Plutarch, 
Lucull.    39,   with    a   reference   to 
Horace's  comment  in  vs.  45. 

41.  scaenae:    the    cloaks    were 
needed  to  dress  a  .large   chorus, 
who  were  to  appear  in  rich  dress. 


EPISTVLAE 


i.  6,  53 


mittam.'     Post  paullo  scribit  sibi  milia  quinque 
esse  clomi  chlamydum  ;  partem  vel  tolleret  omnes. 

45      Exilis  domus  est,  ubi  non  et  multa  supersunt 
ct  dominum  fallunt  et  prosunt  furibus.     Ergo 
si  res  sola  potest  facere  et  servare  beatum, 
hoc  primus  repetas  opus,  hoc  postremus  omittas. 
Si  fortunatum  species  et  gratia  praestat, 

50      mercemur  servum  qui  dictet  nomina,  laevum 
qui  fodicet  latus  et  cogat  trans  pondera  dextram 
porrigere.     '  Hie  multum  in  Fabia  valet,  ille  Velina; 
cui  libet  hie  fasces  dabit,  eripietque  curule 


43.  milia  quinque  :       Plutarch, 
with  the  sobriety  of  a  biographer, 
puts  the  number  at  two  hundred. 

44.  tolleret :  the  subject  is  the 
praetor  who  was  giving  the  games ; 
in  the  note  it  would  be  tolle. 

45-46.  The  application  of  the 
story.  '  Don't  be  like  the  king  of 
Cappadocia,  but  be  really  rich, 
like  Lucullus,  who  had  more  things 
than  he  could  possibly  use  —  mere 
plunder  for  thieves.' 

47.  A  reminder  of  vss.  1-2  and 
therefore  of  the  ironical  meaning 
of  all  this  exhortation. 

48.  This  also  repeats  vs.  20.  in  a 
slightly  different  form,  and  the  rep- 
etition has  the  effect  of  saying, '  we 
are  back  where  we  were  before.1 

49-55-  '  If  office  holding  is  your 
ideal,  then  use  the  unpleasant 
methods  of  the  politician.' 

49.  species :  the  state  and  splen- 
dor of  high  office.  —  gratia :    the 
personal  influence  that  wins  votes. 

50.  servum:     the    nomenclator, 


whose  business  it  was  to  know  the 
names  of  citizens  and  remind  his 
master,  so  that  the  master  might 
greet  them  as  if  he  remembered 
them. 

51.  fodicet:  a  colloquial  word, 
nudge.  —  The  rest   of    the  verse 
contains     an    allusion     to    some 
action   of  a    candidate    soliciting 
votes,  some  act  which  would  not 
be  agreeable   to  a  self-respecting 
man,  but  which  his  desire  to  pro- 
pitiate   a   voter  compels    him  to 
perform.      But    there    are    many 
details  of  Roman  life  about  which 
we  know  so  little  that  an  allusion 
to  them  must  remain  unintelligible. 
It   is  not  worth    while   to   repeat 
here  the  attempts  that  have  been 
made  by  scholars  to  explain  trans 
pondera;  the  data  are  not  suffi- 
cient to  make  the  allusion  clear. 

52.  Fabia,  Velina :      sc.     tribu. 
These    are    voting  districts,   fre- 
quently mentioned. 

53-55.  curule  .    .   .  ebur:    the 


53 


I,  6,  54] 


IIORATI 


cui     volet     importunus     ebur.'        'Prater,'     'pater* 
adde; 

55      ut  cuique  est  aetas,  ita  quemque  facetus  adopta. 
Si,  bene  qui  cenat,  bene  vivit,  lucet ;  eamus 
quo  ducet  gula  :  piscemur,  venemur,  ut  olim 
Gargilius,  qui  mane  plagas,  venabula,  servos, 
differtum  transire  forum  populumque  iubebat, 

60      unus  ut  e  multis  populo  spectante  referret 

emptum  mulus  aprum  ;  crudi  tumidique  lavemur, 
quid  deceat,  quid  non,  obliti,  Caerite  cera 


ivory  chair  of  the  curule  magistrate. 
—  importunus :  •  when  he  is  in  a 
bad  temper.'  It  is  an  added 
humiliation  that  the  candidate 
must  keep  surly  voters  in  good 
humor.  —  pater :  Horace  repre- 
sents himself  as  addressing  Tre- 
batius  as  pater  optime,  Sat.  2,  i, 
12. — facetus:  not  jokingly  but 
with  ready  speech,  suiting  the  ad- 
dress to  the  age  of  the  voter. 

56-64.  '  If  the  pleasures  of  the 
table  seem  to  you  the  highest 
good,  then  follow  where  appetite 
leads.1  The  new  thought  is  in- 
troduced abruptly,  as  in  vs.  49. 

56.  lucet :    '  it's  morning '   and 
the  time  to  provide  food  for  the 
day's  feasting. 

57.  piscemur,  venemur:  not  lit- 
erally, but  in  the  market ;  '  let  us 
look  for  fish  and  game  as  earnestly 
as  Gargilius  did.' 

58-60.  The  comparison  is  car- 
ried out  into  ludicrous  details 
which  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  argument.  Cf.  the  allusion  to 


Ruso,  Sat.  I,  3,  86  ff.  —  differtum 
.  .  .  populumque:  for  differtum 
populo.  The  repetition  in  the 
next  line  is  intentional. — ut: 
grammatically  a  clause  of  purpose, 
but  in  content  an  expression  of 
the  very  small  results  of  so  much 
preparation.  —  emptum :  this  joke 
is  still  in  circulation. 

61.  crudi:  so  in  Sat.   I,  5,  49, 
of  one  who  began  to  take  exercise 
too  soon  after  a  meal.     The  three 
words  go  together ;  '  let  us  go  at 
once  from  a  gluttonous  meal  to  a 
hot  bath,  from  one  indulgence  to 
another.'     The  verb  lavemur  re- 
sumes the  construction  Q{ piscemur, 
venemur,  vs.    57,   after   the   long 
comparison,  ut  .  .  .  aprum. 

62.  Caerite  cera :  the  wax -cov- 
ered tablets   on    which    were   the 
lists  of  citizens  who  had  not  the 
right    of    suffrage.      These    were 
called     tabulae      Caeritum,     and 
Caerite  cera  digni  therefore  means 
'unworthy  of  the  rights  of  Roman 
citizens.1 


54 


EPISTVLAE  [I,  6,  68 

digni,  remigium  vitiosum  Ithacensis  Vlixi, 
cui  potior  patria  fuit  interdicta  voluptas. 
65      Si,  Mimnermus  uti  censet,  sine  amore  iocisque 
nil  est  iucundum,  vivas  in  amore  iocisque. 
Vive,  vale  :  si  quid  novisti  rectius"  istis, 
candidus  imperti ;  si  non,  his  utere  mecum. 

63.   remigium:     collective,     for  Mimnermus:    a  writer   of   erotic 

remiges,  the    crew.      The   words  elegy,  a  contemporary  of  Solon, 
contain,   of  course,   a   condensed          67-68.  vive,  vale :  so  Sat.  2,  5, 

comparison.  no. — istis:  'than  these  ideas  of 

65-66.    A   fourth  object  in  life,  yours,'  with  the  proper  force  of  the 

which,  however,    is    regarded    as  second    person.      Cf.    the   words 

scarcely    distinct    from    the    one  which  introduce  these  ideals  of  life, 

which    has  just   preceded   and  is  virtutem  verba putas. — his:  'my 

therefore   barely  mentioned.     Cf.  views,1  as  set  forth  in  the  first  part, 

Sat.  2,  3,  where  the  main  heads  of  1-27. 

the  sermon  are  given  in  vss.  78-79          The  abruptness  of  the  close  is 

and  amorousness  is   treated  as  a  characteristic  of  Horace,  e.g.,  Sat. 

subdivision  of  luxuria,  247-280. —  i,  i ;  1,2;  1,3. 


In  spite  of  the  personal  allusions  in  the  early  part  of  this  Epistle,  it 
is  impossible  to  determine  with  certainty  the  year  in  which  it  was 
written.  Nor  is  it  clear  where  Horace  was  when  he  wrote  ;  he  was  in 
the  country,  and  it  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  there  is  no  refer- 
ence to  his  Sabine  farm  that  he  was  at  some  other  place  in  the  moun- 
tains. Maecenas  was  in  Rome. 

'  I  have  changed  my  mind,  my  dear  Maecenas,  and  am  not  coming  to 
Rome  now  nor  even  soon.  I  shall  go  down  to  the  coast  for  the  winter 
and  shall  not  see  you,  my  dear  friend,  until  spring  comes.  My  debt  to 
you  is  great,  but  I  count  with  confidence  upon  your  consideration  for 
me  :  I  am  not  as  young  as  I  was  once.  Perhaps  my  refusal  to  return 
seems  to  you  ungrateful  ;  you  are  reminded,  perhaps,  of  the  fable  of  the 
fox  in  the  corn  bin.  I  admit  the  justice  of  the  application  and  stand 
ready  to  submit.  I  can  return  your  gifts  without  any  change  in  the 
esteem  I  have  long  felt  for  you.  Telemachus,  you  remember,  returned 
the  gift  of  Menelaus.  saying  that  he  could  not  use  horses  and  a  chariot 

55 


I,  7,  I]  I10RATI 

on  his  little  island.  So  it  is  with  me  ;  Rome  is  too  big  for  me,  and  I 
am  too  small  for  Rome.  Let  me  tell  you  a  story.  Philippus,  the 
lawyer,  once  made  acquaintance  with  a  small  tradesman  and,  partly  for 
his  own  amusement,  induced  him  to  give  up  his  life  in  Rome  and  turn 
farmer.  The  natural  result  followed  ;  the  amateur  farmer  came  to 
utter  grief.  As  he  looked  at  the  ruins,  he  saw  his  mistake,  galloped 
back  to  Philippus  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  return  the  gift.  The 
moral  is  that  every  man  must  go  his  own  way.' 

This  Epistle  was  written  late  in  August  or  early  in  September. 
Horace  had  left  Rome  in  midsummer,  promising  to  return  after  a  short 
stay  in  the  mountains.  He  had,  however,  stayed  for  a  month,  and 
Maecenas,  detained  in  Rome,  had  written  him,  asking  him  to  come 
back  and  reminding  him  of  his  promise  and  probably  of  his  obligation 
to  his  benefactor.  To  that  letter  Horace  replies  in  this  Epistle.  The 
personal  tone  is  strong  in  vss.  1-13,  24-28,  34-39,  but  the  greater  part 
of  the  Epistle  consists  of  the  four  stories  which  are  woven  into  it,  the 
story  of  the  Calabrian,  vss.  14-19,  of  the  fox,  29-33,  °f  Telemachus, 
40-43,  and  the  long  story  of  Philippus,  46-95.  The  effect  of  the  intro- 
duction of  this  large  amount  of  impersonal  material  is  to  make  the 
Epistle  read  like  a  Satire.  And  a  comparison  with  Sat.  i,  6  and 
Sat.  2,  6  will  show  that  Horace  has  here,  in  treating  a  serious  subject, 
returned  in  part  to  his  earlier  form.  The  fusion,  however,  of  the  two 
elements  is  carried  out  with  great  skill,  and  this  Epistle  is  justly  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  poet's  most  finished  productions. 

But  the  personal  aspect  of  it  is  even  more  interesting  than  the  artistic 
form.  The  position  was  one  of  real  difficulty.  It  is  handled  with 
admirable  independence  and  candor  and  with  most  friendly  considera- 
tion for  the  feelings  of  Maecenas.  Undoubtedly,  as  the  fact  of  publica- 
tion shows,  it  was  received  by  him  with  appreciation  and  with  generous 
cordiality. 

Quinque  dies  tibi  pollicitus  me  rure  futurum 
Sextilem  totum  mendax  desideror.     Atqui 
si  me  vivere  vis  sanum  recteque  valentem, 

1.  quinque    dies:     a     'round1  the  blunt  confession  is  meant  to 
number,  as  in  Sat.  i.  3,  16;  2,3,  take  off  the  edge   of    Maecenas' 
289,  and  often  ;  'a  week.'  annoyance. 

2.  Sextilem:   not  at  this    time  3.    sanum  .  .  .  valentem:    such 
named  after  Augustus.  —  mendax  :  expressions  are  frequently  doubled. 

56 


EP1STVLAE 


[if  7.  12 


quam  mihi  das  aegro,  dabis  aegrotare  timcnti, 
Maecenas,  veniam,  dum  ficus  prima  calorque 
dissignatorem  decorat  lictoribus  atris  ; 
dum  pueris  omnis  pater  et  matercula  pallet, 
officiosaque  sedulitas  et  opella  forensis 
adducit  febris  et  testamenta  resignat. 
Quodsi  bruma  nives  Albanis  illinet  agris, 
ad  mare  descendet  vates  tuus  et  sibi  parcet 
contractusque  leget ;  te,  dulcis  amice,  reviset 


without  any  real  difference  in  the 
meaning  of  the  two  words ;  so 
valere  et  vivere,  vive  vale. 

4.  aegrotare  timenti :    the  next 
lines  amplify  this  thought.  —  Verbs 
of  fearing  are  occasionally  followed 
by  an  infin. ;  Lane,  1959. 

5.  ficus  prima :  i.e.,  late  August, 
the  time  when  the  first  figs  ripen, 
but  with  reference  also  to  the  be- 
lief that  early-ripening   figs   were 
injurious  to  the  health. 

6.  dissignatorem-.      the    under- 
taker ;    he    directed    the    funeral 
procession,    with   attendants  (lie- 
tores)  dressed  in  black  to  clear  the 
way. 

7.  dum :  the   thought  is  better 
expressed  in  Engl.  by  an  indepen- 
dent sentence  ;    '  and  meanwhile,' 
'and   all   the    time.' — matercula: 
cf.  tiHtricnla,  Epist.  i,  4,  8. 

8.  officiosa :  not  with  reference 
to  public  duties,  but  to  those  so- 
cial    obligations     which  '  Horace 
himself  found  so  oppressive  when 
he    was  in   the   city ;    cf.  Sat.  i, 
6,  23  if. — opella:   the  diminutive 


form  expresses  the  writer's  feel- 
ing of  the  pettiness  of  all  such 
things. 

9.  resignat :    i.e.,    brings    fatal 
disease  and   therefore  causes  the 
opening  of  wills. 

10.  quodsi :  temporal,  not  con- 
ditional; but  when.     This  is  reg- 
ularly the  meaning  of  si  when  the 
fact    stated    in    the    j/-clause   is 
certain  to  occur. 

11.  ad  mare:  to  some  place  on 
the    southern    seacoast,    perhaps 
not  yet  definitely  selected,  or  per- 
haps Tarentum  ;  cf.  vs.  45. — vates : 
this  old  word  had  fallen  into  disuse, 
but  was  restored  to  good  usage  by 
the  Augustan  writers  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  Greek  poeta.     Here  it 
is  probably  a  quotation  from  the 
letter  of  Maecenas,  to  which  this 
is  a  reply. 

12.  contractus  :      '  huddled    to- 
gether,' as  if  drawn  up  by  the  chill 
of  cold.  —  leget:   read.     The  ex- 
pression here  is  rather  brief,  but 
is  made  easier  by  the  plainer  phrase 
sibi  parcet. 


57 


I.  7»  13] 


HORATI 


cum  zephyris,  si  concedes,  et  hirundine  prima. 
Non  quo  more  piris  vesci  Calaber  iubet  hospes, 

15      tu  me  fecisti  locupletem.     '  Vescere  sodes  ! ' 

'  lam  satis  est.'    'At  tu  quantum  vis  tollo.'    'Benigne.' 

1  Non  invisa  feres  pueris  munuscula  parvis.' 

'  Tam  teneor  dono  quam  si  dimittar  onustus.' 

1  Vt  libet;  haec  porcis  hodie  comedenda  relinques.' 

20      Prodigus  et  stultus  donat  quae  spernit  et  odit ; 
haec  seges  ingratos  tulit  et  feret  omnibus  annis. 
Vir  bonus  et  sapiens  dignis  ait  esse  paratus  ; 
nee  tamen  ignorat,  quid  distent  aera  lupinis. 


13.  si  concedes :  if  you  will  per- 
mit.    This   friendly   formula,  like 
the  address  dulcis  amice,  is  inserted 
with  real  delicacy  of  feeling  into 
the  sentence   which    conveys    to 
Maecenas  the  full  extent  of  Hor- 
ace's purpose,  to  remain  away  from 
Rome  not  only  through  August  and 
September,  but  all  winter,  until  the 
signs  of  spring  come.  —  hirundine : 
the  poetic  herald  of  spring. 

14.  There  is  both  firmness  and 
delicacy  in  the  immediate  turning 
to   the    story,    without   argument 
or  excuse.  —  Calaber :    merely  to 
make  the  story  seem  real,  as  names 
are  often  used  in  the  Satires,  e.g., 
i,  i,  6;  20,  58. 

15.  locupletem:    it   is    only   in 
this  connection,  where  it  empha- 
sizes  his  gratitude,   that    Horace 
speaks  of  himself  as  rich. 

16.  benigne :    a    courteous   for- 
mula  of  refusal ;  so  tarn  gratia. 
Used  again  in  vs.  62. 

20.  quae  spernit:  /'.<*.,  things  that 


are  of  no  value  to  him,  floret's  come- 
denda. The  thought  is  expressed 
with  a  slight  difference  by  Seneca, 
Epist.  1 20,  8,  multi  snnt,  qni  non 
dona  nt,  sed  proiciunt ;  cf.  the 
whole  section. 

21.  seges  :  the  use  of  this  figure 
is  suggested  by  a  proverb  like  that 
quoted  by  Cicero,  de  Or.  64,  261, 
ut  sementem  feceris,  it  a  metes. 

22.  vir  bonus :   the  adversative 
connection  is  merely  suggested,  as 
often  in  Horace,  by  the  contrast 
between  these  words  and  prodigus 
et  stultus.  —  dignis  .   .  .  paratus : 
'  is  ready  to  give  to  men  of  worthy 
character.1   Cf.  the  similar  thought 
in  Sat.  i,  6,  51,  praesertim  cant  its 
dignos  adstimere,  used  also  of  Mae- 
cenas, as   if  (hat  was  a  principle 
definitely  laid  down  by  him  in  be- 
stowing his  friendship.     Cf.  also 
Sat.  I,  6,  7  f. 

23.  lupinis:  lupines,  a  kind  of 
bean  used  as  stage  money  ;   Plant. 
Foen.  597. —  This  line   amplifies 


K1MSTVLAE 


[  «.7-34 


Dignum  praestabo  me  etiam  pro  laude  merentis. 

25      Quodsi  me  noles  usquam  discedere,  reddes 
forte  latus,  nigros  angusta  fronte  capillos  ; 
reddes  dulce  loqui,  reddes  ridere  decorum  et 
inter  vina  fugam  Cinarae  maerere  protervae. 
Forte  per  angustam  tennis  vulpecula  rimam 

30      repserat  in  cumeram  frumenti,  pastaque  rursus 
ire  foras  pleno  tendebat  corpore  frustra. 
Cui  mustela  procul :  '  Si  vis,'  ait,  '  effugere  istinc, 
macra  cavum  repetes  artum,  quern  macra  subisti.' 
Hac  ego  si  compellor  imagine,  cuncta  resigno  ; 


sapiens ;  he  knows  the  value  of  his 
gifts. 

24.  dignum :  as  you,  bonus  et 
sapiens,  are  ready  for  the  worthy, 
so  I  am  ready  to  show  myself  dig- 
num by  my  gratitude,  pro  lande 
merentis. 

25-36.  '  I  am  indeed  grateful,  but 
I  must  have  my  freedom  too  ;  I  am 
no  longer  young,  and  you  must  not 
expect  from  me  a  constant  attend- 
ance. If  you  expected  that,  I  should 
have  to  remind  you  of  the  story  of 
the  fox  in  the  corn  bin  and  act 
according  to  the  moral  of  the  tale.' 

26.  latus :  lungs,  chest ;  but  we 
do  not  know  that  Horace  suffered 
from  any  disease  of  the  kind  this 
would  suggest.  —  nigros :  he  says 
that  he  was  praecanus,  'gray be- 
fore his  time ' ;  Epist.  I,  20,  24. 
—  angusta  fronte :  i.e.,  not  yet  be- 
ginning to  get  bald. 

27-28.  '  Give  me  again  the  pow- 
er to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  youth.' 
The  details  are  not  meant  to  be 


personal,  but  general ;  '  the  pleas- 
ant voice  and  laughter  of  youth.' 
—  Cinarae:  cf.  Carm.  4,  i,  3-4, 
non  sum  qualis  eram  bonae  \  sub 
regno  Cinarae.  She  is  the  only 
one  of  the  girls  mentioned  by  Hor- 
ace who  seems  to  have  had  a  real 
existence. 

29.  vulpecula:     the  fox  is  the 
hero  of  many  of  the  Fables,  as  of 
many  of  the  tales  of  Uncle  Remus. 
In  such  stories  almost  no  attention 
is  paid  to  the  real  habits  of  the  ani- 
mals ;  indeed,  it  is  common  to  find 
that  in  different  versions  the  ani- 
mals are  changed  about  freely,  as, 
for  example,  this  fable  is  also  told 
with  a  mouse  for  the  chief  actor. 

30.  cumeram:    bin   or  jar  for 
storing  grain  ;  cf.  Sat.  i.  I.  53. 

32.  procul :  at  a  little  distance ; 
this  is  a  common  meaning ;  cf.  Sat. 
2,  6,  105. 

34.  ego :  emphatic.  —  compel- 
lor :  not  as  in  Sat.  2,  3,  297,  but 
in  the  legal  sense ;  '  I  too,  if  I 


59 


!>  7.  35] 


IIORATI 


35      nec  somnum  plebis  laudo  satur  altilium,  nee 
otia  divitiis  Arabum  liberrima  muto. 
Saepe  verecundum  laudasti,  rexque  paterque 
audisti  coram,  nec  verbo  parcius  absens ; 
inspice  si  possum  donata  reponere  laetus. 

40      Haud  male  Telemachus,  proles  patientis  Vlixi : 
'  Non  est  aptus  equis  Ithace  locus,  ut  neque  planis 
porrectus  spatiis  nec  multae  prodigus  herbae ; 
Atride,  magis  apta  tibi  tua  dona  relinquam.' 
Parvum  parva  decent :  mihi  iam  non  regia  Roma, 

45      sed  vacuum  Tibur  placet  aut  imbelle  Tarentum. 


am  summoned  on  the  analogy  of 
this  fable,  .  .  .'  —  resigno  :  also 
formal ;  restore,  '  transfer  back  to 
youundermy  hand  and  seal.1  The 
word  is  used  in  a  similar  context 
in  Carm.  3,  29,  54,  resigno  quae 
[Fortuna]  dedit. 

35-36.  altilium  :  with  satur ;  it 
means,  properly,  fowls  fattened  for 
eating,  then  any  specially  fine  food. 
The  meaning  is,  '  I  am  in  earnest 
in  saying  cuncta  resigno ;  I  am  not 
so  inconsistent  as  to  be  praising  a 
simple  life  while  I  live  in  luxury; 
I  do  not  wisli  to  give  up  my  free- 
dom for  all  the  wealth  of  Arabia.' 

37.  verecundum:  for  my  mod- 
esty;  cf.  Carm.  2,  18,  12,  nec  PO- 
tentetn    amictim    largiora  flagito, 
satis  beatus  unicis  Sabinis.  —  rex : 
=  patronus.  —  pater :     Maecenas 
was  only  a  few  years  older  than 
Horace,    but    the   difference   was 
enough  to  justify  the  use  of  this 
term  of  respect. 

38.  audisti :    yon    have    been 


called;  so  Sat.  2,  6,  20  and  often. 
—  absens  :  with  no  reference  to  his 
separation  at  this  time,  but  in  con- 
trast to  coram. 

39.  '  Try  me  and  see  whether  I 
cannot  do  as  I  say,  and  without 
repining,  too.'  laetus  at  the  end 
of  the  line  is  emphatic. 

40-43.  Menelaus  presented 
horses  and  a  chariot  to  Telema- 
chus as  an  expression  of  friendship 
for  him  and  his  father.  The  reply 
of  Telemachus,  of  which  vss.  41- 
43  are  a  paraphrase,  is  in  Odys.  4, 
601  ff.  —  patientis:  an  ornamental 
epithet,  translating  the  Homeric 


44-45.  parvum  parva  :  i.e.,  'so 
it  is  with  me  ;  I  can  accept  only 
gifts  that  are  suitable  to  my  tastes, 
not  gifts  that  require  a  change  of 
life.'  —  regia,  vacuum,  imbelle: 
royal,  quiet,  peaceful;  the  adjec- 
tives are  carefully  chosen  to  carry 
on  the  modesty  of  parvunt.  — 
There  is  a  change  of  emphasis 


60 


EPISTVLAE 


['»  7»  53 


5° 


Strenuus  et  fortis  causisque  Philippus  agendis 
clarus,  ab  officiis  octavam  circiter  horam 
dum  redit  atque  foro  nimium  distare  Carinas 
iam  grandis  natu  queritur,  conspexit,  ut  aiunt, 
adrasum  quendam  vacua  tonsoris  in  umbra 
cultello  proprios  purgantem  leniter  ungues. 
'  Demetri,'  (puer  hie  non  laeve  iussa  Philippi 
accipiebat,)  '  abi ;  quaere  et  refer,  unde  domo,  quis, 


at  this  point.  Hitherto  the  stress 
has  been  upon  Horace's  inability 
to  stay  in  Rome,  upon  the  sincerity 
of  his  gratitude  to  Maecenas,  and 
upon  his  unwillingness  to  be  bound 
by  the  gifts  he  had  received.  From 
vs.  44  the  emphasis  is  rather  upon 
his  unfitness  for  such  a  life  as  he 
must  lead  if  he  were  to  be  con- 
stantly in  attendance  upon  his 
patron. 

46-95.  The  story  of  Philippus 
and  Volteius  Mena  is  a  companion 
piece  to  the  story  of  the  Town 
Mouse  and  the  Country  Mouse, 
which  enforces  the  moral  of  Sat. 
2,  6. 

46.  Philippus :  one  of  the  famous 
Roman  orators,  consul  in  the  year 
91.     The    description   of  him   in 
Cic.  de  Oral.  3,  1,4,  et  vehement  i 
et  diserto  et  imprimis  forti  ad  resi's- 
tenditm,  agrees  with  the  description 
given  here. 

47.  octavam:  the  courts  opened 
early,  by  nine  o'clock  (Sat.  I,  9, 
35  f. ),  and  all  public  business  was 
over  early  in  the  afternoon.     This 
bit   of  detail,  with   others   below 
(vss.  50  f.,  71,  76,  80,  90),  is  in- 


tended to  give  vividness  to  this 
traditional  (ut  aiunt,  vs.  49)  tale. 
48.  Carinas:  a  part  of  the  city 
in  which  it  is  known  that  various 
persons  of  importance  (Pompey, 
Q.  Cicero)  resided.  It  was  not,  in 
fact,  far  from  the  Forum,  but  it 
seemed  so  to  an  old  man,  tired 
with  his  day's  work. 

50.  adrasum :    i.e.,  he  was  al- 
ready  shaved    and    therefore    at 
leisure.  —  vacua  ...  in  umbra :  the 
barber's  shop  was  a  booth,  open 
toward  the  street,  at  this  time  empty 
and,  in  contrast  with  the  hot  street, 
cool  and  shaded. 

51.  proprios:  this  was  sometimes 
done  by  the  barber ;  the  only  rea- 
son for  representing  the  man  as 
doing   it   for  himself  is  that  the 
leisurely  (leniter)  occupation  adds 
to  the  picture  of  ease  and  inde- 
pendence, which  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  tired  old  lawyer  as 
he  passed. 

52.  ptuer  hie:    the   pedisequus 
who  accompanied  any  respectable 
man   in  the  streets,  e.g.,  Horace 
himself  (Sat.  I.  9,  10). 

53.  unde  domo :  this  colloquial 


61 


i.  7.  54] 


I10RATI 


cuius  fortunae,  quo  sit  patre  quove  patrono.' 
55      It,  redit  et  narrat  Volteium  nomine  Menam, 
praeconem,  tenui  censu,  sine  crimine,  notum 
et  properare  loco  et  cessare,  et  quaerere  et  uti, 
gaudentem  parvisque  sodalibus  et  lare  certo 
et  ludis  et  post  decisa  negotia  campo. 
60      '  Scitari  libet  ex  ipso  quodcumque  refers  ;  die 
ad  cenam  veniat.'     Non  sane  credere  Mena; 
mirari  secum  tacitus.     Quid  multa  ?     '  Benigne,' 
respondet.     '  Negat   ille   mihi?'      'Negat    improbus, 
et  te 


doubling  of  expression  is  frequent 
in  Plaut.  and  Ter.,  and  unde  is 
often  used  for  a  quo  (Sat.  i,  6,  12) 
or  a  qua. 

54.  patrono:  i.e.,  if,  in  answer 
to  the  question  cuius  fortunae,  he 
should  say  that  he  was  a  freed- 
man. 

55.  Volteium  .  .  .  Menam:  the 
names  show  that  he  was  a  Greek, 
freedman  of  some  patron  named 
Volteius. 

56-59.  These  details  answer  the 
question  cuius  fortunae.  —  praco- 
nem  :  an  auctioneer,  but  in  a  small 
way,  cf.  vs.  65.  This  was  one  of 
the  occupations  which  Horace 
mentions  (Sat.  r,  6.  86)  as  a  pos- 
sible one  for  himself,  had  matters 
not  turned  out  otherwise.  —  loco : 
'  in  the  proper  place.1  as  occasion 
might  demand  ;  cf.  the  well-known 
duke  est  desipere  in  loco  (Carm.  4, 
12,28).  The  two  verbs  are  fur- 
ther defined  by  et  quaerere  et  uti 
and  form  a  combination  of  quali- 


ties which  Horace  often  recom- 
mends to  the  man  of  business. 
—  lare  certo :  i.e.;  a  respectable 
householder.  —  post  .  .  .  negotia  : 
further  evidence  of  good  character ; 
he  did  not  neglect  his  business  for 
amusements.  —  The  description 
gives  an  interesting  picture  of  a 
kind  of  person  who  does  not 
often  find  a  place  in  Latin  liter- 
ature. 

61-62.  The  historical  infinitives, 
the  short  sentences,  and  the  phrase 
quid  multa  ?  are  characteristic  of 
the  story  teller,  hurrying  over  un- 
important details.  —  benigne  :  cf. 
vs.  16. 

63.  negat  ille:  'does  he  refuse 
me  ?  '  A  repudiating  exclamation. 
[There  are  many  instances  of  this 
kind  of  exclamation  in  Plaut.  with 
the  indie.,  but  none  parallel  to  this 
with  the  subjv.  neget  and  answered 
by  an  indie,  negat.'}  —  improbus  : 
the  slave  shares  his  master's  in- 
dignation. 


62 


EPISTVLAE 


t'.7.  75 


70 


neglegit  aut  horret.'     Volteium  mane  Philippus 
vilia  vendentem  tunicate  scruta  popello 
occupat  et  salvere  iubet  prior.     Ille  Philippe 
excusare  laborem  et  mercennaria  vincla, 
quod  non  mane  domum  venisset,  denique  quod  non 
providisset  eum.     '  Sic  ignovisse  putato 
me  tibi,  si  cenas  hodie  mecum.'     '  Vt  libet.'     '  Ergo 
post  nonam  venies :  nunc  i,  rem  strenuus  auge.' 
Vt  ventum  ad  cenam  est,  dicenda  tacenda  locutus 
tandem  dormitum  dimittitur.     Hie  ubi  saepe 
occultum  visus  decurrere  piscis  ad  hamum, 
mane  cliens  et  iam  certus  conviva,  iubetur 


75 

64.  mane  :   i.e.,  the  next  morn- 
ing.   The  story  again  hurries  over 
details. 

65.  tunicato :   the  toga  was  an 
inconvenient  dress  for  persons  en- 
gaged  in   active   work,  and  was, 
therefore,  worn   by   the   common 
people  only  on  formal  occasions. 

—  popello:  the  diminutive  carries 
on  the  suggestion  of  disparage- 
ment in  tunicato.  —  scruta :  trash, 
second-hand  stuff;  a  rather  rare 
Lucilian  word. 

66.  occupat:    'gets    ahead    of 
him,'   explained  in   the  following 
words,  salvere  iubet  prior.      Cf. 
Sat.  i,  9,  6. 

67.  laborem :    an  accus.  of  the 
'  inner    object,'    the     '  object    ef- 
fected ' ;  '  he  gives  his  occupation 
as  his  excuse.' 

68.  mane  :  for  the  morning  sa- 
lutatio ;  he  was  aware  that  polite- 
ness required  that  he  should  ac- 
knowledge the  invitation,  though 


he  had  declined  it,  by  the  Roman 
equivalent  for  a  dinner  call. 

68-69.  non  providisset :  this  is  im- 
plied by  vs.  66.  —  sic:  correlative 
with  si ;  on  this  condition,  that .  .  . 

70.  ut  libet :  '  as  you  please"* ;  a 
formula  of  assent  (cf.  vs.  19), 
which  would  take  its  tone  from 
the  manner  of  the  speaker. 

72.  dicenda  tacenda :  the  corre- 
sponding  phrases   (pr/ro.   apprjra., 
fanda  nefanda,  honesta  inhonestd) 
usually  imply  blame,  but  here  it  is 
merely  that  he  was  talkative,  spoke 
of  whatever  came  into  his  head ; 
i.e.,  he  was  at  his  ease  with  his 
patron,  as  he  had  been  in  the  bar- 
ber's shop. 

73.  hie :    nomin.   masc. ;    '  the 
man   whom    I    have   described ' ; 
the  story  now  passes  on  to   the 
climax. 

75.  mane:  now  accustomed  to 
the  salutatio,  which  he  had  at  first 
neglected.  —  certus  conviva  :  = 


i»  7.  76] 


HOKATI 


rura  suburbana  indictis  comes  ire  Latinis. 
Impositus  mannis  arvum  caelumque  Sabinum 
non  cessat  laudare.     Videt  ridetque  Philippus, 
et  sibi  dum  requiem,  dum  risus  undique  quaerit, 

80      dum  septem  donat  sestertia,  mutua  septem 
promittit,  persuadet  uti  mercetur  agellum. 
Mercatur.     Ne  te  longis  ambagibus,  ultra 
quam  satis  est,  morer,  ex  nitido  fit  rusticus  atque 
sulcos  et  vineta  crepat  mera,  praeparat  ulmos, 

85      immoritur  studiis  et  amore  senescit  habendi. 
Verum  ubi  oves  furto,  morbo  periere  capellae, 
spem  mentita  seges,  bos  est  enectus  arando, 


con-victor,  a  regular  guest,  as  Hor- 
ace was  a  guest  at  the  table  of 
Maecenas,  Sat.  I,  6,  47. 

76.  indictis  .  .  .  Latinis :    the 
great   Latin    festival    in   April   or 
May,   when    all    public    business 
was  suspended. 

77.  impositus  mannis :  '  in  a  car- 
riage.1   In  Homer  ITTTTOI  is  used  for 
the  chariot,  and  the  same  usage 
is    found    occasionally   in    Latin. 
manni  were  Gallic  ponies  used  for 
driving,  Epod.  4,  14. 

79-81.  requiem,  risus:  relief 
from  the  burden  of  work,  which  he 
expected  to  get  from  the  amuse- 
ment afforded  by  the  experiment. 
—  dum  .  .  .  dum  .  .  .  dum :  the 
second  clause,  dum  donat,  is  quite 
different  in  sense  from  the  first, 
dum  quaerit ;  '  seeking  relief  and 
amusement,  by  giving  .  .  .  and 
lending  .  .  .' ;  the  use  of  the 
same  construction  for  the  two  dif- 


ferent thoughts  is  intended  to  give 
the  effect  of  hurrying  the  story 
forward. 

83.  nitido :  as  he  had  been  when 
he  was  sitting  in  the  barber's  booth. 

85.  immoritur,  senescit :  with 
intentional  exaggeration  of  the 
severity  of  a  farmer's  labor.  Cf. 
also  the  description  of  his  former 
life  in  vs.  57. 

86-87.  These  details  also  are 
intentionally  exaggerated  and  are 
mentioned  as  if  they  were  the  or- 
dinary incidents  of  a  farmer's  life, 
in  order  to  make  the  point  of  the 
story  more  effective.  They  are, 
of  course,  in  humorous  contrast  to 
the  idyllic  pictures  of  country  life 
which  Horace  had  so  often  drawn, 
e.g.,  in  Epod.  2.  —  periere :  are 
lost.  —  mentita  :  this  figure  is 
often  used;  cf.  Carm.  3,  i,  30, 
and  the  opposite  in  Carm.  3,  16, 
30,  segetis  certa  fides. 


64 


offensus  damnis  media  de  nocte  caballum 
arripit  iratusquc  Philippi  tendit  ad  aedes. 

90      Quern  simul  adspexit  scabrum  intonsumque  Philippus, 
'  Durus,'  ait,  '  Voltei,  nimis  attentusque  videris 
esse  mihi.'     '  Pol  me  miserum,  patrone,  vocares, 
si  velles,'  inquit,  '  verum  mihi  ponere  nomen. 
Quod  te  per  genium  dextramque  deosque  Penates 

95      obsecro  et  obtestor,  vitae  me  redde  priori.' 
Qui  semel  adspexit,  quantum  dimissa  petitis 
praestent,  mature  redeat  repetatque  relicta. 
Metiri  se  quern que  suo  modulo  ac  pede  verum  est 


88.  media  de  nocte :  in  order  to 
get  to  town  in  time  for  the  satu- 
tatio.  And  the  early  hour  ex- 
presses also  his  hasty  determina- 
tion. Cf.  arripit  and  iratus. 

90.  scabrum  intonsumque:  again 
in  contrast  to  the  first  picture,  vs. 
50,  adrasum. 

91.  durus  .  .  .  attentus :  so   the 
country  mouse,  Sat.  2,  6,  82,  asper 
et  attentus  quaesitis. 

92.  miserum :    i.e.,   '  durus  at- 
tentusque do  not  half  express  my 
condition  ;  you  must  call  me  mise- 
rum.'1 

94.  quod  :  wherefore;  formulaic 
in  such  sentences  as  this,  with  oro, 
obsecro;  cf.  Verg.  Aen.  2,  141, 


Ter.  Andr.  289.  —  per  genium  : 
the  guardian  spirit  which  attends 
each  man  through  life.  A  modern 
parallel  would  be  '  by  your  own 
soul.'  —  dextram :  your  honor. 

96-97.  This  is  at  bottom  the 
same  moral  as  that  of  Sat.  2,  6, 
and  the  same  situation  as  that  de- 
picted in  Sat.  i,  i,  4  ff. 

98.  modulo  :  the  general  word, 
followed  by  the  more  specific,  pede, 
which  at  the  same  time  suggests 
that  each  man  has  his  own  natural 
standard  in  himself. — verum:  right. 
—  As  at  the  end  of  Sat.  2,  6,  the 
personal  application  of  the  uni- 
versal rule  is  left  to  the  reader. 


8 

This  Epistle  was  written,  either  in  the  summer  of  the  year  20  or  in 
the  next  summer,  to  a  young  friend  who  was  in  the  suite  of  Tiberius  on 
his  mission  to  the  East.  It  goes,  therefore,  with  Epist.  i,  3,  in  which 
also  Celsus  is  mentioned. 

'  My  greetings.  O  Muse,  to  Celsus  !     If  he  asks  of  me.  tell  him  that  I 

HOK.  EH.  —  5  65 


i,  8, 


HORATI 


am  well  in  body,  but  not  in  spirit,  that  I  am  idle  and  hesitating  and 
unsatisfied  with  myself.  Ask,  too,  how  it  is  with  him  and  give  him 
from  me  a  friendly  warning  not  to  misuse  his  fortunes.' 

In  this  note  the  personal  and  the'artistic  motives  are  successfully 
combined.  Both  must  be  kept  in  mind  in  the  interpretation  of  it.  The 
fact  that  it  was  deliberately  selected  for  publication  is  a  warning  against 
taking  the  personal  element  too  seriously  ;  doubtless  the  bit  of  advice 
at  the  end  had  a  real  meaning,  but  neither  that  nor  the  expressions  of 
discontent  which  skillfully  pave  the  way  for  the  advice  should  be  over- 
interpreted.  The  warning  is  a  very  general  one,  such  as  might  be 
addressed  to  many  young  men,  and  the  sense  of  dissatisfaction  with 
himself  and  his  work  is  more  than  once  expressed  by  Horace. 

Celso  gaudere  et  bene  rem  gerere  Albinovano 
Musa  rogata  refer,  comiti  scribaeque  Neronis. 
Si  quaeret  quid  agam,  die  multa  et  pulchra  minantem 
vivere  nee  recte  nee  suaviter ;  baud  quia  grando 
5       contuderit  vitis  oleamque  momorderit  aestus, 


1.  Celso:     mentioned,    with   a 
message,  in   the  letter  to  Floras, 
Epist.  i,  3,  15  ff.  —  The  change  in 
the  order  of  the  names  is  common, 
e.g.,   Epist.     i,  2,  i.  —  gaudere, 
gerere :  i.e ,  \aipuv  KOI  ev  Trpdrrfiv. 
The  phrase  is  treated  as  a  whole 
and  put  after    refer    (« take  my 
greeting   and    good    wishes'),  so 
that  the  need  of  the  ordinary  tube 
is  not  felt. 

2.  Musa :  as  if  she  were  a  let- 
ter carrier,  who  was  to  deliver  the 
message  orally.  In  form,  the  whole 
letter  is  therefore  addressed  to  the 
Muse.  —  rogata:    by   Horace;    at 
my  request.  —  scribae :    private 
secretary,  an  office   of  trust  and 
honor.     Augustus  had  asked  Hor- 
ace to  be  his  secretary.  —  Neronis  : 
Tiberius. 


3.  minantem:  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  9, 
atquivoltns  erat  multa  et praeclara 
winantis,   used,  as    here,   of  one 
who  is  trying   to    work,  but   not 
succeeding.     Horace  felt  at  times 
very  strongly  the  self-reproach  of  a 
man  who  was  conscious  of  yielding 
to  the  temptation  to  postpone  his 
work. 

4.  nee  recte :    i.e.,   not   as  his 
sense  of  right,  his  philosophy,  re- 
quires of  him.  —  nee   suaviter:  a 
consequence   of  nee  recte',    'and 
therefore  not  happily.' 

5-6.  These  are  merely  typical 
of  external  discomforts  and  mis- 
fortunes. They  are  referred  to  or 
suggested  in  other  places  as  perils 
to  which  the  wealthy  are  exposed. 
—  longinquis :  i.e.,  in  the  distant 
mountain  pastures  to  which  cattle 


66 


F.riSTVLAE 


[1,8,  is 


nec  quia  longinquis  armentum  aegrotet  in  agris; 
sed  quia  mente  minus  validus  quam  corpore  toto 
nil  audire  velim,  nil  discere,  quod  levet  aegrum ; 
fidis  offendar  medicis,  irascar  amicis, 
cur  me  funesto  properent  arcere  veterno; 
quae  nocuere  sequar,  f ugiam  quae  profore  credam ; 
Romae  Tibur  amem  ventosus,  Tibure  Romam. 
Post  haec  ut  valeat,  quo  pacto  rem  gerat  et  se, 
ut  placeat  iuveni  percontare  utque  cohorti. 
Si  dicet  recte,  primum  gaudere,  subinde 


were  driven  in  the  heat  of  summer ; 
cf.  Carm.  I,  31,  5. 

7.  minus  .  .  .  quam :  the  com- 
parison  is   aside   from    the   main 
thought  and  might  have  been  put 
into  a  parenthesis  ;    '  because   in 
weariness   of  mind  —  my   bodily 
health  is  good  enough  —  I  am  un- 
willing. .  .  . 1    The  words  corpore 
toto  of  course  serve  as  an  assurance 
to  Celsus. 

8.  '  I    am     unwilling     (cannot 
bring   myself)    to  listen    to    the 
teachings  of  philosophy.'    Almost 
a  repetition  of  Epist.  i,  i,  48. 

9.  medicis :    the    philosophers, 
whose  writings  would  minister  to 
a  mind  diseased. 

10.  cur :    an   indirect    question 
used  instead  of  a  causal  clause ; 
cf.  Car  HI.  i,  33,  3,  tie  doleas  .  .  . 
itfii  .  .  .  decantes  elegos,  cur  tibi 
junior  .  .  .  praeniteat.     It  is  the 
causal  meaning  of  cur  that  makes 
the   substitution   possible.   —  ve- 
terno :    the    many    references    to 
lethargy    as    a    disease    seem    to 


point  to  something  more  definite 
than  the  nervous  breakdown  which 
is  the  modern  counterpart.  The 
abl.  is  after  arcere,  as  after  pro- 
hibere,  Epist.  i,  i,  31. 

11.  sequar :     after    qm'a,     like 
offendar,   irascar.  —  The   tenses 
of  nocuere  and  profore  are  signifi- 
cant and  should  not  be  neglected 
in  translation.  —  For  the  general 
sense   cf.    Ovid's  phrase  (Met.  7, 
21),  -video  meliora  proboque;  de- 
teriora  sequor. 

12.  ventosus :     fickle    as     the 
wind.    Cf.  the  same  reproach,  put 
into   the   mouth   of  his  slave,  in 
Sat.  2.  7,  28,  Romae  rus  optas ; 
absentem  rusticus  nrbem  tollis  ad 
astra  levts  (=  ventosus). 

14.  iuveni :  Tiberius,  who  was 
at  this  time  about  twenty-two 
years  old.  —  percontare  :  impera- 
tive, addressed  to  the  Muse  as 
messenger.  —  cohorti :  especially 
the  young  men  mentioned  in 
Epist.  i,  3. 

15     gaudere  :  grammatically  de- 


I,  8,  16]  HORATI 

praeceptum  auriculis  hoc  instillare  memento : 
ut  tu  fortunam,  sic  nos  te,  Celse,  feremus. 

pendent  upon  memento ;   '  remem-  less  likely  to  give  offense  because 

ber  to  say  gandeo,  as  a  polite  mes-  of  the    confessions    of    weakness 

senger  should.1  which  form  the  body  of  the  letter 

17.    The    friendly   little    admo-  and  because   of  the   lightness   of 

nition  to  self-control  in  prosperity  tone  in  vss.  15-16. 
is  all  the  more  friendly  and  the 


It  is  altogether  probable,  though  it  is  not  definitely  stated,  that  this 
Epistle  was  written  in  the  year  20,  when  Tiberius  was  making  prepara- 
tions for  his  trip  into  Asia  Minor.  Of  the  Septimius  whom  the  letter 
introduces  nothing  is  known  with  certainty  ;  but  one  of  the  Odes 
(Car/» .  2,  6)  is  addressed  to  a  Septimius,  and  a  man  of  this  name  is 
mentioned  in  a  letter  of  Augustus  to  Horace,  quoted  in  the  Vita  of 
Suetonius. 

Some  other  letters  of  introduction  have  come  down  to  us  (Cic.  ad 
Fain.  2,  14  ;  7,  5  ;  Pliny,  4,  4),  but  none  so  skillful  and  so  charming  as 
this.  Tiberius,  even  as  a  young  man,  was  both  scornful  and  suspicious 
of  the  attentions  paid  to  him  on  account  of  his  relation  to  Augustus, 
but  he  was  not  incapable  of  perceiving  the  mingled  frankness  and  defer- 
ence of  such  a  letter  as  this.  And  he  was  also  a  lover  of  literature,  to 
whom  the  delicate  art  of  expression  and  thought  would  appeal  strongly. 
The  publication  of  the  Epistle  is  evidence  that  it  was  successful. 

Septimius,  Claudi,  nimirum  intellegit  unus, 
quanti  me  facias :  nam  cum  rogat  et  prece  cogit, 
scilicet  ut  tibi  se  laudare  et  tradere  coner, 

i.  Claudi:  more  formal  than  clause,  as  in  Sat.  2,3,  185;  2,  3, 
Nero.  —  nimirum:  no  doubt,  with  240;  2,6,  58;  Epist.  1,15,  36; 
a  little  touch  of  irony.  In  this  i,  18,  16:  i.  20,  2;  2,  2,  44.  It  is 
compound  ni  has  no  conditional  not,  as  is  commonly  said,  a  corn- 
force,  but  is  the  old  negative,  a  pound  of  xcire  and  licet,  but  a  par- 
form  of  ne.  —  unus:  />.,  'he  and  atactic  combination  of  the  impv. 
he  alone.'  sci  with  licet .  So  vide-licet.  — 

3.  scilicet:  continuing  the  ironi-  tradere:    introduce,  as  in  Sat.  I,  9, 

cal  tone ;   to  be  taken  with  the  ttt-  47. 

68 


EP1STVLAE 


['.9.  '3 


dignum  mente  domoque  legentis  honesta  Neronis, 
munere  cum  fungi  propioris  censet  amici; 
quid  possim  videt  ac  novit  me  valdius  ipso. 
Multa  quidem  dixi,  cur  cxcusatus  abirem ; 
sed  timui,  mea  ne  finxisse  minora  putarer, 
dissimulator  opis  propriae,  mihi  commodus  uni. 
Sic  ego  maioris  fugiens  opprobria  culpae 
frontis  ad  urbanae  descendi  praemia.     Quodsi 
depositum  laudas  ob  amici  iussa  pudorem, 
scribe  tui  gregis  hunc  et  fortem  crede  bonumque. 


4.  legentis :     gathering     about 
him,  with  special  reference  to  his 
Eastern  journey.  —  honesta  :     the 
neuter  is  more  general  than  hones- 
tos  would  have  been.  —  Neronis  : 
ie..  of  one  who  bears  an  honorable 
name.     With  the  rise  of  Tiberius 
into     prominence     through      his 
mother's     marriage    to    Augustus 
there  was  an  inclination  to  magnify 
the  past  of  his  family,  which  had 
not,  in  fact,  been  especially  promi- 
nent    in     Roman     history.       Cf. 
Carni.  4,  4,  28  and  37  ff. 

5.  munere  fungi:    /.<?., 'That  I 
am  in  the  position  of  an  intimate 
friend ' ;    the  tense  is  significant. 
—  cum:    here  and  in  vs.  2  in  the 
explicative  use,  not  temporal. 

6.  valdius :    stronger  than  me- 
liits ;  '  puts  a  higher  estimate  upon 
my  powers.1 

7.  cur:  cf.  Epist.  i.  8.  10.  note. 
8-9.  mea  .  .  .  minora :  the  rather 

vague  expression  is  made  more 
definite  in  the  next  line.  —  dissimu- 
lator :  cf.  Sat.  I,  10,  13  f.,  parcen- 


.tis  viribns  atqne  extennantis  eas 
consult o. — mihi  .  .  .  uni:  i.e., 
'  thinking  only  of  my  own  con- 
venience.' 

n.  frontis  .  .  .  praemia:  'desir- 
ing to  avoid  the  reproach  of  self- 
ishness, I  have  chosen  to  incur 
the  reproach  —  and,  if  you  choose, 
to  receive  the  reward  also  —  of 
putting  on  a  bold  front  and  asking 
a  favor.1  —  urbanae  :  '  of  a  man  of 
the  world,1  a  city  man,  less  modest 
than  the  rustic. — descendi:  the 
other  course  would  have  shown  a 
loftier  virtue.  —  praemia  :  this  is  a 
suggestion  of  the  hope  that  Tibe- 
rius may  be  inclined  to  grant  the 
favor. 

12.  depositum  .  .  .  pudorem : 
the  same  in  sense  as  frontis 
nrbajiae. 

13-  fortem  .  .  .  bonumque :  the 
only  words  of  praise  of  Septimius 
in  the  letter,  and  all  the  more 
effective  because  they  are  so 
simple. 


69 


I,  10,  i]  IIORATI 


10 

There  is  no  definite  indication  of  the  date  of  this  Epistle  ;  it  may 
have  been  written  about  the  same  time  as  Papist,  i,  7. 

Fuscus  Aristius  is  the  friend  who  figures  in  a  humorous  way  in  Sat. 
i.  9,  61  ff.  and  to  whom  the  Integer  Vitae  (Carm.  i,  22)  is  addressed. 
He  is  named  also  in  Sat.  i,  10,  83  in  the  list  of  friends  whose  approval 
Horace  regards  with  satisfaction. 

'Greetings,  my  dear  Fuscus,  to  the  lover  of  town  from  the  lover  of 
the  country.  This  is  an  old  dispute  between  us,  but  I  stand  by  my 
opinion  ;  country  air  and  sleep  and  grass  for  me  !  You  are  all  wrong ; 
that  life  in  town  is  enslaving  you.  Suit  your  life  to  your  needs,  as  I 
mean  to  do,  and  be  content.  I  am  the  picture  of  contentment  at  this 
moment,  writing  in  the  shade  of  that  old  shrine  of  Vacuna  on  my  farm 
—  or  I  should  be  content  if  only  you  were  here.' 

The  thought  of  this  epistle  has  been  so  often  expressed  by  Horace 
that  he  can  scarcely  find  novel  form  for  it.  But  the  fact  that  he  was 
writing  to  a  friend  whose  general  attitude  toward  life  was  harmonious 
with  his  own  gives  to  the  familiar  thoughts  an  easy  simplicity  and  an 
air  of  true  contentment. 

Vrbis  amatorem  Fuscum  salvere  iubemus 
ruris  amatores.     Hac  in  re  scilicet  una 
multum  dissimiles,  at  cetera  paene  gemelli, 
fraternis  animis  (quicquid  negat  alter,  et  alter) 
5        adnuimus  pariter  vetuli  notique  columbi. 
Tu  nidum  servas ;  ego  laudo  ruris  amoeni 
rivos  et  musco  circumlita  saxa  nemusque. 

1.  salvere  iubemus :  a  common  trast     with     nrbis    amatorem. — 
formula  of  greeting,  which    here  scilicet :  you  know,  without  irony, 
gives  a  humorous  formality  to  the  5-  adnuimus :    like    two    doves 
opening  phrase.     The  first  person  *  billing  and  cooing.'  —  vetuli   no- 
plural  is  often  used  in  Latin,  e.g.,  tique :     though     these    adjectives 
in  the   letters   of  Cicero,  for  the  agree  with  colnmbi,  they  are  meant 
singular,  apparently  without  differ-  to  apply  especially  to  Fuscus  and 
ence  of  meaning.  Horace,  whose  friendship  was  in- 

2.  ruris  amatores  :  the  position  timate  and  of  long  standing. 

in  the  line  is  intentional,  to  con-          7.  circumlita:    an  unusual  and 

70 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  10,  16 


Quid  quaeris?     Vivo  et  regno,  simul  ista  reliqui, 
quae  vos  ad  caelum  effertis  rumore  secundo, 
utque  sacerdotis  f  ugitivus  liba  recuso ; 
pane  egeo  iam  mellitis  potiore  placentis. 
Vivere  naturae  si  convenienter  oportet 
ponendaeque  domo  quaerenda  est  area  primum, 
novistine  locum  potiorem  rure  beato? 
Est  ubi  plus  tepeant  hiemes,  ubi  gratior  aura  ;  t  / 
leniat  et  rabiem  Canis  et  momenta  Leonis, 


poetic  word,  as  if  the  moss  were  a 
color  spread  over  the  rock. 

8.  quid    quaeris  ?     a    common 
phrase  in  Terence  and  in  Cicero's 
letters,  to  cut  short  further  details  ; 
lit., '  what  do  you  ask  (want  fur- 
ther) ? '     'in    short,'  '  what   more 
need  I  say?'      Such  phrases  are 
rather  characteristic  of  Horace  ;  cf. 
tie  te  titorer,  quid  ntulta?  tie  Ion- 
gum   faciatn.  —  vivo    et    regno  : 
with  emphasis  ;  *  I  really  live  and 
am  a  king.'  —  ista:  in  the  proper 
second  person  sense. 

9.  A  free  quotation  of  an  epic 
phrase :    Ennius,  Ann.  260,  mox 
effcrre  domos  populi  rumore  secun- 
do;  Verg.  Aen.  8,  90.  closes    the 
line  with  rumore  secundo  ;  it  is  in 
sense  the  same  as  sumtnis  laudibus 
ad  caelutn  e*t tiler imt. 

xo-ii.  liba:  cakes  offered  in 
sacrifice,  and  therefore  very  abun- 
dant in  a  priest's  house,  so  that 
the  slave  had  become  tired  of 
them  and  had  run  away  to  get 
plain  food.  The  condensed  com- 
parison is  made  clearer  in  the  next 


line;  in  which  pane  egeo  explains 
reciiso,  and  mellitis  placentis  am- 
plifies liba.  There  is  perhaps  an 
allusion  in  these  lines  to  some 
comic  story  or  play  popular  at  the 
time. 

12.  vivere:    this    is  the    Stoic 
doctrine,  used   somewhat  humor- 
ously,  since   neither    Fuscus   nor 
Horace  was  a  Stoic. 

13.  domo :    dative,  a  rarer  form 
for  domui.    The  whole  expression 
is    condensed :    '  if    we  ought  to 
live  naturally,  and  if  we  are  seek- 
ing a  place   for   natural  living  — 
as  one  seeks  a  site  for  his  house 
—  then  the  country  is  best.' 

15.  tepeant    hiemes :    i.e..    the 
winters    in    southern    Italy :     cf. 
Carm.   2.   6,    17.  ver  ubi  longnm 
tepidasqiie   praebet  luppiter  bru- 
mas.  of  Tarentum.      All  of  Italy 
outside  of  Rome  was  rus. 

16.  momenta  Leonis :  with   po- 
etic   personification  :    '  the   quick 
movements,'  '  the  rushing  of  the 
Lion.'  further  carried  out  in  fnri- 
bundiis. 


if  10,  17] 


HOK.vn 


cum  semel  accepit  Solem  furibundus  acutum  ? 

Est  ubi  divellat  somnos  minus  invida  cura  ? 

Deterius  Libycis  olet  aut  nitet  herba  lapillis  ? 

Purior  in  vicis  aqua  tendit  rumpere  plumbum, 

quam  quae  per  pronum  trepidat  cum  murmure  rivum  ? 

Nempe  inter  varias  nutritur  silva  columnas, 

laudaturque  domus  longos  quae  prospicit  agros. 

Naturam  expelles  furca,  tamen  usque  recurret 

et  mala  perrumpet  furtim  fastidia  victrix. 

Non,  qui  Sidonio  contendere  callidus  ostro 

nescit  Aquinatem  potantia  vellera  fucum, 


17.  accepit  .  .  .  acutum:      the 
rays  of  the  sun  are  like  sharp  ar- 
rows   that    wound    (accepit)   the 
Lion  and  rouse  him  to  fury. 

18.  somnos:  this  is  one  of  the 
traditional  advantages  of  country 
life,  often  alluded  to  by  Horace. 

19.  Libycis.  .  .  lapillis:  Lybian 
marbles  set  to  make  mosaic  pat- 
terns in  the  floor.  —  olet :  perfumed 
water  was  sprinkled  over  the  floor. 

20.  rumpere     plumbum:      i.e., 
'rushes   out  of    the   lead  pipes.' 
The  distribution  of   water  under 
pressure  in  pipes  was  well  under- 
stobd  by  Roman  engineers,  though 
it  was  somewhat  less  elaborately 
carried  out  than  it  is  in  modern 
houses. 

22-23.  nempe  :  in  fact,  you 
know;  cf.  Saf.  i.  10.  i. — varias: 
of  the  colored  patterns  of  marble. 
—  silva :  trees  were  planted  in  the 
open  court  of  a  city  house,  within 
the  colonnades.  —  prospicit :  the 
hills  of  the  city  afforded  sites  from 


which  a  wide  view  could  be  had. 
Maecenas1  house  on  the  Esqui- 
line  commanded  a  view  of  the 
mountains  toward  the  north  and 
east. 

24.  expelles :   a  paratactic  con- 
dition, with  recurret  as  apodosis. 
The  line  has  become  proverbial ; 
it  is  usually  quoted  with  the  older 
reading  expellas,  which,  however, 
has  no  good  support  from  the  Mss. 

25.  furtim:       'in     unexpected 
fashion,1  '  when  you   least  expect 
it.1  —  victrix  :    at  the  end  of  the 
line,  with  emphasis  ;  f  and  finally 
win  the  victory.1 

26-29.  '  Hut.  though  nature  con- 
quers in  the  end,  the  process  of 
learning  to  distinguish  the  real 
from  the  imitation  involves  losses 
and  mistakes,  like  those  which  a 
man  suffers  in  buying  artistic  ob- 
jects without  real  knowledge  of 
the  things  he  is  purchasing.' 
Sidonio:  the  genuine  Tyiian  pur- 
ple was  very  expensive.  — callidus  : 


72 


lil'ISTVLAK 


[l,  10,40 


certius  accipiet  damnum  propiusve  medullis, 
quam  qui  non  poterit  vero  distinguere  falsum. 

30      Quern  res  plus  nimio  delectavere  secundae, 
mutatae  quatient.     Si  quid  mirabere,  pones 
invitus.   .  Fuge  magna  ;  licet  sub  paupere  tecto 
reges  et  regum  vita  praecurrere  amicos. 
Cervus  equum  pugna  melior  communibus  herbis 

35      pellebat,  donee  minor  in  certamine  longo 
imploravit  opes  hominis  frenumque  recepit. 
Sed  postquam  victor  violens  discessit  ab  hoste, 
non  equitem  dorso,  non  frenum  depulit  ore. 
Sic  qui  pauperiem  veritus  potiore  metallis 

40      libertate  caret,  dominum  vehet  improbus  atque 


i.e.,  one  who  believes,  mistakenly, 
that  he  knows  how  to  compare 
(contendere)  and  distinguish  ;  cf. 
Sat.  2,  3,  23,  and  the  whole  de- 
scription of  such  a  connoisseur, 
vss.  20-25.  —  Aquinatem  .  .  .  fu- 
cum  :  after  potantia ;  a  dye  made 
from  lichens  which  produced  a 
color  like  the  true  Sidonian  pur- 
ple.—  medullis:  to  his  Jieart.— 
vero,  falsum  :  this  is  a  slight  ref- 
erence to  the  standards  of  philos- 
ophy. 

30-31.  The  same  thought  that 
is  expressed  more  fully  in  Epist. 
i,  6.  9  ff.,  and,  with  more  per- 
sonal reference,  in  the  letter  to 
Maecenas,  Epist.  i,  7.  It  was  a 
familiar  thought  to  Horace.  — 
mirabere :  cf.  Kpist.  1 ,  6,  I ,  ;/// 
admirari.  —  pones  :  almost  tech- 
nical in  this  sense;  Epist.  i,  i, 
10  :  Sut.  2,  3,  1 6,  etc. 


34-38.  This  fable  was  often 
used  to  teach  a  serious  lesson ; 
it  is  found  in  Phaedrus,  4,  4.  — 
pugna  melior :  cf.  note  on  Epist. 
i,  7,  29.  —  imploravit:  the  sub- 
ject is  minor,  to  be  taken  as  a 
substantive ;  but  the  omission  of 
a  more  definite  subject  is  in  the 
manner  of  fables. 

37.  violens:  i.e.,  'after  a  fierce 
contest ' ;  to  be  joined  with  dis- 
cessit, not  directly  with  victor. 

39.  metallis  :  one  of  the  various 
ways   of  expressing    the    general 
idea  of  riches;  cf.   Engl.  'a  gold 
mine.1      Horace    uses    the    word 
only  here. 

40.  improbus  :  i.e.,  •  because  of 
his  immoderate  desire  for  wealth ' : 
cf.  Cartn.  3,  24,  62.  improbae  <  res- 
cunt  divitiae,  in  a  context  similar 
to  this. 


73 


i,  10,41] 


IIORATI 


serviet  aeternum;  quia  parvo  nesciet  uti. 

Cui  non  conveniet  sua  res,  ut  calceus  olim, 

si  pede  maior  erit,  subvertet,  si  minor,  uret. 

Laetus  sorte  tua  vives  sapienter,  Aristi, 
45      nee  me  dimittes  incastigatum,  ubi  plura 

cogere  quam  satis  est,  ac  non  cessare  videbor. 

Imperat  aut  servit  collecta  pecunia  cuique, 

tortum  digna  sequi  potius  quam  ducere  funem. 

Haec  tibi  dictabam  post  fanum  putre  Vacunae, 
50      excepto  quod  non  simul  esses,  cetera  laetus. 


41.  serviet:   this  is  the  theme 
of  Sat.  2,  7.  —  uti:  as  in  Sat.  i, 
'»  37?  2>  3>  l°9«  J67,  and  often. 

42.  conveniet:     cf.    vs.     12. — 
olim,  sometimes. 

44-46.  '  Live  content,  therefore, 
and  remind  me  of  this  admonition, 
if  I  seem  to  you  to  need  it/  —  ces- 
sare: as  in  Epist.  i,  7,  57. 

47-48.  The  thought  is  expressed 
more  diffusely  by  Seneca,  de  Vita 
Heat.  26,  i,  '  divitiae  enim  apud 
sapientem  virum  in  servitute  stint, 
apud  stultum  in  imperio.1 —  tor- 
tum .  .  .  funem :  the  line  repeats 
in  a  figurative  form  the  thought 
of  imperat  (  =  ducere)  aut  servit 
(=  seytti).  but  the  allusion  is  to 
some  custom  or  some  story  which 


is  unknown  to  us ;  it  may  be  the 
figure  of  an  animal  led  by  a  rope. 
or  of  a  machine  of  which  a  rope 
forms  part.  Cf.^note  on  Epist. 

1,  6,  51,  trans  ponder  a,  and  Sat. 

2,  7,  20.  —  tortum :  an  ornamental 
epithet. 

49-50.  As  the  letter  begins  with 
a  formal  greeting,  so  it  closes  with 
a  formal  giving  of  the  exact  place 
of  writing.  In  Cicero's  letters  the 
place  is  usually  named  at  the  end 
of  the  letter,  if  at  all.  —  dictabam : 
the  epistolary  imperfect ;  see  gram- 
mar. —  putre  :  '  falling  into  decay.' 
—  Vacunae  :  a  local  goddess.  The 
meaning  of  the  name  is  quite  un- 
known.—  laetus:  with  reference 
back  to  vs.  44. 


II 

There  is  nothing  to  fix  the  date  of  this  Epistle  nor  is  Bullatius,  to 
whom  it  was  addressed,  mentioned  elsewhere. 

'And  how  do  you  like  the  famous  cities  of  Asia,  my  friend  ?  Are  you 
thinking  of  home  or  of  settling  clown  there,  far  from  the  world?  But 
one  doesn't  settle  down  for  life  in  some  inn,  just  because  one  is  tired 

74 


EPISTVLAE  [1,11,8 

of  travel.  Pleasant  scenery  will  not  make  you  happy.  It  is  better  to 
stay  at  home  and  sing  the  joys  of  travel  at  your  ease.  For  happiness  is 
not  in  some  distant  future  or  in  some  far-oiT  country ;  it  is  here  and 
now,  in  our  own  hearts,  if  we  are  wise  enough  to  take  it.1" 

Horace  was  not  a  traveler.  He  went  to  Athens  in  early  life  for  study, 
but  after  his  return  his  life  was  spent  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome  or 
about  Tarentum.  He  was  free  from  that  form  of  restlessness  which 
seeks  excitement  in  novelty  and  was  perhaps  not  quite  just  to  those 
who  find  stimulus  in  sight  seeing.  In  this  Epistle  he  has  used  the 
fact  that  Bullatius  was  abroad  as  an  occasion  for  restating  the  doctrine 
which  he  often  preaches,  that  the  sources  of  happiness  are  within,  set- 
ting it  in  contrast  to  the  pleasures  of  travel. 

Quid  tibi  visa  Chios,  Bullati,  notaque  Lesbos, 
quid  concinna  Samos,  quid  Croesi  regia  Sardis, 
Smyrna  quid  et  Colophon  ?     Maiora  minorane  fama  ? 
Cunctane  prae  campo  et  Tiberino  flumine  sordent? 
5       An  venit  in  votum  Attalicis  ex  urbibus  una  ? 
An  Lebedum  laudas  odio  maris  atque  viarum  ? 
Scis  Lebedus  quid  sit ;  Gabiis  desertior  atque 
Fidenis  vicus  :  tamen  illic  vivere  vellem, 

1-3.   These  are   the   names   of  in  Rome.  —  sordent :  i.e.,  '  do  they 

cities    in   Asia    Minor,  known   in  all  seem  poor  in  comparison  ..  . ?' 

history  and  in  literary  tradition  to  This  implies  the  answer  minora  to 

all  Romans,  even  those  who  had  the  previous  question, 

not  visited  them,  as  European  cities  5.    venit   in   votum:    suit  your 

are    known     to     Americans.     Cf.  desires ;  this  is  an   expansion   of 

Catull.  46,  6,  ad  claras  Asiae  vole-  maiora.     For   the   expression  cf. 

musurbes. — nota :  =  nobilis ;  Les-  Sat.  2,  6,  I,  hoc  erat  in  votis. — 

bos  was  the  home  of  Alcaeus  and  Pergamum  was  the  most  famous  of 

Sappho.  —  concinna  :      handsome,  the  cities  of  Attalus. 

with  reference   apparently  to  the  6-10.    '  Or  are  you  so  weary  of 

regularity  of  the  streets.  —  Sardis :  travel  that  a  deserted  village  seems 

the  Greek  nom.  plur.  2ap3ct;. —  good  enough  to  you  ?     Icanunder- 

fama  :  /.<?., 'than  you  had  expected  stand  that  feeling  easily.' — Lebe- 

from  what  you  had  heard  of  them.'  dum :  a  small  town  on  the  coast 

4.    campo  :  the  Campus  Martius,  near  Smyrna.  — odio  maris  :  Hor- 

standing  for  all  the  familiar  spots  ace  was  not  a  traveler ;  cf.  Carm. 

75 


i  9] 


HOKAT1 


oblitusque  meorum  obliviscendus  et  illis 
Neptunum  procul  e  terra  spectare  furentem. 
Sed  neque  qui  Capua  Romam  petit,  imbre  lutoque 
adspersus  volet  in  caupona  vivere ;  nee  qui 
frigus  collegit,  furnos  et  balnea  laudat 
ut  fortunatam  plene  praestantia  vitam  ; 
nee,  si  te  validus  iactaverit  Auster  in  alto, 
idcirco  navem  trans  Aegaeum  mare  vendas. 
Incolumi  Rhodes  et  Mitylene  pulchra  facit,  quod 
paenula  solstitio,  campestre  nivalibus  auris, 


2.  6,  7,  lasso  man's  et  iriarum.  — 
Gabii  and  Fidenae,  which  were 
towns  of  importance  in  earlier  his- 
tory, were  in  Horace's  time  only 
villages. — vellem :  the  tense  im- 
plies that  it  is  a  mere  expression 
of  emotion,  without  expectation  of 
fulfilment.  —  'The  world  forget- 
ting, by  the  world  forgot1  (Pope). 
-  The  comparison  of  a  peaceful 
life  to  the  contentment  of  one  who 
looks  from  shore  at  the  wild  sea  is 
frequent  in  literature.  The  best 
expression  of  it  is  in  Lucr.  2,  1-2, 
'suave,  mari  magno  turbantibus 
aequora  ventis,  e  terra  magnum 
alterius  spectare  laborem.' 

ii.  '  But  such  a  life  would  not 
be  truly  satisfying.'  —  Capua  Ro- 
mam :  i.e.,  to  one  who  is  going 
toward  the  great  city,  which  is  his 
home.  —  imbre  lutoque:  this  cor- 
responds to  odio  marts  clique  via- 
ritm,  vs.  6;  these  tilings  are  the 
temporary  discomforts  of  travel, 
from  which  we  get  only  a  tempo- 
rary refuge  in  an  inn. 


12.  caupona   vivere :   the  figure 
of  an  inn  as  a  temporary  resting 
place,  but  not  a  home  to  live  in 
(vivere  is  emphatic),  is  used  fre- 
quently in   classic  as  well  as   in 
Christian  writings. 

13.  frigus  collegit :' has  become 
chilled,1  not  'caught  cold.1 — fur- 
nos :    bakers'    shops,    where    one 
could  get  warm. 

1 6.  vendas :    i.e.,  give    up   the 
plan  of  completing  the  journey  and 
settle  in  Asia  Minor.     This  brings 
the    thought    back    to    the    main 
theme. 

17.  incolumi :  'a  man  of  sound 
mind';  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  132,  incolumi 
capite  (  =  saints).     The  dat.   is  to 
betaken  with  facit,  as  in  Sat.  I,  I, 
63,  quid  facias  illif  and  often  in 
Plautus.  —  pulchra :    'in    spite   of 
its  beauty.'  —  facit  quod  :  /.<?.,  '  is 
the  same  as,1  •  has  the  same  effect 
as.' 

18-19.  Four  illustrations  of 
things  that  are,  in  the  special  cir- 
cumstances, particularly  useless. — 


76 


EPISrVLAE 


[i,  ",  30 


per  brumam  Tiberis,  Sextili  mense  caminus. 
Dum  licet  ac  vultum  servat  Fortuna  benignum, 
Romae  laudetur  Samos  et  Chios  et  Rhodes  absens. 
Tu  quamcumque  deus  tibi  fortunaverit  horam 
grata  sume  manu,  neu  dulcia  differ  in  annum  ; 
ut  quocumque  loco  fueris  vixisse  libenter 
te  dicas.      Nam  si  ratio  et  prudentia  curas, 
non  locus  eff usi  late  maris  arbiter  aufert, 
caelum,  non  animum,  mutant  qui  trans  mare  currunt ; 
strenua  nos  exercet  inertia  ;  navibus  atque 
quadrigis  petimus  bene  vivere ;  quod  petis,  hie  est, 
est  Vlubris,  animus  si  te  non  deficit  aequus. 


30 

paenula :  a  heavy  cloak  for  cold 
weather.  —  campestre  :  a  very  light 
garment  worn  about  the  loins  in 
taking  vigorous  exercise. 

20.  The  line  is  an  expansion  of 
incolttmi ;  •  so  long  as  I  am    not 
driven  to  foreign  travel.' 

21 .  Romae  :  the  emphatic  word ; 
'  I  will  stay  at  home  and  sing  the 
-praises   of  foreign    cities    without 
seeing  them  (absens)? 

22-24.  The  mistake  of  overlook- 
ing present  happiness  in  the  antici- 
pation of  some  other  happiness  in 
the  future  is.  at  bottom,  the  same 
as  the  mistake  of  looking  for  con- 
tentment in  change  of  place.  The 
two  thoughts  are  really  identified 
here,  though  in  form  the  second  is 
treated  as  the  purpose  of  the  first ; 
'just  as  you  should  gratefully  enjoy 
the  present,  so  you  should  live 
happily  in  the  place  where  you 
may  happen  to  be.1  The  thought 
of  vss.  22-23  ^s  often  expressed 


by  Horace,  e.g.   Carm.   i,  9;    I, 
1 1. 

25.  ratio:  as  in  Sat.  I,  I,  2. — 
curas :  after  auferunt,  to  be  sup- 
plied from  aufert. 

26.  arbiter :  in  the  early  mean- 
ing  witness,  i.e.,  '  having  a  wide 
outlook  over  the  sea,'  with  refer- 
ence back  to  vss.  7-10. 

27.  One  of  the  lines  of  Horace 
that   has    become  proverbial,  be- 
cause it  expresses  so  concisely  a 
truth  of  universal  experience. 

28-30.  strenua  inertia :  an  in- 
tentional putting  together  of  two 
contradictory  words,  like  splendide 
ntendax,  to  characterize  the  idle 
activity  of  the  pleasure  seeker.  — 
navibus.  quadrigis  :  cf.  Carm.  3, 1, 
37-40,  post  equitem  sedet  atra  cnra. 
—  hie:  'where  we  are  now.'  — 
Vhibris :  /.<?.,  in  any  little  village ; 
there  is  no  implication  that  Horace 
was  in  Ulubrae.  —  animus  .  .  .  ae- 
quus :  the  same  as  incohimi,  vs.  1 7. 


77 


i,  12]  HOKATI 


12 

This  Epistle  was  written  in  the  summer  of  the  year  20  B.C.,  as  the 
closing  lines  show.  The  person  addressed,  Iccius,  is  the  same  young 
man  to  whom,  some  five  or  six  years  before,  Horace  had  written  an  ode. 
Car  in.  I,  29.  He  is  otherwise  unknown,  but  some  traits  of  character 
are  clearly  revealed  by  the  tone  in  which  Horace  addresses  him.  He 
was  one  of  the  circle  of  younger  men  whom  Horace  knew  well,  a  stu- 
dent of  philosophy,  though  probably  not  a  serious  scholar.  He  was 
not  rich  and  was  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  make  his  way  in  the 
world.  This  he  had  sought  to  find  by  joining  the  expedition  of  Callus 
against  the  Persians  and  after  the  failure  of  this  campaign  he  had  be- 
come the  agent  of  Agrippa,  taking  charge  of  his  estates  in  Sicily.  This 
Epistle  was  written  in  reply  to  a  letter  from  Iccius,  in  which  there  was 
some  expression  of  dissatisfaction  with  his  position  and  of  regret  that 
business  interfered  with  philosophy. 

'The  trusted  agent  of  Agrippa,  my  dear  young  friend,  should  not  call 
himself  a  poor  man.  If  one  has  plenty  to  eat  and  health  to  enjoy  it,  he 
is  as  rich  as  a  king.  Or  if  you  have  turned  vegetarian,  no  amount  of 
money  will  make  any  difference  to  such  a  philosopher.  You  are  a 
greater  wonder  than  Democritus,  to  be  so  active  in  business  and  at  the 
same  time  so  deep  in  philosophy.  But,  whether  you  are  living  high  or 
have  become  an  ascetic,  don't  neglect  my  friend  and  your  neighbor, 
Pompeius  Grosphus  ;  he  is  a  man  you  can  trust. 

'The  news  at  Rome  is  all  cheerful  ;  victories  everywhere  and  a  fine 
harvest  in  Italy.' 

This  is,  in  form,  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  Epistles.  It  is 
precisely  such  a  letter  as  might  have  been  written  in  prose,  com- 
menting upon  the  letter  to  which  it  is  a  reply,  recommending  a  friend 
to  the  notice  of  the  recipient  and  giving  in  brief  the  news  of  the 
day.  Its  tone,  too,  is  entirely  personal,  as  if  it  were  meant  to  be 
read  only  by  the  person  addressed,  and  that  tendency  to  fall  into  the 
essay  manner,  which  in  some  of  the  letters  is  out  of  harmony  with  the 
epistolary  form,  is  here  the  more  easily  avoided,  because  the  interest  of 
Iccius  in  philosophy  makes  the  introduction  of  that  subject  quite 
natural.  At  the  same  time,  the  personal  matters  are  so  treated  as 
to  be  of  general  interest,  and  the  revelation  of  the  character  of  both 
writer  and  recipient  is  most  attractive.  In  lightness  of  touch  and  in 
humorous  irony  this  letter  resembles  Epist.  i,  3,  also  addressed  to  a 
younger  friend. 

78 


EPISTVLAE 


[IP  12,8 


Fructibus  Agrippae  Siculis,  quos  colligis,  Icci, 

si  recte  frueris,  non  est  ut  copia  maior 

ab  love  donari  possit  tibi.     Tolle  querellas, 

pauper  enim  non  est,  cui  rerum  suppetit  usus. 

Si  ventri  bene,  si  lateri  est  pedibusque  tuis,  nil 

divitiae  poterurit  regales  addere  maius. 

Si  forte  in  medio  positorum  abstemius  herbis 

vivis  et  urtica,  sic  vives  protinus,  ut  te 


1.  fructibus  ;  revenues,  but  with 
special  reference  to  revenue  derived 
from  an  estate. 

2.  recte :  not  in  the  philosophical 
sense,  but  properly, '  as  you  have  a 
a  right  to  do.'     The  general  mean- 
ing of  the  word  is  specialized  by 
its  connection  vrith/rueris. 

3.  querellas:   laments  over  his 
poverty ;  the  exhortation  does  not 
imply  that  Iccius  was  over-anxious 
to  be  rich,  but  only  that  he  was 
inclined  to  regret  the  necessity  of 
earning  his  living    as  a  business 
man  in  Sicily. 

4.  rerum  .  . .  usus :  no  more  than 
quod  satis  est,  that  sufficient  supply 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  to  which 
men  should  limit  their  desires. 

5.  ventri,  lateri,  pedibus :  i.e.  'if 
your  wants  are  supplied  and  your 
health    is    good.'     The    form    in 
which  the  general  thought  is  ex- 
pressed   is  taken    from    a   Greek 
proverb  (Theognis.  719),  but  Hor- 
ace uses   the  same   words   often, 
putting   specific  illnesses    in    the 
place  of  some  general  term ;  cf. 
latns  ant  renes,  Epist.   i,  6,   28; 


later  urn    dolor,    Sat.     I,    9,    32; 
podagram.  Epist.  I,  2,  52. 

6.  The  same  as  non  est  ut  copia 
maior ;  cf.  also  Epist.  \,  4,  7-8. 

7.  forte :    the   addition   of  this 
word   prevents   the   condition,   si 
vivis,  from    assuming  that  he  is 
actually  living  an  ascetic  life.     The 
two  conditions,  si  ventri  bene  est 
and  si  vvins  herbis,  thus  present 
the     two     possible    alternations, 
without  choosing  between  them  ; 
'whether  you  are  living  on  the  fat 
of  the  land  or  are,  perhaps,  a  vege- 
tarian, in  either  case  you  are  in- 
dependent of  money  and  have  no 
right  to  call  yourself  pauper.' — in 
medio  positorum :  the  gen.  depends 
on  abstemius,  which  takes  the  abl. 
or  the  gen.  without  distinction  of 
meaning.     For    in   medio  posita, 
'things  that  are  within  the  reach 
of  everybody,'  cf.  Sat.  i,  2,  108. 

8.  urtica :    nettles,  more    often 
referred    to    for    their    medicinal 
properties  ;  here  used  only  to  give  a 
humorous  definiteness  to  the  gen- 
eral word  herbis.  —  sic :  in  the  same 
•way.  —  protinus :    of    time ;   'you 


79 


i,  12,9] 


1IOKATI 


confestim  liquidus  Fortunae  rivus  inauret ; 

vel  quia  naturam  mutare  pecunia  nescit, 

vel  quia  cuncta  putas  una  virtute  minora. 

Miramur,  si  Democriti  pecus  edit  agellos 

cultaque,  dum  peregre  est  animus  sine  corpore  velox, 

cum  tu  inter  scabiem  tantam  et  contagia  lucri 

nil  parvum  sapias  et  adhuc  sublimia  cures : 

quae  mare  compescant  causae  ;  quid  temperet  annum  ; 

stellae  sponte  sua  iussaene  vagentur  et  errent ; 

from  his  body  and  roamed  the  uni- 
verse. —  cum :  adversative.  —  sca- 
biem: the  figurative  use  is  rare 
and  is  therefore  defined  by  contagia 
lucri;  'contagious  itching  for 
pelf  (Wilkins).  Iccius,  in  his 
work  as  overseer  of  Agrippa's  es- 
tates, was  in  the  closest  contact 
with  the  money-making  instincts. 

—  nil  parvum  :  i.e.,  'are indifferent 
to  all    this,'   'regard   all    this  as 
petty ' ;    then  the   thought   is   re- 
peated in  positive  form  in  sublimia. 

—  adhuc  :  still,  '  as  you  did  when 
I  wrote  my  ode  about  you.'  —  sub- 
limia :    lofty  themes,  both  in  the 
general    sense    and    with    special 
reference    to   astronomical    ques- 
tions. 

16.  compescant:    i.e.,  why   the 
sea,  in  spite  of  all  the  rivers  that 
empty  into  it,  does  not  rise,  but  is 
confined  within  fixed  bounds.     Cf. 
Lucr.  6,  608.  — temperet :  '  divides 
the  year  into  seasons';  cf.  Carm. 
I,  12,  16. 

17.  sponte  sua :  the  Stoic  doc- 
trine was   that   the    planets   were 
self-moved     and     were     therefore 


will  go  right  on  living.'  —  ut :  con- 
cessive ;  even  though. 

9.  The  river  Pactolus,  in  which 
Midas  bathed  to  rid  himself  of  the 
'Golden  Touch,'  had  come  to  be 
thought  of  as  having  the  power  to 
gild   with    its    waters,  and   so    is 
proverbial  as  a  source  of  wealth. 
Cf.  Epod.  15,  20.  tibiqite  Pactolus 
fluat. 

10.  Cf.  Epod.  4,  6,  fortnna  non 
mutat genus ;  in  this  case,  however, 
the  general  truth   is  intended  to 
convey  a  compliment. 

11.  This  also  is  complimentary 
and  leads  on  to  the  detailed  refer- 
ences to  the  interest  of  Iccius  in 
philosophical  studies. 

12-15.  '  The  stock  illustration  of 
the  philosopher's  absorption  in  his 
speculations  is  feeble  compared  to 
your  interest.1  —  Democriti:  of 
Abdera.  the  early  teacher  of  the 
atomic  theory  of  matter.  The 
story  is  told  in  various  forms ;  here 
the  allusion  is  to  his  neglect  of  his 
farm  because  he  was  so  intent  upon 
scientific  study.  —  peregre :  his 
mind,  as  it'  were,  separated  itself 


80 


EPISTVLAE 


[l,   12,  21 


;o 


quid  premat  obscurum  lunae,  quid  profcrat  orbem ; 
quid  velit  et  possit  rerum  concordia  discors ; 
Empedocles  an  Stertinium  deliret  acumen. 
Verum  seu  piscis  sen  porrum  et  caepe  trucidas, 


themselves  divine.  The  atomic 
theory  brought  them  under  the 
rule  of  physical  law  (ir/ssae). 

18.  obscurum :     predicate    with 
premat.     The  question  is   in    re- 
gard to  the  changes  of  the  moon 
from  crescent  to  full  circle  (orbent). 

19.  quid  velit :    in    the    direct 
form,   quid   vis    tibi?      (Sat.    i, 
2,  69),    'what    do    you    mean?' 
In   the  indirect   form,  quid  .  .  . 
ista  velit  sibi  fabnla,   Sat.  2,    5, 
61 .     '  What  is  the  meaning   and 
what    the    powers   of  .  .   .   ? '  — 
concordia  discors :  cf.  strenua  in- 
ertia, Epist.    i,    n,    28.     In   the 
atomic   theory  all   motion   is   the 
result  of  two  forces,  attraction  and 
repulsion,  love  and  hate,  which  are 
opposed  and  yet  work  out  a  har- 
monious  result.     The   expression 
concordia  discors  is  used  by  many 
writers. 

20.  Empedocles  :  of  Agrigentum, 
a  follower   of  Pythagoras   and   a 
physicist:    his  name  is  suggested 
by   vs.    19,  and   he  is  mentioned 
as  a  representative  of  the  school 
which     explained     natural      phe- 
nomena by  purely  physical  causes. 
—  Stertinium :    a    Stoic    philoso- 
pher,   whose    supposed   discourse 
on  the  madness  of  men  forms  the 
main  part  of  Sat.  2,  3.     He  may 
have  been  of  the  Ciceronian  period. 

HOR.  EP.  —  6  8l 


He  is  here  used  in  a  humorous 
spirit  as  the  counterpart  to  Emped- 
ocles, standing  for  Stoic  doctrines. 
The  name  is  in  the  adj.  form, 
without  change,  agreeing  with 
acumen.  For  the  epic  use  of  the 
abstract  noun  cf.  Sat.  2,  i,  72,  vir- 
tus Scipiadae.  —  deliret :  a  Stoic 
word,  used  of  the  madness  of 
stnltitia,  here  employed  in  humor- 
ous contrast  with  acumen. 

21.  'But  whatever  may  be  your 
mode  of  living  (vss.  5-8)  or  your 
philosophical  tenets  (vss.  16-20), 
make  the  acquaintance  of  Gros- 
phus.' — Many  systems  of  philoso- 
phy have  run  over  into  dietetic 
regulations,  connected  in  some 
cases  with  the  more  important  doc- 
trines. The  Pythagorean  doctrine 
of  the  transmigration  of  souls  was 
thus  connected  with  the  forbidding 
of  certain  articles  of  food,  animal 
and  even  vegetable,  on  the  ground 
that  the  use  of  such  food  involved 
the  taking  of  life.  Many  of  the 
allusions  are  evidently  parody,  as 
here  trucidas  is  humorous.  — 
piscis :  standing  for  good  living, 
vs.  5. — porrum  et  caepe:  leeks 
and  onions,  the  her  bis  et  urtica  of 
vss.  7-8.  The  description  is  in 
all  these  cases  (5,  7-8,  21)  humor- 
ously phrased,  with  no  attempt  at 
precision,  so  that  the  use  of  piscis 


1,  12,  22] 


110RATI 


utere  Pompeio  Grospho  et  si  quid  pctet  ultro 
defer  :  nil  Grosphus  nisi  verum  orabit  et  aequum, 
Vilis  amicorum  est  annona,  bonis  ubi  quid  dest. 
25      Ne  tamen  ignores,  quo  sit  Romana  loco  res : 
Cantaber  Agrippae,  Claudi  virtute  Neronis 
Armenius  cecidit;  ius  imperiumque  Phraates 
Caesaris  accepit  genibus  minor ;  aurea  f ruges 
Italiae  pleno  defundit  Copia  cornu. 


for  high  living  is  not  surprising  or 
doubtful. 

22.  Pompeio  Grospho :  Car  in. 
2,  16  is  addressed  to  him,  and 
alludes  to  his  having  estates  in 
Sicily.  —  ultro :  with  defer. 

24.  annona:  properly  the  year's 
harvest,  then  the  price  of  grain, 
which  depended  on  the  harvest, 
and  in  turn  influenced  all  prices. 
Here  figuratively ;  k  it  costs  but 
little  to  secure  friends,  when  those 
who  ask  the  price  are  good  men.1 
—  dest:  =  deest.  The  thought  is 
the  same  as  that  in  quid  petit,  not 
that  Grosphus  would  necessarily 
be  asking  for  help,  but  that  Iccius 
need  not  hesitate  out  of  fear  that 
he  might  make  inconvenient  de- 
mands. 

26-29.  The  news  of  the  day, 
given  in  condensed  form,  with 
little  touches  of  half-humorous 


poetic  phrasing.  —  Agrippa,  the 
patron  of  Iccius,  put  down  an  up- 
rising in  Spain  in  the  summer  of 
20  B.C.  —  The  expedition  of  Ti- 
berius, to  which  reference  is  made 
in  many  of  the  Epistles,  resulted 
in  the  submission  of  Armenia.  — 
Phraates,  king  of  Parthia,  restored 
to  Augustus,  through  Tiberius,  the 
Roman  standards  taken  long  be- 
fore, when  Crassus  was  defeated. 
The  formalities  of  the  occasion  are 
alluded  to  in  genibus  wirier  ('in- 
ferior by  his  kneeling'),  and  both 
this  event  and  the  conquest  of  Ar- 
menia are  commemorated  on  coins 
of  the  period  and  mentioned  by 
Augustus  in  the  Monumentum 
Ancyranum.  —  defundit :  present 
tense  ;  the  harvest  was  just  coming 
in.  There  had  been  serious  trouble 
from  a  bad  harvest  in  22  B.C. 


13 

The  first  three  books  of  the  Odes  were  published  in  the  year  23.  At 
that  time  Augustus  was  still  in  Italy,  in  or  near  Rome,  and  Horace  sent 
to  him  an  early  copy  of  the  three  volumes.  The  bearer  of  the  gift  was 
Vinnius  Asina  (or  perhaps  Asellus),  of  whom  nothing  is  known  except 

82 


EP1STVLAE  [i,  13,  4 

by  inference  from  this  letter.  The  Epistle  is  supposed  to  be  a  hasty 
note,  sent  by  a  messenger  to  overtake  Vinnius  before  he  reached  Rome 
and  to  remind  him  again  of  the  authors  instructions  in  regard  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  gift  should  be  presented  to  Augustus. 

'This  is  to  remind  you  again,  Vinnius,  to  be  careful.  Don't  make  a 
nuisance  of  yourself  ;  your  name,  you  see,  exposes  you  to  jibes.  And 
do  try  to  be  graceful ;  don't  carry  my  books  under  your  arm  like  a  com- 
mon bundle.  And  don't  brag  about  them,  either.  Remember  what 
I've  told  you  and  do  be  careful.' 

This  is  not  an  actual  letter,  sent  after  Vinnius,  but  a  humorous 
Epistle  handed  to  him  with  the  books  and  intended  in  reality  for 
Augustus.  There  is  not  a  serious  word  in  it ;  the  elaborate  and  fussy 
advice,  the  permission  to  throw  the  book  away,  the  reference  to  the 
badness  of  the  road,  are  all  fictitious.  Vinnius  was  not  a  country  clown, 
but  a  common  friend  of  Augustus  and  Horace,  who  undertook  the  little 
commission  for  the  poet,  doubtless  with  pride.  Nor  was  Augustus 
so  remote  and  great  a  personage  that  Horace  felt  it  to  be  necessary 
to  approach  him  with  elaborate  caution.  All  this  belongs  to  the 
machinery,  as  it  were,  of  the  little  play. 

The  facts  were,  in  reality,  something  like  this :  in  sending  a  copy 
of  his  completed  lyrics  to  Augustus,  Horace  desired  to  write  a  note  of 
presentation,  like  an  inscription  on  a  flyleaf.  Seeking  to  avoid  the 
commonplace  forms,  he  hit  upon  the  little  fiction  of  pretending  great 
anxiety  about  the  reception  of  the  gift  and  of  expressing  his  anxiety  in 
these  fussy  and  exaggerated  directions  to  the  bearer.  The  note  was, 
of  course,  to  be  shown  to  Augustus. 

Vt  proficiscentem  docui  te  saepe  diuque, 
Augusto  reddes  signata  volumina,  Vinni, 
si  validus,  si  laetus  erit,  si  denique  poscet ; 
ne  studio  nostri  pecces,  odiumque  libellis 

1.  proficiscentem:    'when    you  and  under  the  care  of  physicians, 
were  starting,'  as  if  this  letter  had  — denique  :  this  changes  the  con- 
been  sent  to  overtake  him  on  the  dition    into    a    temporal    clause ; 
journey.  'and  not  until   he  shall   ask   for 

2.  signata:  /V.. 'with  the  seal  it.'  —  poscet:    it  is    implied    that 
unbroken,'  in  good  condition.  Augustus  already  knew  that  a  copy 

3.  si  validus:    the    conditions  of  the  book  was  to  be  sent  to  him. 
are   emphatic:    'only  in  case  he  4-5.    The  adjuration  not  to  be 
is.   .  .  .'     Augustus  was  often  ill  overzealous    is    intentionally    re- 


»>  U.  5] 


HORATI 


sedulus  importes  opera  vehemente  minister. 
Si  te  forte  meae  gravis  uret  sarcina  chartae, 
abicito  potius  quam,  quo  perferre  iuberis, 
clitellas  ferus  impingas  Asinaeque  paternum 
cognomen  vertas  in  risum  et  fabula  fias. 
Viribus  uteris  per  clivos,  flumina,  lamas ; 
victor  propositi  simul  ac  perveneris  illuc, 
sic  positum  servabis  onus,  ne  forte  sub  ala 
fasciculum  portes  librorum  ut  rusticus  agnum, 


peated  in  various  forms  in  studio 
nostri,  sedulus  minister,  and  opera 
vehemente,  as  if  to  express  the  ex- 
treme anxiety  of  the  writer. 

6-9.  The  lines  are,  of  course, 
wholly  humorous,  to  introduce 
the  joke  on  the  cognomen  of  Vin- 
nius. — gravis  .  .  .  sarcina:  a  jest 
at  the  books  themselves,  not  un- 
like the  Engl.  'heavy  reading.' 
The  three  volumes  of  the  Odes 
would  be  in  fact  a  very  light  parcel. 
—  uret:  gall;  cf.  Epist.  I,  10,  43. 
The  word  is  selected  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  joke  on  Asina.  —  quo  : 
supply  an  antecedent,  ibi,  to  go 
with  impingas  ;  •  rather  than  carry 
it  all  the  way  and  then  dash  it 
down  in  the  very  presence  of 
Augustus  and  his  friends.1  — 
ferus:  'like  an  angry  mule.'  — 
Asinae  :  both  this  name  and  the 
other  form,  Asellus,  are  known 
to  have  been  in  actual  use  in 
several  families.  —  paternum  :  i.e., 
an  inherited  cognomen  and  not 
one  given  in  derision  to  Vinnius 
himself.  —  fabula:  so  Epod.  \\, 


8,  fabula  quanta  fui,  Juv.  10,  167. 
ut  .  .  .  declamatio  fias. 

10.  viribus  uteris  :  fut.,  like  red- 
des,  servabis;  'use  your  strength 
where  it  is  called  for,  on  the  road, 
but  when  you  arrive  carry  the 
books  gracefully.'  —  lamas  :  bogs, 
mudholes.  The  word  is  found 
only  here  in  classical  Latin  and 
was  probably  a  colloquialism. 
These  references  to  difficulties  on 
the  way  are  not  to  be  taken  liter- 
ally ;  they  suit  the  general  tone  of 
humorous  exaggeration. 

xi.  victor  propositi :  this  phrase 
also  is  intentionally  over-serious, 
almost  epic. 

12-13.  sic  positum :  'just  as  I 
am  arranging  it  now ' :  as  if  Horace 
were  actually  showing  Vinnius  how 
to  hold  it  and  how  to  carry  it 
properly-  —  ne  .  .  .  portes:  in 
form  a  clause  of  purpose,  but  in 
sense  a  continuation  of  the  com- 
mand from  uteris,  ser-vabis,  '  don't 
carry  my  package  under  your 
arm,  like  a  farmer  carrying  a 
lamb.' 


84 


Kl'ISTVLAE 


['» '3.  19 


ut  vinosa  glomus  furtivae  Pyrrhia  lanae, 
15      ut  cum  pileolo  soleas  conviva  tribulis. 
Ne  vulgo  narres  te  sudavisse  ferendo 
carmina,  quae  possint  oculos  auresque  morari 
Caesaris.     Oratus  multa  prece,  nitere  porro; 
vade,  vale ;  cave  ne  titubes  mandataque  frangas. 


14.  glomus :     ace.    plur.  ;     the 
word  is  a  technical  term,  of  wool 
gathered  into  a  ball  for  spinning. 
—  Pyrrhia :  the  form  of  the  name 
is  quite  uncertain.     The  Scholiast 
says  that  this  is  an  allusion  to  a 
scene  in  a  play  of  Titinius. 

15.  conviva  tribulis :    a  poorer 
member   of  a   'tribe,'   invited   to 
dinner  for  political   purposes   by 
a  richer  fellow-tribesman,   would 
have  no  slave  to  carry  his  cap  or 
to  take  his  sandals  when  he  re- 
clined on  the   couch.     He  would 
therefore    carry    them    under    his 
arm.  —  The  three  comparisons  are 
not  meant  to  describe  three  differ- 
ent ways  of  carrying  things  under 
the  arm,  but  merely  to  suggest  the 
awkwardness  which  Vinnius  is  to 
avoid. 

16-17.  'And  don't  brag  to 
everybody  about  your  important 
mission."  The  important  word  in 
the  infin.  phrase  is  not  sitdavisse, 


but  ferendo.      The   exaggeration 
of  sudavisse  is  like  that  in  vss.  4-5, 

10,  II. 

18.  oratus:  by  Horace,  in  this 
letter.  —  multa  prece  :    the  whole 
Epistle  is  made  up  of  such  exhor- 
tations and  the  point  is  the  same 
as   that   of  saepe   dinqiie,   vs.    I. 
'  You  have  heard  all  my  directions, 
now  go  on.' 

19.  titubes :     a    very    common 
word  in  Plautus,  in  giving  direc- 
tions for  the  carrying  out  of  a  plan ; 
M.  G.  946,  Pseud.  764,  939.     The 
literal   meaning  is  here  distinctly 
in  mind,  with  a  reference  back  to 
vss.   8-9,  and  is  carried  on  into 
frangas.  —  mandata  :  not  the  vol- 
umes,   but    the    injunctions,    the 
itniltae  preces.      The   literal   and 
figurative  meanings  run  together ; 
'  don't   stumble   and    break    your 
load,'  '  don't  make  a  mistake  and 
forget  my  directions  to  you.' 


14 

The  date  of  this  Epistle  cannot  be  determined  nor  is  it  of  importance 
for  the  interpretation.  The  person  to  whom  it  is  supposed  to  be  written 
is  the  superintendent  of  Horace's  farm. 

•  Foreman  of  my  nice  little  farm,  we  seem  to  be  disagreeing.  I  am 
detained  here  in  Rome,  longing  for  the  country :  you  want  to  be  back 


i,  14,  i]  HORATI 

in  Rome.  You  are  inconsistent  and  I  am  not,  but  the  real  difference  is 
in  our  tastes.  To  you  my  farm  seems  a  desert  and  a  place  of  hard 
labor,  and  you  long  for  pleasures,  while  I  have  dropped  all  that  kind 
of  thing  and  want  only  peace.  Each  wants  what  the  other  has.  But 
it  won't  do ;  the  shoemaker  will  have  to  stick  to  his  last,  according  to 
the  old  saying.' 

This  Epistle  is  in  complete  contrast  to  the  one  which  immediately 
precedes  it.  It  is  a  little  disquisition  on  the  inconsistencies  of  men,  as 
illustrated  by  the  steward's  discontent  with  the  life  which  he  had  once 
greatly  desired,  and  on  the  attractiveness  of  the  country,  which  seemed 
all  the  stronger  to  Horace  when  he  happened  to  be  detained  in  Rome 
beyond  his  usual  time.  These  themes  Horace  had  treated  before,  in 
Sat.  i,  i  and  Sal.  2,  6,  using  the  satire  form.  In  returning  to  them  at 
this  later  time,  under  the  impulse  of  his  longing  to  escape  from  the  city, 
he  used  the  epistolary  form  with  which  he  was  then  experimenting. 
The  vilicus  is,  of  course,  a  mere  figurehead  ;  the  letter  was  not  actually 
sent  to  him  at  all ;  but  the  advantages  of  the  direct  form  of  address 
appear  in  the  individual  allusions  (vss.  2-3,6-7,  14-15.  19-30),  whicli 
illustrate  the  general  doctrines  that  underlie  the  whole.  There  is, 
too,  a  certain  simplicity  and  directness  in  the  language,  though  there 
is,  of  course,  no  attempt  to  come  down  to  the  level  of  the  steward's 
comprehension. 

Vilice  silvarum  et  mihi  me  reddentis  agelli, 
quern  tu  fastidis  habitatum  quinque  focis  et 
quinque  bonos  solitum  Variam  dimittere  patres, 
certemus,  spinas  animone  ego  fortius  an  tu 

t.   silvarum:    Horace  mentions  tion  of  qirittqiie.  —  Variam:    now 

the  woodlands  in  several  allusions  Wcflvaro,     the     nearest     market 

to  his  farm  (Sat.  2,  6,  3 ;  Epist.  town. — patres:    'heads   of  fami- 

i,  16,  9)  and  evidently  regarded  lies.1    They  were  coloni.  who  held 

them  as  an  important  part  of  the  the  lands  on  lease  from   Horace 

estate.  —  mihi  me  reddentis :  '  that  and  were  independent  farmers  and 

restores  me  to  myself  ;  cf.  Epist.  citizens.     On  the  part  of  the  es- 

i,  18,  101,  te  tibi  reddat  amicum.  tate   which    Horace   reserved   for 

2-3.  habitatum :    •  though    it  is  himself  and  of  which  the  vilicus 

large  enough  to  furnish  homes  to  had  charge,  eight  slaves  (Sat.  2. 

five  families ';  there  is  a  little  half-  7,  118)  were  kept  at  work, 

humorous  boasting  in  the  repeti-  4-5.  certemus:  i^., '  I  challenge 

86 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  14,  H 


evellas  agro,  et  melior  sit  Horatius  an  res. 
Me  quamvis  Lamiae  pietas  et  cura  moratur, 
fratrem  maerentis,  rapto  de  fratre  dolentis 
insolabiliter,  tamen  istuc  mens  animusque 
fert  et  amat  spatiis  obstantia  rumpere  claustra. 
Rure  ego  viventem,  tu  dicis  in  urbe  beatum  ; 
cui  placet  alterius,  sua  nimirum  est  odio  sors. 
Stultus  uterque  locum  immeritum  causatur  inique; 
in  culpa  est  animus,  qui  se  non  effugit  unquam. 
Tu  mediastinus  tacita  prece  rura  petebas, 


you  to  a  contest,  to  see  whether 
.  .  .  .'  — spinas :  for  weeds  in  gen- 
eral ;  so filix (Sat.  i,  3,  37)  is  used 
both  of  faults  and  of  weeds.  —  res : 
his  farm. 

6.  Lamiae:     subjective     gen.; 
'  Lamia's   affection   and    distress,' 
further  explained  by  the  next  line. 
[The  single  case  of  an  objective 
gen.,  deum  pietas,  in  a  fragment 
of  Naevius,  by  no  means  justifies 
the  taking  of  Lamiae  as  an  ob- 
jective genitive.]  — moratur:  the 
subjv.  is   the    proper   mode    with 
qnaim>is,  but  the  confusion  with 
quamqttam  had  already  gone  so 
far  that    Horace   uses   the   indie, 
more  often  than  the  subjunctive. 
—  Carat,  i ,  26  is  addressed  to  L. 
Aelius   Lamia  and  he  is  referred 
to  in  Carat.  3,  17.     He  became 
consul   in    3    A.n.     Evidently    he 
was  one  of  Horace's  most  valued 
friends. 

7.  The  repetition  fratrem  .  .  ., 
fratre  and  the  assonance  of  mae- 
raitis,  dolentis  give  the  line  a  pe- 


culiar effect.  Cicero  (ad  Alt.  12, 
28,  2,  maerorem  miniti,  dolorem. 
nee  pottti)  distinguishes  between 
the  two  words,  but  the  distinction 
is  here  unimportant ;  moitrning, 
grieving. 

8.  istuc :    '  to  the   place  where 
you  are,1  to  the  country. 

9.  amat :  longs ;  so,  with  infin., 
Carat.  3,  9,  24.  —  The  figure  in 
the  rest  of  the  line  is  taken  from 
chariot  racing;    claustra  are    the 
bars  which  kept  the  horses  within 
the   carceres   until    the   race   was 
started  and  which  may  therefore 
be  said  obstare  spatiis,  to  '  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  race  course.' 

ii.  alterius:  sc.  sors.  The 
thought  is  that  with  which  Sat. 
i,  i  opens. 

12-13.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  n.esp.  vss. 
25-27.  —  immeritum  :  i.e.,  '  which 
is  not  responsible,'  as  in  Sat.  2.  3, 
7  f.  immerJtus  .  .  .  paries.  The 
same  thought  is  expressed  also  in 
inique. 

14.  tu:  thh  takes  up  the  con- 


!»  14. 15] 


HORATI 


25 


nunc  urbem  et  ludos  et  balnea  vilicus  optas ; 

me  constare  mihi  scis  et  discedere  tristem, 

quandocumque  trahunt  invisa  negotia  Romam. 

Non  eadem  miramur ;  eo  disconvenit  inter 

meque  et  te.     Nam  quae  deserta  et  inhospita  tesqua 

credis,  amoena  vocat  mecum  qui  sentit,  et  odit 

quae  tu  pulchra  putas.     Fornix  tibi  et  uncta  popina 

incutiunt  urbis  desiderium,  video,  et  quod 

angulus  iste  feret  piper  et  tus  ocius  uva, 

nee  vicina  subest  vinum  praebere  taberna 

quae  possit  tibi,  nee  meretrix  tibicina,  cuius 

ad  strepitum  salias  terrae  gravis.     Et  tamen  urgues 

iampridem  non  tacta  ligonibus  arva,  bovemque 

disiunctum  curas  et  strictis  f rondibus  exples ; 


trast  begun  in  vs.  6  and  expressed 
in  vs.  10.  —  mediastinus  :  a  com- 
mon drudge.  —  tacita :  i.e.,  '  you 
regarded  it  as  so  great  a  piece  of 
good  fortune  that  you  did  not  dare 
to  ask  for  it.' 

15.  nunc:   'but   now   that  you 
have  it.1  —  vilicus:  a  head  servant, 
in  contrast  to  mediastinus. 

16.  me :    '  but  I  am  consistent 
in  my  wishes.' 

18.  eo  disconvenit:  'the  differ- 
ence  in   our  tastes   explains    the 
fact  that  you  are  inconsistent  and 
I  am  consistent.1 

19.  tesqua  :  wilds  ;  said  by  the 
Scholiast  to  be  a  Sabine  word. 

21.  fornix  :  a  brotliel.  —  uncta  : 
cf.  imwundis  pi>/>!iiis.  Sat.  2,  4, 
62.  The  common  cook  shops 
would  be  ill-kept  and  greasy. 

23.  angulus  iste  :  >  that  hole,  as 


you  call  it.'  —  piper  et  tus:  i.e.. 
'the  farm  cannot  be  made  to  pro- 
duce good  wine  (uva)  ;  you  might 
as  well  expect  to  raise  tropical 
plants  there.1  This  and  the  fol- 
lowing lines  express  the  steward's 
disgust  with  his  occupation  and 
circumstances. 

25.  meretrix  tibicina:   like  the 
Copa  Syrisca  in  Vergil's  poem. 

26.  tamen:    'in   spite   of  your 
having  no  pleasures,  as  you  say.' 
—  urgues:    to   express   the  stew- 
ard's sense  of  the  difficulty  of  his 
labors. 

27.  non   tacta :    and   therefore 
harder  to  bring  under  cultivation. 

28.  disiunctum :    the   oxen   are 
loosed  from   the   plow  and   their 
labor  is  over,  but  the  steward  must 
still  take  care  of  them  and  give 
them  their  fodder  (fioiuiibtis). 


88 


EFIS1A  l.AK 


[I,  14,  40 


addit  opus  pigro  rivus,  si  decidit  imber, 
30      multa  mole  docendus  aprico  parcere  prato. 

Nunc  age,  quid  nostrum  concentum  dividat,  audi. 
Quern  tenues  decuere  togae  nitidique  capilli, 
quern  scis  immunem  Cinarae  placuisse  rapaci, 
quern  bibulum  liquidi  media  de  luce  Falerni, 
35      cena  brevis  iuvat  et  prope  rivum  somnus  in  herba. 
Nee  lusisse  pudet,  sed  non  incidere  ludum. 
Non  istic  obliquo  oculo  mea  commoda  quisquam 
limat,  non  odio  obscuro  morsuque  venenat; 
rident  vicini  glebas  et  saxa  moventem. 
40      Cum  servis  urbana  diaria  rodere  mavis, 


29.  addit :  and  there  is  even 
more  to  do,  like  directing  the  flow 
of  the  water  in  a  heavy  rain.  — 
pigro:  this  is  added  by  Horace. 

31.  quid  .  .  .  dividat:  i.e.,  'what 
makes  my  view  of  country  life  so 
entirely  different   from   yours.'  — 
audi :   let  me  tell  you,   as   often ; 
Sat.  i,  i,  14. 

32.  tenues:  fine,  '  of  fine  mate- 
rial ' ;    the   opposite    was    crassa, 
Sat.  i,  3,  15. 

33.  immunem :        '  though       I 
brought    no    gift'    (Wilkins).  — 
Cinarae:    cf.   Epist.   i,  7,  28  and 
note.     The  adj.  rapaci  is  general, 
of  women  of  her  class,  not  indi- 
vidual. 

34.  media  de  luce  :  to  drink  be- 
fore nightfall  is  often  referred  to 
as  typical  of  a  rather  fast  life,  e.g., 
Sat.   i,  4,  51  f.,  or  at  least  a  life 
of  pleasure.  Carat.  2,  7.  6. 

36.  nee  lusisse  pudet :  all  this 
was,  by  Roman  standards,  suitable 


enough  for  a  young  man.  —  in- 
cidere :  cut  short, '  bring  to  an  end 
at  the  proper  time.' 

37.  istic  :  where  you  are,  in  the 
country;  cf.   tstitc,  vs.    8. — obli- 
quo :  look  askance  with  envy. 

38.  limat :    literally  files,    cuts 
away,  i.e.,  lessens ;  but  the  word 
is  more  frequently  used  of  polish- 
ing and  is  here  chosen  for  the  pun 
upon   Hints   oculis,   which   is   the 
same  as  obliquo  oculo.  — venenat : 
envy  and  hatred  are  like  the  bite 
of  a  poisonous    serpent.     Horace 
frequently  alludes  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  envied  and  criticized,  es- 
pecially  for    his    friendship   with 
Maecenas. 

39.  rident:  'instead  of  envying 
me.  my  neighbors  merely  smile  in 
a  good-natured  way,  as   they  see 
me  trying  to  work  with  my  own 
hands  about  my  farm.1 

40-44.   A  summary  of  the  whole; 
'  every  man  wants  what  he  has  not 


89 


I,  14,  41]  HORATI 

horum  tu  in  numerum  voto  ruis  ;  invidct  usum 
lignorum  et  pecoris  tibi  calo  argutus  et  horti. 
Optat  ephippia  bos,  piger  optat  arare  caballus. 
Q.uam  scit  uterque  libens  censebo  cxerceat  artem. 

—  a  great  mistake,  in  my  opinion/  ing.  have  an  easy  life.  —  Vs.  44  is 

—  cum  servis:  'like  my  slaves  in  proverbial  :     Cicero   expresses    it 
the   city,'  urbana  going  in  sense  (Titsc.  I,  1 8,  41)    in  slightly  dif- 
with  servis.  —  diaria  :  rations,  in-  ferent  form;  'bene  enim  illo  pro- 
stead  of  the  abundant  food  of  the  verbio  Graeco   praecipitur ;  quam 
farm.  —  calo  :  my  groom,  who  had  quisque  norit  artem,  in  hac  se  ex- 
occasionally  gone    out    with    his  erceat.'  —  censebo :     inserted     in 
master  to  the  farm;  cf.  Sat.  1,6,  parataxis  with  exerceat.     The  fu- 
103. — argutus:  i.e.,  *  using  all  his  ture   does    not    really   belong   to 
arguments     to    persuade    me.1 —  censebo  (for  censeo},  but  is  taken 
piger :  the  riding-horse  thinks  that  over  from  exerceat ;  cf.  Plaut.  M.G. 
the  oxen,  moving  slowly  in  plow-  395,  1209;  Cure.  493. 

15 

Of  the  date  of  this  Epistle  it  can  only  be  said  that  it  was  written 
after  23,  when  Antonius  Musa  introduced  the  cold-water  cure,  and  per- 
haps in  fulfilment  of  the  intention  expressed  in  Epist.  I,  7,  n,  to  spend 
a  winter  on  the  southern  coast.  The  person  addressed  is  a  Numonius 
Vala,  of  whom,  individually,  nothing  is  known  except  what  is  implied 
in  the  letter.  But  there  are  references  in  inscriptions  and  on  coins  to 
Numonii,  who  were  of  a  somewhat  distinguished  family  in  Lucania. 

'Tell  me  all  about  your  part  of  the  country,  Vala  (for  my  doctor  lias 
ordered  me  to  give  up  Baiae  and  take  to  the  cold-water  business;  I 
don't  like  it,  but  I  suppose  I  must  do  as  he  says)  ;  how  about  the 
bread?  and  the  water  ?  (I'll  attend  to  the  wine  myself.)  And  what 
can  I  get  in  the  way  of  game  and  sea  food  ?  Oh,  yes,  I  haven't  for- 
gotten my  own  sermons.  But  you  know  the  story  of  Maenius.  how  he 
used  to  preach  against  prodigals,  but,  when  he  had  a  chance,  used  to 
return  with  gusto  to  his  prodigal  life  again.  So  I  preach  simplicity 
when  my  bank  account  is  low,  but  I  also  know  a  good  dinner  when  I 
see  it.' 

A  genuine  letter,  asking  for  information  and  expecting  an  answer. 
But  the  dry  questions  are  interrupted  by  humorous  parentheses  which 
explain  the  reason  for  the  letter  and  set  forth  the  cheerful  frame  of  mind 

90 


KPISTVI.AK 


[i,  '5. 


of  the  writer.  And  the  letter  is  turned  into  a  work  of  art,  worthy  of 
preservation,  by  the  story  of  Maenius  and  the  humorous  application 
of  it  to  Horace  himself. 

Quae  sit  hiems  Veliae,  quod  caelum,  Vala,  Salerni, 
quorum  hominum  regio  et  qualis  via,  (nam  mihi  Baias 
Musa  supervacuas  Anton ius,  et  tamen  illis 
me  facit  invisum,  gelida  cum  perluor  unda 
5       per  medium  frigus.     Sane  murteta  relinqui, 
dictaque  cessantem  nervis  elidere  morbum 


1.  quae  sit:  the  letter,  down  to 
vs.  25,  consists  of  a  series  of  indi- 
rect questions  interrupted  by  two 
long  parentheses  (2-13  and  16-21) 
with  vs.  25  as  the  leading  clause. 
—  hiems :  this  has  reference  to  the 
purpose  expressed  in  Epist.  I,  7, 
10-1 1 .  —  caelum  :     climate-     not 
really  different  from  hiems,  which 
refers   to   the    winter    climate.  — 
Veliae :  a  small  town  on  the  Lu- 
canian  coast,  some  sixty  miles  be- 
low   Naples.  —  Salerni :    on    the. 
coast  of  Campania,  about   fifteen 
miles  from  Naples.     The  family  of 
Vala  came  from  this  region. 

2.  quorum  hominum  :    the  two 
genitives  make  a  kind  of  compound 
interrogative  adj.  corresponding  to 
qualis ;  '  a  what-sort-of-people  dis- 
trict.' —  qualis :  there  was  no  good 
Roman  road  going  down  to  Velia, 
and  off  the  regular  routes  the  char- 
acter of  the  roads  was  of  impor- 
tance. 

3.  Musa  .  .  .  Antonius:  nomen 
and  cognomen  are  in  reversed  or- 
der, as   in   Epist,   I,  8,   i.     This 
famous  physician  had  recently  in- 


troduced the  cold-water  cure,  and 
Horace,  either  following  the  fash- 
ion or  under  the  orders  of  the 
doctor,  was  giving  up  his  habit  of 
going  to  Baiae  for  the  warm  baths. 
—  supervacuas :  superfluous ;  use- 
less. —  et  tamen :  '  and  for  that 
matter,'  '  and  what  is  more ' ;  for 
this  sense  of  et  tamen  cf.  Cic.  Cat. 
Mai.  6,  1 6,  '  notum  enim  vobis 
carmen  est ;  et  tamen  ipsius  Appi 
exstat  oratio';  and  at  the  end  of 
the  same  section,  'ex  quo  intel- 
legitur  Pyrrhi  bello  grandem  sane 
fuisse ;  et  tamen  sic  a  patribus  ac- 
cepimus.'  [This  usage  is  not  in- 
frequent, but  is  often  emended  or 
explained  away  by  all  sorts  of 
ellipses.  There  is  a  fairly  good 
note  on  it  in  Munro's  Lncret.  5, 
1177.] 

5.  sane  :   of  course,  naturally ; 
with  the  whole  sentence,  but  esp. 
with  I'icus  geinit. —  murteta:  these 
myrtle  grcnes  on  the  slope  above 
Baiae  are  oft~n  mentioned. 

6.  cessantem :  lingering,  there- 
fore chronic.  —  nervis :  muscles^  as 
always   in   classical   Latin.      The 


1. 15.7] 


HORATI 


sulfura  contemn!  vicus  gemit  invidus  aegris, 
qui  caput  et  stomachum  supponere  fontibus  audent 
Clusinis  Gabiosque  petunt  et  frigida  rura. 
Mutandus  locus  est,  et  deversoria  nota 
praeteragendus   equus.       '  Quo    tendis  ?      Non    mihi 

Cumas 

est  iter  aut  Baias,'  laeva  stomachosus  habena 
dicet  eques;  sed  equis  frenato  est  auris  in  ore); 
maior  utrum  populum  frumenti  copia  pascat, 
collectosne  bibant  imbres  puteosne  perennes 


disease  was  probably  rheumatic.  — 
elidere  :  a  technical  term  of  medi- 
cine ;  drive  out  would  be  the  mod- 
ern equivalent. 

7.  invidus :  corresponds  actively 
to  the  passive  ittvisum,  vs.  4. 

8.  supponere :  the  treatment  was 
given  in  part  by  shower  baths.  — 
audent :  venture  to  take  the  new- 
fashioned  treatment. 

9.  Clusinis :   there  is  no  other 
mention  of  baths  at  Clusium,  but 
in  the  hill  country  springs  would 
be  found  anywhere.     The  baths  of 
Gabii,  near  Rome,  are  mentioned 
by  Juvenal.  —  frigida   rura  :    the 
country   places    of  Romans   were 
almost   all    up  in  the  mountains, 
where  the  air  would  be  cooler  than 
in  the  city. 

10.  mutandus  :  this  is  the  con- 
clusion of  the  whole  matter ;  '  I've 
got  to  take  cold  baths  all  winter; 
I've  got  to  abandon    Baiae  and 
duck  my  head  into  a  cold  spring. 
I  don't  like  it,  but  it's  the  doctor's 
orders.'  There  is  a  humorous  skep- 


ticism in  regard  to  the  new  cure 
and  a  humorous  acceptance  of  the 
situation  in  the  whole  passage,  vss. 
2-13.  —  deversoria  nota:  the  inns 
where  he  had  lived  before  at  Cu- 
mae  and  Baiae,  known  to  his  horse 
as  well  as  to  himself. 

12.  laeva :  the  road  down  to  Cu- 
mae  and  the  coast  towns  branched 
off  to  the  right,  and  the  horse  was 
trying  to  take  this  familiar  turn.  — 
habena  :    abl.    with   stomachosus ; 
'expressing  his  anger  by  pulling 
the  left-hand  rein.' 

13.  sed :  />.,  '  but  he  might  as 
well  have  spared  his    words   and 
simply  pulled  the  rein,  for  a  bridled 
horse  hears  with  his  mouth.' 

14.  The  indirect  questions  go 
on  after  the  parenthetic  explana- 
tion   of    the    reason     for    asking 
them.  —  frumenti  copia  :  the  sup- 
ply  of  grain  stands   for  all   the . 
ordinary   kinds   of  food,  perhaps 
with  special  reference  to  the  bread 
(cf.  Sat.  i.  5,  89-90). 

15.  collect os    .    .    .   imbres :  in 


92 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  15.  26 


iugis  aquae,  (nam  vina  nihil  moror  illius  orae. 
Rure  meo  possum  quidvis  perferre  patique ; 
ad  mare  cum  veni,  generosum  et  lene  require, 
quod  curas  abigat,  quod  cum  spe  divite  manet 
in  venas  animumque  meum,  quod  verba  ministret, 
quod  me  Lucanae  iuvenem  commendet  amicae) ; 
tractus  uter  plures  lepores,  uter  educet  apros ; 
utra  magis  pisces  et  echinos  aequora  celent 
pinguis  ut  inde  domum  possim  Phaeaxque  reverti, 
scribere  te  nobis,  tibi  nos  adcredere  par  est. 
Maenius,  ut  rebus  maternis  atque  paternis 


some  parts  of  southern  Italy  the 
supply  of  water  was  scanty  (Sat. 
I,  5,  88,  91,  97)  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  store  rain  water  in  cisterns. 
—  perennes :  '  good  all  the  year 
round,'  /'.  e.,  which  do  not  dry  up 
in  summer. 

16.  iugis :  running,  not  from  a 
stagnant  pbol ;  cf.  Sat.  2, 6, 2,  iugis 
aquae  fans.  This  is  not  tautolog- 
ical with  perennis:  'springs  from 
which  there  is  running  water  at  all 
seasons.' 

ifi-2i.  'About  the  wine  I  make 
no  inquiries,  for  I  will  bring  some 
with  me.'  —  nihil  moror  :  '  I  care 
nothing1;  cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  13.  —  rure 
meo :  in  contrast  to  ad  mare  cum 
veni;  in  his  own  home,  contented 
and  satisfied,  he  does  not  care 
what  he  has  to  eat  or  drink.  — 
perferre  patique :  with  intentional 
exaggeration  of  phrase.  —  gene- 
rosum :  not  as  '  generous '  is  used 
in  English,  but  of  good  stock,  i.e., 
from  a  good  and  well-known 


vineyard,  —  lene  •  smooth.  —  The 
following  lines  are  the  conven- 
tional praises  of  wine,  with  slight 
variations.  Compare  the  corre- 
sponding lines  in  Epist.  1,5,  16-20, 
with  notes  there.  —  manet:  from 
mono,  not  from  mdneo. 

22.  The  indirect  questions  are 
resumed,     becoming     now     more 
specific.  —  lepores  :    hares  appear 
in  both   the   gastronomic  satires 
(2,  4,  44 ;  2,  8,  89).  —  apros :  Lu- 
canian  boars  are  often  mentioned. 

23.  echinos:  sea  urchins',    they 
were   eaten    with   very  elaborate 
sauces    and    were    considered    a 
great  delicacy  (Sat.  2.  4,  33). 

24.  Phaeax  :  cf.  Epist.  1,2,28  ff. 
and  note. 

25.  adcredere  :  because  Vala  was 
at  home  in  this  region. 

26.  The     story    is    introduced 
with  an  abruptness  that  is  quite  in 
Horace's    manner,     without    any 
suggestion  of  the  connection  with 
the    preceding     thought.     To    a 


93 


5.  27J 


HOKATI 


fortiter  absumptis  urbanus  coepit  haberi 
scurra,  vagus  non  qui  certum  praesepe  teneret, 
impransus  non  qui  civem  dignosceret  hoste, 
30      quaelibet  in  quemvis  opprobria  fingere  saevus, 
pernicies  et  tempestas  barathrumque  macelli, 
quicquid  quaesierat,  ventri  donabat  avaro. 
Hie  ubi  nequitiae  fautoribus  et  timidis  nil 


Roman  reader,  however,  the  name 
of  Maenius,  a  Lucilian  character 
who  had  become  a  type  of  the 
reckless  and  witty  spendthrift, 
would  at  once  suggest  the  general 
character  of  the  anecdote  and  the 
connection  with  vs.  24  —  '  You 
smile  at  my  anxiety  about  my  food 
and  my  desire  to  get  fat  on  good 
living.  Yes,  I  confess  it,  Maenius 
is  my  model,  and  I'll  tell  you  a 
story  about  him.1  —  maternis,  pa- 
ternis :  he  had  gone  through  two 
fortunes. 

27.  fortiter :  '  like  a  young  man 
of  spirit '  ;  with  absumptis. 

27-28.  urbanus  .  .  .  scurra:  'a 
man  about  town.'  The  word 
scurra,  which  is  defined  by  Plautus 
(itrbani  adsidni  fives,  quos  scnrras 
vocant,  Trin.  202),  had  always  a 
suggestion  of  disparagement,  but 
in  combination  with  urbanus, 
which  inclines  toward  a  good 
sense,  it  is  so  nearly  neutral  as  to 
need  the  definition  of  the  two 
adjectives  and  the  relative  clauses. 
—  vagus:  not  a  regular  convictor 
at  any  house,  but  picking  up  an 
invitation  where  he  could.  — 
praesepe :  crib,  manger,  used  hu- 


morously. —  The  order  of  words 
must  be  noticed ;  '  a  roamer,  not 
the  kind  that  has  a  regular  crib.' 
[The  order  is  too  marked  in  this 
vs.  and  in  29  to  make  it  possible 
to  include  vagus  and  impransus 
in  the  relative  clauses,  as  if  it  had 
been  qui  vagus  non  .  .  .  teneret.'} 

29.  civem  .  .  .  hoste  :    friend 
from  foe]  cf.   Plaut.    Trin.   102, 
hostisne    an  civis   comedis  parvi 
pcndere.    The  older  sense  (  =pere- 
grinus)  is  quite  uncalled  for  here. 

30.  opprobria  fingere  :  this  char- 
acteristic of  the  scurra,  paying  for 
his  dinner  by  insulting  witticisms, 
is  well  described  by  Horace,  Sat. 
I,  4,  81-85. 

31.  A  Plautine  line;   cf.  Capt. 
911,   clades    calamitasque    intem- 
peries  moiio   in   nostram  advenit 
domum,  of  a  hungry  parasite,  and 
Cure.    121     b,    age    effunde    hoc 
[vittUfli]  cito  in  barathrum.    The 
figure  is  '  he  came  upon  the  mar- 
ket house    like   ruin,  like  a  hurri- 
cane, like  an  abyss.' 

33.  nequitiae :  worthlesstUss, 
with  special  reference  to  a  spend- 
thrift's follies :  joined  with  nugis 
and  pravornm  a  more.  Sat.  2,  3, 


EHSTVLAE 


fit  '5.  4> 


aut  paullum  abstulerat,  patinas  cenabat  omasi 
35      vilis  et  agninae,  tribus  ursis  quod  satis  esset ; 
scilicet  ut  ventres  lamna  candente  nepotum 
diceret  urendos  correctus  Bestius.     Idem 
quidquid  erat  nactus  praedae  maioris,  ubi  omne 
verterat  in  fumum  et  cinerem,  '  Non  hercule  miror,' 
40      aiebat,  '  si  qui  comedunt  bona,  cum  sit  obeso 
nil  melius  turdo,  nil  vulva  pulchrius  ampla.' 


244.  —  fautoribus  :  i.e.,  he  had  for 
a  time  found  persons  to  applaud  his 
follies,  but  thejr  had  become  afraid 
(timidis)  of  his  savage  wit. 

34.  abstulerat:  i.e.,  had  reached 
the  point  where  no  one  would  give 
him  a  dinner.  —  patinas :  platters, 
he  still  kept  his  appetite,  though 
he  had  to  eat  coarse  food.  —  omasi : 
tripe ;  spoken  of  with  contempt  in 
Sat.  2,  5,  40. 

35.  vilis :    with    agninae.     But 
it  is  odd  to  modern  taste  that  lamb 
should   be   classed  with   tripe   as 
coarse  and  cheap  food. 

36-37.  scilicet  ut:  'in  order,  you 
know,  that  he  might  be  able  to 
say  .  .  .' ;  an  ironical  purpose ; 
cf.  Epist.  i,  9,  3,  and  note. — 
lamna :  slaves  were  branded  with 
hot  plates  {laminae}  on  the  mem- 
ber that  had  been  most  guilty,  as 
on  the  hand  for  stealing.  Mae- 
nius,  being  unable  to  buy  dainty 
and  expensive  food,  filled  himself 
with  coarse  food  and  then  dis- 
coursed with  severity  on  the  pun- 
ishments that  ought  to  be  inflicted 
on  people  who  wasted  their  money 
{nepotiini)  on  high  living.  —  cor- 


rectus Bestius  :  '  like  Bestius  after 
his  reformation,'  or  perhaps  're- 
formed into  a  regular  Bestius.' 
For  correctus,  cf.  Sat,  2,  3,  254, 
nmtatus  Polemon.  As  Bestius  is 
wholly  unknown,  it  is  impossible"  to 
understand  the  allusion  precisely  ; 
he  may  have  been  a  reformed 
prodigal  who  denounced  his 
former  vices,  or  a  type  of  the 
severe  censor  of  others'  vices. 

38.  '  And  yet  this  same  man,  if 
he  had  the  chance,  relapsed  into 
his  prodigal  ways.1  —  praedae  ma- 
ioris :    '  whenever  he  had  made  a 
good  haul,'  i.e.,  had  succeeded  in 
getting  something  good  out  of  one 
of  his  f aut  ores. 

39.  fumum  et  cinerem :  prover- 
bial, esp.  of  sacking  and  destroying 
a  captured  town.  —  hercule:  as  an 
interjection  more  commonly  in  the 
form  Jiercle. 

40.  comedunt  bona:  cf.  Catull. 
29,  22.  devorare  patrimonia ;  the 
literal  sense  is,  of  course,  also  in 
mind. 

41.  vulva:    the    matrix    of  the 
sow,   which   was    regarded    as    a 
delicacy. 


95 


I,  15,  42]  HORATI 

Nimirum  hie  ego  sum  ;  nam  tuta  et  parvula  laudo, 
cum  res  deficiunt,  satis  inter  vilia  fortis ; 
verum  ubi  quid  melius  contingit  et  unctius,  idem 
45      vos  sapere  et  solob  aio  bene  vivere,  quorum 
conspicitur  nitidis  fundata  pecunia  villis. 

42-46.  The  application  of  Ine  — nitidis:  splendid, gleaming, like 
story  to  Horace  himself  is  made  in  -villa  candens,  Epod.  I,  29,  with 
phrases  which  recall  the  preceding  reference  to  the  appearance  of  the 
lines  without  precisely  repeating  white  mass  of  the  house  when  seen 
them.  ( ut  a  et  parvula  laudo  =  vss.  from  a  distance  against  the  back- 
36,  37;  cum  res  deficiitnt  =  vss.  ground  of  trees.  —  The  underlying 
33-34  ?  ubi  quid  ,  .  .  contingit  meaning  of  vss.  45-46  is,  4  then  I 
=  qiiidquid  erat  nactus,  vs.  38 ;  turn  Epicurean,  too,  and  enjoy 
idem  =  idem,  vs.  37 ;  and  the  rest  your  fine  country  houses  and  your 
is  Horace's  way  of  expressing  the  good  dinners,  just  as  if  I  had  never 
thought  of  vss.  39-41.  —  vos:  preached  the  Simple  Life.'  The 
Vala  was  among  the  wealthy  peo-  story  thus  turns  back  to  its  start- 
pie  of  the  region.  —  conspicitur  ing-point,  the  inquiry  in  vss.  22- 
. . .  fundata :  to  be  taken  together ;  23  about  game  and  sea  food, 
'is  plainly  seen  to  be  solidly  based.' 

16 

The  year  in  which  this  Epistle  was  written  cannot  be  determined, 
and  the  character  of  the  letter  is  such  that  the  precise  date  is  not  im- 
portant. It  may  perhaps  be  inferred  from  vs.  16  that  it  was  written  in 
the  late  summer  or  the  early  autumn.  The  Quinctius  to  whom  the  letter 
is  addressed  is  a  man  of  position  in  public  life  (vss.  17-18),  of  some 
experience  (vs.  25),  and  perhaps  in  office  at  this  time  (vs.  34).  He 
may  be  the  Quinctius  Hirpinus  of  Carm.  2,  1 1. 

'  My  farm,  if  you  care  to  know  about  it,  my  dear  Quinctius,  is  not  so 
much  a  source  of  revenue  to  me,  as  a  source  of  pleasure  and  health. 
Mountains,  woods,  streams,  and  a  cool  spring  make  it  a  perfect  retreat 
from  the  heats  of  the  city. 

'As  for  you,  you  are  in  the  midst  of  the  active  struggle  of  life,  where 
reputation  seems  more  important  than  character.  Hut  we  must  not  be 
misled  by  popular  applause,  for  it  is  often  insincere  and  always  fickle. 
Reputation  may  be  taken  away;  character  is  our  own.  But  it  must  be 
true  virtue,  not  the  fear  of  consequences,  that  keeps  us  from  doing 

96 


EPISTVLAE  O  '<>,  4 

wrong.  We  must  not  be  the  slaves  of  our  desires,  but  must  stand 
independent  and  free  from  fear.  Death  itself,  the  ultimate  penalty, 
comes  alike  to  all.' 

This  Epistle  belongs  to  the  more  impersonal  class  of  the  letters,  like 
I,  6  and  I,  10.  There  is  some  degree  of  personality  in  the  first  part, 
vss.  1-16;  Horace  cannot  write  impersonally  of  his  Sabine  farm.  And 
vss.  17-18  have  undoubtedly  some  special  reference  to  the  circumstances 
of  Quinctius.  But  the  latter  part  of  the  Epistle  is  general,  a  sort  of 
restatement,  in  Horace's  words  and  manner,  of  the  second  Stoic  Para- 
dox. This  is  quoted  by  Cicero  {Parad.  2)  :  on  avropicr/s  ^  aperr)  irpot 
(.voaifioviav,  in  quo  sit  virtus,  ei  nilril  deesse  ad  beate  vivendujn,  and  is 
discussed  and  illustrated  by  him  somewhat  as  it  is  here  treated  by  Horace, 
with  allusions  to  popular  favor,  to  the  tyranny  of  the  passions,  and  to 
death  as  the  ultima  linea.  In  the  style,  also,  as  well  as  in  the  sub- 
stance, there  is  an  adoption  of  Stoic  teaching  by  means  of  short  sen- 
tences and  lively  bits  of  dialogue.  No  careful  reader  of  the  Satires 
will  be  surprised  to  find  that  Horace,  in  his  later  study  of  philosophy, 
sometimes  accepts  the  Stoic  doctrines  ;  even  in  the  earlier  writings  it 
is  possible  to  see,  underneath  the  flippancy  with  which  he  meets  the 
formalism  of  the  Stoics,  a  considerable  measure  of  sympathy  with  the 
essence  of  their  teaching. 

Ne  perconteris,  fundus  meus,  optime  Quincti, 
arvo  pascat  erum  an  bacis  opulentet  olivae, 
pomisne  an  pratis  an  amicta  vitibus  ulmo  ; 
scribetur  tibi  forma  loquaciter  et  situs  agri. 

i.  ne  perconteris :  cf.  Epist.  i,  verbs  are  used  merely  for  variety. 
I,  13,  ac  ne  forte  roges.  —  The  — The  forms  of  cultivation  men- 
questions  which  Quinctius  might  tioned  were  among  those  gener- 
have  asked  relate  entirely  to  the  ally  used  in  Italy :  ar-vo,  land 
farm  as  a  source  of  income,  while  plowed  for  grain ;  olives  and 
the  answering  description,  vss.  5-  fruit  for  sale  in  the  city ;  pratis, 
16,  is  concerned  only  with  the  meadows  for  pasturing  cattle ; 
estate  as  a  pleasant  place  to  live  in  vitibus,  vines  trained  on  elm  trees 
during  the  summer.  for  the  making  of  wine.  The  four 

2-3.   pascat.    opulentet:    feeds  books   of  Vergil's   Georgics  deal 

with  grain,  enriches  by  the  sale  of  with  grain,  vineyards,  cattle,  and 

olives  and  fruit :  but  the  distinc-  bees. 

tion  is  unimportant  and   the  two  4.  loquaciter  :at  full  length,  with 
HOR.  EI>.  —  7                         97 


I,  16.  5] 


HORATI 


Continui  montes,  ni  dissocientur  opaca 
valle,  sed  ut  veniens  dextrum  latus  adspiciat  sol, 
laevum  discedens  curru  fugiente  vaporet ; 
temperiem  laudes.     Quid,  si  rubicunda  benigni 
corna  vepres  et  pruna  ferant  ?  si  quercus  et  ilex 
multa  fruge  pecus,  multa  dominum  iuvet  umbra? 
dicas  adductum  propius  frondere  Tarentum. 
Fons  etiam  rivo  dare  nomen  idoneus,  ut  nee 


a  jocose  admission  of  his  pleasure 
in  talking  about  his  farm. 

5.  continui  montes :  sc.  stint.  — 
ni :  introducing  an  exception ; 
'  mountains  in  an  unbroken  stretch, 
except  where  they  are  separated  ' ; 
'  the  continuity  would  be  unbroken, 
if  it  were  not.  .  .  .' 

6-7.  sed  ut:  limiting  opaca] 
« shaded,  but  lying  so  that  the 
sun.  .  .  .'  —  veniens  dextrum:  the 
valley  runs  north  and  south,  and 
in  describing  the  scene  Horace 
thinks  of  himself  as  facing  the 
south  or  southeast.  —  vaporet : 
•warms,  merely  a  variation  on  ad- 
spiciat. —  In  connection  with  this 
description  one  should  read  Carm. 
I,  17,  and  the  first  part  of  Sat.  2, 
6,  in  order  to  see  how  deeply 
Horace  loved  the  scene.  The 
description,  however,  does  not 
make  it  possible  to  determine 
with  certainty  the  location  of  the 
villa. 

8-10.  temperiem  laudes :  this  is 
added  as  a  consequence  of  the 
mingling  of  shade  and  sunlight.  — 
quid,  si:  this  form  of  question  is 
one  to  which  the  answer  is  thought 


to  be  obvious.  No  verb  needs  to 
be  supplied,  but  if  one  were  to  be 
added  in  this  case,  it  would  be 
dicas,  taken  from  the  answer  to 
the  question.  —  rubicunda:  he  is 
thinking  of  the  looks  of  the  red 
berries,  rather  than  of  their  use  for 
food,  while  pruna,  wild  plums, 
are  for  eating.  —  fruge  :  /'.*.,  acorns 
for  the  swine. 

11.  Such  a  line  as  this  can  be 
better  paraphrased  than  translated; 
'  you    would    say   that    Tarentum 
had  been  brought  hither  and  that 
you  were   looking  at  its   foliage.' 
The  point  of  the  line  is  vc\  frondere; 
the  foliage  of  green  Tarentum  was 
famous. 

12.  f ons :    it  is  often  taken  for 
granted  that  this  is  \\\zfons  lian- 
dusiae  of  Carm.  3,  13,  but  in  fact 
the  location  of  that  spring  is  quite 
unknown. — rivo:    the    Digentia. 
which  flowed  down  the  valley  to 
join  the  Anio. — idoneus:  /.£.,  so 
large  and  full  that  the  river  might 
well  take  its  name  from  the  spring 
which    is    its    source.  —  ut:     the 
clause    of    result    containing    the 
comparative    is  equivalent  to   'so 


98 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  16,  20 


frigidior  Thracam  nee  purior  ambiat  Hebrus, 

infirmo  capiti  fluit  utilis,  utilis  alvo. 
15      Hae  latebrae  dulces,  etiam,  si  credis,  amoenae, 

incolumem  tibi  me  praestant  Septembribus  horis. 

Tu  recte  vivis,  si  curas  esse  quod  audis. 

lactamus  iam  pridem  omnis  te  Roma  beatum  ; 

sed  vereor,  ne  cui  de  te  plus  quam  tibi  credas, 
20     neve  putes  alium  sapiente  bonoque  beatum, 


cool    and     clear    that    even    the 
Hebrus  does  not  surpass  it.1 

13.  ambiat :      '  winds     through 
Thrace.' 

14.  infirmo  capiti :  cf.  Epist.  i, 
1 5, 8  and  note.  —  alvo :  this  may  re- 
fer to  the  same  treatment  or  to  the 
excellence  of  the  water  for  drinking. 

15.  latebrae:  so  in  Sat.  2,6,  16 
it  is  called  arx,  a  place  of  refuge. 
This  is   the  answer  to  the   ques- 
tions that  might  be  asked  (vss.  2- 
3)  about  the  productiveness  of  the 
farm.  —  dulces,  amoenae:  the  dis- 
tinctions made  in  books  on  syn- 
onymy  between    such    adjectives 
are  often  forced ;  each  case  must 
be  judged  singly.     Here  it  is  plain 
that  amoenae  expresses  something 
beyond  dulces ;  dear  (to  my  feed- 
ing) and  delightful  (in  itself).  — 
si  credis :  humorously  deprecating. 

16.  Septembribus:     the    worst 
time  of  the  year  in  Rome. 

17.  tu:    turning  from    his   own 
affairs  to  the  affairs  and  situation 
of  Quinctius.  —  quod  audis :  '  what 
people   call  you,'  '  what   you   are 
said    to   be.'     Cf.  Epist.   I,  7,  38, 
Sat.  2,  3,  298. 


1 8.  iactamus :    'we   have    been 
declaring,1  '  saying  openly  ' ;  there 
is    no    necessary    implication    of 
boasting.  —  iam  pridem:       not, 
therefore,    because    of   any    new 
honor,  but  because  of  Quinctius1 
high  standing.  —  omnis  .  .  .  Roma : 
so  dicemus  chritas  o»mis,  Carm. 
4,   2,    50 ;    eamus    omnis    chntas, 
Epod.    1 6,   36.  —  te  .  .  .  beatum: 
this  is  quod  audis. 

19.  ne  . . .  credas :  this  common- 
place of  philosophy,  which  means 
in  essence  that  one  should  not  be 
puffed  up  by  popular  favor,  is  first 
put   in    general    terms   and    then 
more  specifically  explained  and  il- 
lustrated in  the  next  lines.     These 
verses  form  a  transition  from  the 
opening  of  the  Epistle  to  the  main 
thought,  that  the  wise  man  is  one 
who  lives  by  the  precepts  of  phi- 
losophy, and  are  not  to  be  under- 
stood   as    referring    to    anything 
definite  in  the  character  or   situ- 
ation of  Quinctius.     He  is  merely 
the  man  of  high  position  to  whom 
these  exhortations  may  be  fittingly 
addressed. 

20.  Another  form  of  the  Stoic 


99 


1,    I".  2l] 


11ORATI 


neu,  si  te  populus  sanum  recteque  valentem 
dictitet,  occultam  febrem  sub  tempus  edendi 
dissimules,  donee  manibus  tremor  incidat  unctis. 
Stultorum  incurata  pudor  malus  ulcera  celat. 
Si  quis  bella  tibi  terra  pugnata  marique 
dicat,  et  his  verbis  vacuas  permulceat  aures: 
'  Tene  magis  salvum  populus  velit  an  populum  tu, 
servet  in  ambiguo,  qui  consulit  et  tibi  et  urbi, 
luppiter,'  Augusti  laudes  agnoscere  possis  : 
cum  pateris  sapiens  emendatusque  vocari, 


Paradox,  to  which  Horace  fre- 
quently refers  in  the  Satires. — 
alium  sapiente:  so  species  alias 
verts,  Sat.  2,  3,  208 ;  alius  Lysippo, 
Epist.  2,  i,  240  and  often. 

21-23.  This  is  Horace's  favorite 
method  of  presenting  an  argument, 
by  means  of  an  implied  comparison ; 
'  do  not  be  like  a  man  who.  .  .  .'  — 
dictitet :  the  same  in  sense  as 
iactamits,  vs.  18.  —  edendi:  i.e., 
he  feels  the  chill  coming  on  just 
as  he  is  going  to  the  table, 
but  tries  to  conceal  it  from  his 
guests.  —  manibus:  where  the  chill 
would  first  betray  itself.  —  unctis: 
the  food  was  taken  up  with  the 
fingers,  and  the  meaning  is, 'after 
you  have  begun  your  dinner,' 
when  it  is  more  inconvenient  than 
it  would  have  been  before  the  din- 
ner began. 

24.  stultorum  :  emphatic ;  'only 
fools,   not  sapientes.'  —  The   line 
is  a  second  argument  by  compari- 
son ;  'do  not  be  like  a  man  who. . . .' 

25.  tibi :  with  pugnata.     This 


harmonizes  with  the  implication  of 
vs.  1 8,  that  Quinctius  was  a  man 
who  had  been  long  active  in  public 
life  and  had  taken  part  in  the  civil 
wars. 

26.  vacuas:  'ready'  to  listen; 
cf.  Epist.  I,  1 8,  70,  patulae  an  res, 
and,  in  a  slightly  different  sense, 
Epist.  I,  i,  7,  purgatam  aiirem. 

27-29.  These  verses  are  said  by 
the  Scholiast  to  be  taken  from  a 
Panegyric  of  Augustus,  by  Varius. 
The  quotation  of  them  is  there- 
fore a  double  compliment.  —  servet 
in  ambiguo :  i.e.,  'I  pray  that  we 
may  never  be  forced  to  decide  be- 
tween your  safety  and  the  safety  of 
the  state.1 — et  tibi  et  urbi:  re- 
peating the  contrast  of  populus  an 
tu.  —  agnoscere :  both  because  the 
verses  were  so  well  known  and 
because  the  praise  was  suitable 
only  to  Augustus. 

30.  pateris:  'allow  yourself  to 
be  called,'  without  protest.  For 
the  nomin.  after  the  infin.  there  are 
many  parallels,  e.g. ,  in  vs.  32  and 


100 


[».  16.  37 


35 


respondesne  tuo,  die  sodes,  nomine  ?     k  Nempe 
vir  bonus  et  prudens  dici  deiector  ego  ac  tu.' 
Qui  dedit  hoc  hodie,  eras,  si  volet,  auferet,  ut,  si 
detulerit  fasces  indigno,  detrahet  idem. 
'  Pone,  meum  est,'  inquit:  pono  tristisque  recede. 
Idem  si  clamet  furem,  neget  esse  pudicum, 
contendat  laqueo  collum  pressisse  paternum, 


Epist.  i,  5,  15.  It  is  a  perfectly 
natural  deviation  from  the  mechan- 
ical accus.  and  not  a  Grecism.  Cf. 
Sat.  I,  I,  19,  licet  esse  beat  is. 

31.  respondesne:    not   equal  to 
nonne  responses,  but  with  a  formal 
neutrality;  'do  you  answer  or  do 
you  not  ? '  —  tuo  . . .  nomine :  i.e. , 
'  for    yourself,'   by  accepting   the 
description  as  really  applicable  to 
you.  —  die   sodes :    a    formula    of 
appeal,  as    in    Epist.     i,    I,    62. 
sodes  =  si  audes,  with  the  earlier 
meaning  oiandeo  (  =  a-video,  aved). 

32.  bonus  et  prudens :   a  more 
modest  substitute  for  sapiens  emen- 
datusqjie.  —  delector  :    intention- 
ally   stronger  than   pateris.  —  ac 
tu :  a  retort :  'just  as  you  do,  in 
spite  of  your  superior  tone.'  —  The 
whole  line  is  a  restatement  of  vs. 
30.  but  in  terms  which  satisfy  the 
speaker  better  than  pateris  sapiens 
einendatusque;  'of  course  I  like  to 
be  called  a  respectable  and  sensible 
man.  and  so  do  you.1 

33.  qui  dedit :  i.e. ,  public  opin- 
ion.    The   reply,  as  so  often  in 
Horace,  begins  without  an  intro- 
ductory   conjunction,  at   or    sect. 
Cf.  Sat.  i,  i,  36. 


34.  fasces :  for  any  high  office. 
— detrahet:  not  with  reference  to 
any  legal  impeachment,  but  merely 
as  a  vivid  expression  for  the  with- 
drawal of  favor. 

35.  The    figure   in   this   vs.   is 
slightly  changed  from  that  of  the 
preceding  line  :  it  is  the  figure  of 
a  person  taking  up  an  object,  any 
object,  and   being  interrupted  by 
the  rightful  owner.     The  subject 
of  meum  est  is  not  officium  (from 
fasces')   or  nomen.  but  is  entirely 
indefinite  ;    '  put   that   down,  it's 
mine.'     The  variation  of  thought 
in  vss.  33,  34,  35,  is  thoroughly 
Horatian  ;    '  public  opinion   may 
take  away  reputation,  as  the  voters 
may  take  away  the  office  they  gave, 
or  as  any  man  may  reclaim  what 
is  his  own.' 

36.  idem :    the   person  who   is 
vaguely  thought  of  as  the  subject 
of  inquit,  with  a  slighter  reference 
back  to  the  subjects  of  detrahet 
and  auferet.     The  force  of  idem 
is,    as    often,    adversative ;     *  but 
when  that  same  man  accuses  me 
unjustly,  I   can  regard   him   with 
indifference.' 

37.  laqueo :  this  is  a  proverbial 


101 


I,  16,  38] 


HORATI 


mordear  opprobriis  falsis  mutemque  colores  ? 

Falsus  honor  iuvat  et  mendax  infamia  terret 
40      quern  nisi  mendosum  et  medicandum  ?     Vir  bonus  est 
quis  ? 

Qui  consulta  patrum,  qui  leges  iuraque  servat; 

quo  multae  magnaeque  secantur  iudice  lites; 

quo  res  sponsore  et  quo  causae  teste  tenentur. 

Sed  videt  hunc  omnis  domus  et  vicinia  tota 
45      introrsum  turpem,  speciosum  pelle  decora. 

'  Nee  furtum  feci  nee  fugi '  si  mini  dicat 

servus,  '  Habes  pretium,  loris  non  ureris,'  aio. 

1  Non  hominem  occidi.'     '  Non  pasces  in  cruce  corvos.' 

'  Sum  bonus  et  frugi."     Renuit  negitatque  Sabellus. 
50      Cautus  enim  metuit  foveam  lupus  accipiterque 


form  of  exaggerated  accusation ; 
cf.  Carm.  2,  13,  5  ;  Epod.  3,  i  f. 

39.  falsus  honor :  the  substance 
of  vss.  25-32.  —  mendax  infamia  : 
vss.  36-37. 

41-43.  This  is  the  answer  of 
the  popular  judgment  to  the  ques- 
tion of  vs.  40,  not  Horace's  own 
answer,  which  is  given  in  an 
indirect  way  in  vss.  73  ff. — se- 
cantur: are  decided',  cf.  Sat.  i, 
10,  15,  ridicidum  .  .  .  magnas 
plerumqne  secat  res.  —  sponsore  : 
/>.,  as  a  responsible  man  in  busi- 
ness affairs.  —  teste:  his  evidence 
on  the  witness  stand  is  accepted 
as  decisive.  —  tenentur  :  used  in  a 
general  sense  with  rex  (are  settled) 
and  in  a  technical  sense,  of  win- 
ning a  case  at  law.  with  causae 
(are  won). 

45.    An  allusion  to  the  fable  of 


the   Ass  in   the   Lion's    Skin,   to 
which  Horace  alludes  also  in  Sat. 

1,  6,  22  ;  2,  i,  64  f.,  in  phrases  very 
similar  to  those  used  here. 

47.  loris :  leather  thongs  for 
whipping  a  slave.  — ureris :  so  Sat. 

2,  7,  58,  itri  virgis. 

49.  The  unexpressed  thought  is 
'  since  I  am  innocent  of  these 
things,  I  am  therefore  an  upright 
man.1  But  this  claim  the  strict 
judge  refuses  to  admit.  The  same 
course  of  reasoning  is  followed  in 
Sat.  2,  3,  159-162,  with  the  same 
parody  of  the  Stoic  manner.  — 
Sabellus :  as  a  type  of  the  strict 
moralist,  who  is  not  satisfied  with 
good  conduct  unless  the  motive  is 
also  good. 

50-51.  '  For  mere  caution  in 
avoiding  trouble  is  shown  by  birds 
and  animals.'  and  is  therefore  not 


IO2 


EP1STVLAE 


[i,  16,  64 


suspectos  laqueos  et  opertum  miluus  hamum. 
Oderunt  peccare  boni  virtutis  amore  : 
tu  nihil  admittes  in  te  formidine  poenae; 
sit  spes  fallendi,  miscebis  sacra  profanis, 

55      nam  de  mille  fabae  modiis  cum  surripis  unum, 
damnum  est,  non  facinus,  mihi  pacto  lenius  isto. 
Vir  bonus,  omne  forum  quern  spectat  et  omne  tribunal, 
quandocumque  deos  vel  porco  vel  bove  placat, 
'  lane  pater,'  clare,  clare  cum  dixit  '  Apollo' ; 

60      labra  movet  inetuens  audiri :  '  Pulchra  Laverna, 
da  mihi  fallere  !     Da  iusto  sanctoque  videri ! 
Noctem  peccatis  et  fraudibus  obice  nubem ! ' 
Qui  melior  servo,  qui  liberior  sit  avarus, 
in  triviis  fixum  cum  se  demittit  ob  assem, 


a  virtuous  motive.  —  foveam :  pit- 
fall. —  miluus  :  in  three  syllables  ; 
this  variety  of  fish  takes  its  name 
from  the  bird,  and  the  word  may 
be  rendered  kite-fish. 

52-53.  The  ablatives,  amore,  for- 
midine, are  the  important  words. 

56.  damnum  :  the  pecuniary  loss, 
which    is    trifling. — facinus:    the 
sin  ;  sc.  tibi  lenius. —  pacto  .  . .  isto  : 
repeating  the  thought  of  cum  sur- 
ripis nniiiit.     isto  is  in  the  proper 
second  person  sense.  —  The  argu- 
ment is  that  the  sin  is  not  to  be 
measured  by  the  extent  of  the  loss 
inflicted,  but  by  the  motive  that 
prompts  it.     This  is  not  precisely 
the  Stoic  doctrine  that  all  sins  are 
equal  and  deserve  a  like  penalty. 

57.  vir  bonus :  still  in  the  iron- 
ical sense,  as  in  41  ff.,  and  there- 
fore denned  in  the  rest  of  the  line, 


'  the  man  whom  the  popular  judg- 
ment approves.1  —  forum :  cf.  vs. 
41.  —  tribunal:  cf.  vs.  42. 

60.  labra  movet :  without  utter- 
ing any  sound ;    in  contrast  with 
clare,  clare.  —  Laverna:  the  god- 
dess of  theft. 

61.  iusto:  cf.  Sat.  I,  I,  19.  licet 
esse  beatis,  and  vs.  30  above,  with 
note. 

63.  qui:  how,1  with  the  indirect 
question  after  non  video.  — servo  : 
after    both    melior    and    liberior, 
which  are  predicates  after  sit. 

64.  fixum  .  .  .  assem :    this    is 
explained  by  the  scholiast  on  Per- 
sius  5.  in  ;    'quia  solent  pueri,  ut 
ridendi  causam  habeant.  assem  in 
silice  [the  pai>etnenf\  plumbatum 
\i.e.  with   melted  lead'}   figere.  ut 
qui  viderint  se  ad  tollendum  eum 
inclinent  nee  tamen  possint  evel- 


103 


I,  16,  65] 


IIOKATI 


65      non  video  ;  nam  qui  cupiet,  metuet  quoque ;  porro 
qui  metuens  vivet,  liber  mihi  non  erit  unquam. 
Perdidit  arma,  locum  virtutis  deseruit,  qui 
semper  in  augenda  festinat  et  obruitur  re. 
Vendere  cum  possis  captivum,  occidere  noli; 

70      serviet  utiliter  :  sine  pascat  durus  aretque  ; 
naviget  ac  mediis  hiemet  mercator  in  undis ; 
annonae  prosit,  portet  frumenta  penusque. 
Vir  bonus  et  sapiens  audebit  dicere  :  '  Pentheu, 
rector  Thebarum,  quid  me  perferre  patique 

75     indignum  coges  ? '     '  Adimam  bona.'     '  Nempe  pecus, 

rem, 

lectos,  argentum  :  tollas  licet! '     '  In  manicis  et 
compedibus  saevo  te  sub  custode  tenebo.' 


lere.  quo  facto  pueri  etiam  accla- 
mare  solent.' 

65.  cupiet,  metuet :  cf.  Epist.  I, 
6,  12. 

67.  arma,  locum:  acts  which 
were  proverbially  discreditable ; 
but  they  are  really  no  worse  than 
it  is  to  give  up  one's  life  to  money 
making. 

69-72.  <  Such  a  man  is  a  mere 
slave,  and  should  be  set  to  do 
slave's  work.' — captivum:  this 
carries  on  the  figure  of  vs.  67  ;  the 
coward  who  has  allowed  himself 
to  be  captured  may  be  made  use- 
ful as  a  slave.  The  verse  is  a 
scornful  bit  of  advice,  addressed 
to  the  conqueror. — durus:  as  a 
hard-working  farm  slave.  —  The 
agricola  and  the  tnercator  (>iaHt<i) 
are  frequently  used  .is  types  of 
men  who  endure  hardship  for  gain, 


e.g.,  Sat.  i,  I,  28  if.  —  annonae: 
'let  him  help  to  keep  down  the 
cost  of  living  by  bringing  grain 
from  Egypt.' 

73-79-  These  lines  paraphrase  a 
passage  of  Euripides  (Bacch.  492- 
498),  as  in  Sat.  2,  3,  262-271,  a 
passage  from  Terence  is  transposed 
into  hexameters.  The  god.  Diony- 
sus, in  disguise  is  in  the  power 
of  Pentheus,  king  of  Thebes.  — 
bonus  et  sapiens  :  the  man  who  is 
truly  good  in  heart,  and  who  re- 
lies upon  his  character  rather 
than  upon  his  reputation,  or  upon 
the  judgment  of  others.  Cf.  Carm. 
3,  3,  I  ff.,  iustum  et  tenacem.  — 
perferre  patique :  cf.  Epist.  1,15, 
17. — lectos:  for  all  his  furniture. 
—  argentum:  silver  plate,  not 
money.  —  ipse  deus  .  .  .  :  an  ex- 
act translation  of  Atxrct  //.'  6  &u.i/ju»i> 


104 


EPISTVLAE  [i,  16,  ;9 

'  Ipse  deus,  simul  atque  volam,  me  solvet.'     Opinor, 
hoc  sentit :  'moriar.'     Mors  ultima  linea  rerum  est. 

avros   oray   eyw   6e\u.  —  moriar  :  harmony  with  Stoic  doctrine.     Cf. 

this  is,  of  course,  not  in  the  play,  Carm.  i,  12,  35  f.,  Catonis  nobile 

but    is  an    interpretation  of   the  letiun.  —  ultima  linea:    the  white 

scene  according  to   Stoic   ideals,  line  which  marked  the  end  of  the 

To  take  refuge  from  the  ills  of  life  race  course, 
in  self-inflicted  death  was  quite  in 

17 

The  person  to  whom  this  Epistle  is  addressed  is  wholly  unknown, 
nor  is  there  anything  in  the  letter  to  fix  the  date. 

'  I  know  that  you  need  no  advice  about  living  with  the  great,  yet  per- 
haps I  may  be  able  to  say  something  about  it  that  you  will  care  to  hear. 
If  you  prefer  a  retired  life,  you  can  find  happiness  there,  but  if  you  seek 
for  something  more,  you  must  go  where  it  is  to  be  found.  You  know 
the  story  of  Diogenes  and  Aristippus  ;  the  one  prided  himself  upon  his 
rudeness,  the  other  was  a  man  of  the  world.  It  was  the  latter  who  was 
truly  a  philosopher,  for  if  it  is  a  worthy  ambition  to  desire  to  be  dis- 
tinguished in  public  life,  then  it  is  also  a  worthy  ambition  to  desire  to 
please  the  men  who  are  thus  distinguished.  To  refuse  to  make  the 
attempt  is  a  kind  of  cowardice ;  to  enter  the  contest  and  win  a  place  is 
honorable. 

'  But  I  don't  mean  that  one  should  be  a  beggar,  always  parading  his 
needs  and  his  misfortunes.  The  Egyptian  humbug,  pretending  to  have 
broken  his  leg  in  order  to  excite  pity,  fools  only  the  inexperienced.' 

There  is  scarcely  anything  of  the  epistolary  form  or  tone  in  this 
letter.  It  is  a  discourse,  partly  serious,  but  largely  ironical,  on  the 
proper  attitude  toward  men  of  higher  rank.  This  was  a  subject  which 
Horace  had  himself  been  obliged  to  consider  with  serious  attention. 
His  relation  to  Maecenas  and  Augustus  and  Agrippa  had  exposed  him 
to  criticism  and  had  been  in  itself  difficult  to  reconcile  with  that  inde- 
pendence of  life  and  thought  which  he  desired  to  maintain.  It  was 
impossible  for  him  to  write  on  fhSs  subject  without  a  consciousness, 
which  reveals  itself  in  several  places,  of  his  own  personal  interest  in  it. 
To  some  extent,  therefore,  it  is  seriously  meant ;  the  attitude  and  teach- 
ing of  Aristippus  in  regard  to  social  relations  command  Horace's  ap- 
proval. On  the  other  hand,  the  relation  of  the  man  of  humbler  rank 
to  the  greater  men  is  almost  everywhere  treated  as  though  the  ultimate 

105 


I,  17,  I]  HORATI 

object  of  it  was  profit,  not  real  friendship.    This  is,  of  course,  ironical, 
and  at  the  close,  from  vfc.  43  to  the  end,  it  becomes  pure  satire. 

It  is  certainly  difficult  for  the  modern  reader,  accustomed  to  demo- 
cratic ideals,  to  estimate  this  Epistle  quite  justly,  not  taking  it  too 
seriously  and  yet  not  overlooking  the  serious  meaning.  For  a  full 
understanding  of  Horace's  attitude  on  this  subject,  this  Epistle  should 
be  compared  with  the  next  and  both  should  be  read  in  connection  with 
Epist.  i,  7,  to  Maecenas. 

Quamvis,  Scaeva,  satis  per  te  tibi  consulis,  et  scis 
quo  tandem  pacto  deceat  maioribus  uti, 
disce,  docendus  adhuc  quae  censet  amiculus,  ut  si 
caecus  iter  monstrare  velit ;  tamen  adspice  si  quid 

5      et  nos,  quod  cures  proprium  fecisse,  loquamur. 
Si  te  grata  quies  et  primam  somnus  in  horam 
delectat,  si  te  pulvis  strepitusque  rotarum, 
si  laedit  caupona,  Ferentinum  ire  iubebo. 
Nam  neque  divitibus  contingunt  gaudia  solis, 

10      nee  vixit  male  qui  natus  moriensque  fefellit. 

1.  quamvis  . . .  per  te :  cf.  A. P.  culus;  'a  friend  who  admits  that 
366  f.,  quamvis  .  .  .  per  te  sapis ;  he  has  himself  still  much  to  learn.1 
this  is  a  modest  formula  to  soften  This  and  the  diminutive  amiculus, 
the   assumption    of  wisdom   that  '  a   humble   friend,'   continue   the 
may  be  involved  in  proffering  ad-  deprecatory  tone  of  vs.  i. 

vice,    per  te, '  without  advice  from  5.   et  nos  :  the  amiculus,  —  pro- 

any  one.'  prium  fecisse  :  to  adapt. 

2.  tandem :    frequent  in   direct  6-10.    '  If  you  choose  a  retired 
questions  and  then  retained  in  the  life,  it  will  bring  its  own  rewards.1 
indirect.  —  maioribus:  the  great;  —  primam  ...  in  horam:    in  con- 
this  plain  recognition  of  difference  trast   to   the  early  rising   for   the 
in  station  is  common  in  all  socie-  salntatio ;  cf.  Sat.  i.  i.   10.  —  ro- 
ties  where  there  is  an  established  tarum,  caupona :   the    discomforts 
nobility.  —  uti:  to  get  along  wit /i,  of  travel,  when  the  follower  was 
to  associate  with.      There   is   no  under    obligation    to    attend    his 
suggestion  of  making  use  of  for  patron   on    a  journey,  as  Horace 
one's  own  advantage.  had   attended    Maecenas    on    the 

3.  docendus  adhuc :    with   ami-  journey  to  Brundisium.  —  Ferenti- 

106 


EPISTVLAE 


'9 


Si  prodesse  tuis  paulloque  benignius  ipsum 
te  tractare  voles,  accedes  siccus  ad  unctum. 
'  Si  pranderet  holus  patienter,  regibus  uti 
nollet  Aristippus.'     '  Si  sciret  regibus  uti, 
fastidiret  holus  qui  me  notat.'     Vtrius  horum 
verba  probes  et  facta,  doce,  vel  iunior  audi 
cur  sit  Aristippi  potior  sententia.     Namque 
mordacem  Cynicum  sic  eludebat,  ut  aiunt: 
'  Scurror  ego  ipse  mihi,  populo  tu  ;  rectius  hoc  et 


num :  one  of  the  small  mountain 
towns,  selected  merely  as  a  type 
of  a  retired  spot.  — natus  .  .  .  fe- 
fellit :  •  whose  birth  and  death 
have  passed  unnoticed.' 

n.  si:  the  second  and  con- 
trasting possibility  is  introduced, 
as  often,  without  an  adversative 
particle,  the  adversative  connection 
being  implied  in  the  thought.  — 
prodesse  tuis :  cf.  vs.  46 ;  there  is 
some  irony  in  putting  care  for  one's 
friends  first  and  benignius  ipsum 
second,  and  in  the  use  of  paullo. 

12.  accedes:  future  almost  with 
impv.  force.  —  siccus :  thirsty,  but 
implying  hunger  also :  cf.  Sat.  2, 
2,  1 4,  siccus,  inanis.  —  unctum :  to 
a  rich  table',  cf.  Epist.  I,  15,44. 
The  contrast  between  rich  and 
poor  is  often  expressed,  as  here,  in 
terms  of  food  and  drink ;  in  this 
case  it  prepares  for  the  story  which 
follows. 

13-15.  The  dialogue  is  para- 
phrased from  Diog.  Laert.  2.  8.  68. 
Diogenes  the  Cynic  was  washing 
some  vegetables,  preparing  for  his 


plain  meal,  when  Aristippus  hap- 
pened to  pass  by.  —  patienter :  i.e. 
'  with  the  endurance  which  we 
Cynics  teach  and  practice.1  —  regi- 
bus :  Aristippus  lived  for  a  time  in 
the  court  of  Dionysius,  the  tyrant 
of  Syracuse. — si  sciret:  i.e.,  'if 
the  Cynic  know  how  to  live  rea- 
sonably with  all  men,  even  kings, 
as  my  philosophy  teaches.1  —  notat : 
censures;  cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  24,  note. 

16.  verba  .  .  .  et  facta:    'their 
teachings  and  their  lives.' 

17.  potior:  in  this  particular  in- 
stance ;  but  all  the  references  to 
Aristippus  (Sat.  2,  3,  100 ;  Epist. 
i,    i,    1 8)   are  respectful,  and  he 
seems  to  have  stood  in  Horace's 
mind  as  a  good  type  of  the  mean  be- 
tween Stoicism  and  Epicureanism. 

18.  mordacem:    this    particular 
adj.   is    selected   because   of    the 
derivation  of  Cynicus  from  KVO>V,  a 
dog.  —  eludebat:  parried,  dodged; 
a  word  used  of  the  movement  of  a 
gladiator. 

19.  scurror:  i.e.,  'we  both  play 
the  scitrra,  the  parasite  and  hanger- 


107 


I,   17,  20] 


HORATI 


20      splendidius  multo  est.     Equus  ut  me  portet,  alat  rex, 
officium  facio ;  tu  poscis  vilia,  verum 
dante  minor,  quamvis  fers  te  nullius  egentem.' 
Omnis  Aristippum  decuit  color  et  status  et  res, 
temptantem  maiora,  fere  praesentibus  aequum. 

25      Contra,  quern  duplici  panno  patientia  velat, 
mirabor  vitae  via  si  conversa  decebit. 
Alter  purpureum  non  exspectabit  amictum, 
quidlibet  indutus  celeberrima  per  loca  vadet 
personamque  feret  non  inconcinnus  utramque; 

30      alter  Mileti  textam  cane  peius  et  angui 


on,  if  you  choose  to  put  it  so,  but 
my  way  of  doing  it  is  the  better.'  — 
mihi,  populo :  i.e.,  '  I  do  it  for  my 
own  sake,  for  my  own  approval, 
you  for  the  approval  of  the  crowd.1 

20.  equus  .  .  .  rex:  a  Greek 
proverb ;  ITTTTOS  /AC  <£epa,  /3acri- 
Xeus  /te  Tpt<f>(.L. 

21-22.  officium:  as  courtier,  but 
intentionally  neutral,  so  that  it 
might  mean  '  as  scurra?  —  poscis : 
Diogenes  was  supported  by  gifts 
which  he  begged  from  his  admirers. 

—  verum :  '  and  yet  you  are  infe- 
rior to  those  who  bestow  the  gifts.' 

—  fers  te :    boast  yourself.  —  The 
point  of  the  retort  is  that  Aristippus 
gets  a  real  reward,  while  Diogenes, 
just  as  truly  a  courtier,  gets  only  a 
petty  reward. 

23-24.  color:  cf.  Sat.  2,  I,  60, 
vitae  color.  —  temptantem  maiora  : 
this  line  is  a  free  rendering  of  a 
doctrine  of  the  school  of  Aristippus, 
as  vs.  23  is  a  characterization  of  him 
from  Greek  sources. —praesenti- 


bus:   neut.  plur.  dat. ;   'what  he 
had,'  in  distinction  from  maiora. 

25.  duplici  panno:  the  oWAois, 
the  cloak  of  the  Cynics,  folded  over 
to  take  the  place  of  both  inner 
and  oHter  garment.     It  is  called 
pannns  in  contempt,  because  the 
philosopher  wore  old  and  coarse 
clothing,  to  prove  his  indifference 
to  luxury  and  his  endurance  (pa- 
tientia). 

26.  vitae  via  .  .  .  conversa :  i.e., 
the  change  from  his  ostentatious 
asceticism   to    ordinary  life   with 
other  men. 

27-28.  non  exspectabit :  i.e.,  he 
is  not  dependent  upon  some  par- 
ticular kind  of  dress  to  support  his 
character  as  a  philosopher,  but  is 
at  ease  in  any  dress  (guidlibet 
indutus)  and  any  company.  This 
characteristic  of  Aristippus  was 
traditional. 

29.  utramque:   either  the  man 
of  the  world  or  the  philosopher. 

30.  alter :    Diogenes.  —  Mileti : 


1 08 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  17,40 


vitabit  chlamydem,  morietur  frigore,  si  non 

rettuleris  pannum  ;  refer,  et  sine  vivat  ineptus ! 

Res  gerere  et  captos  ostendere  civibus  hostis, 

attingit  solium  lovis  et  caelestia  tentat; 
35      principibus  placuisse  viris  non  ultima  laus  est. 

Non  cuivis  homini  contingit  adire  Corinthum. 

Sedit  qui  timuit  ne  non  succederet.     Esto ; 

quid,  qui  pervenit,  fecitne  viriliter  ?     Atqui 

hie  est  aut  nusquam  quod  quaerimus.     Hie  onus  horret, 
40      ut  parvis  animis  et  parvo  corpore  maius ; 


the  woolen  fabrics  of  Miletus  were 
famous  for  their  fineness.  —  cane: 
put  in  only  for  the  joke  on  the 
Cynic;  cf.  tnordacem,  vs.  18,  and 
note. 

32.  rettuleris:  there  is  a  story 
that  Diogenes  refused  to  exchange 
his  coarse  cloak  for  the  better  gar- 
ment of  Aristippus,  preferring  to 
suffer  from  cold  rather  than  to 
appear  in  public  in  anything  but 
his  philosopher's  dress. 

34.  attingit  solium  :  cf.  the  va- 
rious expressions  for  this  thought 
in  Carm.  i,  i,  eve  hit  ad  deos,  sub- 
limi  feriam  sidera  vertice,  and  for 
caelestia    tentat    cf.    Carm.   3,   2, 
21  {.,  virtus,  recludens  .  .  .  caelum, 
negata  temptat  iter  via,  all  mean- 
ing to  attain  the  height  of  felicity. 

35.  principibus  placuisse :    /.#., 
'to  have  won  the  favor  of  men  who 
have  attained  to  these  heights  is  in 
itself  no  small  credit.'     Though  the 
thought  is  put  in  general  terms, 
Horace  is  also  thinking  of  himself. 
Cf.  Sat.  2,  i,  76,  /tie  cum  magnis 


virtsse  .  .  .  fatebitur  .    .    .   tn- 
vidia,  and  Epist.  I,  20,  23. 

36.  A  translation  of  the  Greek 
saying  ou  TTUVTOS  dvSpos  es  Kdpiv0ov 
Zaff  6  TrAovs,  with  the  general  mean- 
ing that  not  every  man  can  suc- 
ceed in  getting  the  prize,  i.e.,  in 
winning  the  favor  of  men  of  posi- 
tion. 

37.  sedit:     a   true   perfect,  not 
'  gnomic  ' ;    '  the    man    who    was 
afraid  of  failure  sat  still  and  avoided 
the  contest.'    There  is  a  reference, 
apparently,  to  the  contestants  at  the 
games,  who  are  summoned  by  the 
herald  to  enter  the  race. — esto : 
very  good ;   '  suppose  he  did  well 
to  decline  the  contest,  yet  we  must 
say  that  the  man  who  entered  and 
ran  to  the  end  was  even  better.' 

38-39.  atqui :  adversative  to  the 
interrogative  form  si  fecitne ;  k  but 
you  must  not  avoid  the  issue  by  a 
question,  for  this  is  the  very  point 
of  the  whole  discussion.' 

39-41.  hie :  a  man  like  Diogenes, 
one  who  prefers  not  to  enter  the 


109 


',  >7.40 


HORATI 


hie  subit  et  perfert.     Aut  virtus  nomen  inane  est, 
aut  decus  et  pretium  recte  petit  experiens  vir. 
Coram  rege  sua  de  paupertate  tacentes 
plus  poscente  ferent.     Distat,  sumasne  pudenter, 
45      an  rapias.     Atqui  rerum  caput  hoc  erat,  hie  fons. 
'  Indotata  mihi  soror  est,  paupercula  mater, 
et  fundus  nee  vendibilis  nee  pascere  firmus,' 
qui  dicit,  clamat  '  victum  date ' ;  succinit  alter 
'  et  mihi ' ;  dividuo  findetur  munere  quadra. 

social  contest  at  all,  but  to  keep      point  to  a  humorous  treatment  of 


wholly  out  of  the  activity  of  life,  as 
in  vss.  6-10. — hie  subit:  a  man 
of  the  type  of  Aristippus,  one  who 
dares  to  play  his  part  among  men. 
Cf.  vss.  11-12. 

41-42.  virtus :  with  a  reference 
back  to  -viriliter.  —  decus :  *  the 
credit  of  having  won  favor.'  — 
recte  :  justly,  —  experiens :  qui 
omnia  experitur,  '  the  man  who 
dares  make  the  attempt ' ;  joined 
by  Cicero  \\i\hfortis  •a.n&promptus. 
—  This  is  a  summary  of  the  whole 
argument  from  vs.  6.  The  man 
who  chooses  a  quiet  life,  Diogenes 
in  his  tattered  cloak,  the  timid  man 
who  shuns  the  contest,  represent 
one  side  of  the  argument ;  the  man 
of  some  ambition,  the  philosopher, 
like  Aristippus,  who  is  neverthe- 
less a  man  of  the  world,  the  con- 
testant who  risks  defeat,  these  are 
on  the  other  side,  and  vs.  42  gives 
the  decision  in  their  favor. 

43-61.  As  many  of  these  satires 
close  with  a  humorous  turn,  so  the 
thought  of  this  Epistle  turns  at  this 


the  theme,  which  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  ironical  advice  of 
Tiresias  to  Ulysses  in  Sat.  2,  5, 
88-98. 

43-  rege :  the  word  that  a  para- 
site uses  of  his  patron,  not  as  in 
vss.  13,  14,  nor  as  in  Epist.  i,  7, 

37- 

44.  distat:    it  makes  a  great 
difference. 

45.  atqui:   as  in  vs.  38;  'and 
yet  this  very  difference  was   the 
point    of   my   argument.'  —  erat: 
i.e.,  all  the  time,  in  all  the  preced- 
ing argument. 

47.  firmus :    suitable,  giving    a 
secure  income  by  pasturing  flocks 
and  herds. 

48.  qui  dicit,  clamat :  i.e.,  such 
statements  are  in  effect  a  beggar's 
outcry.  —  alter :  another,  a  second 
man ;  not  the  other. 

49.  findetur :  '  the  result  of  such 
shameless   begging  will    be    that 
each  man  will  get  half  a  loaf.'  - 
dividuo:  predicate.  —  quadras  the 
loaf,  the  piece ;  there  is  oo  sugges- 


110 


Kl'ISTVLAE 


50      Sed  tacitus  pasci  si  posset  corvus,  haberet 
plus  dapis  et  rixae  multo  minus  invidiaeque. 
Brundisium  conies  aut  Surrentum  ductus  amoenum 
qui  queritur  salebras  et  acerbum  frigus  et  imbres, 
aut  cistam  effractam  et  subducta  viatica  plorat, 

55      nota  refert  meretricis  acumina,  saepe  catellam, 
saepe  periscelidem  raptam  sibi  flentis,  uti  mox 
nulla  fides  damnis  verisque  doloribus  adsit. 
Nee  semel  irrisus  triviis  attollere  curat 
fracto  crure  planum,  licet  illi  plurima  manet 

60      lacrima,  per  sanctum  iuratus  dicat  Osirim : 

'  Credite,  non  ludo  ;  crudeles,  tollite  claudum  ! ' 
'  Quaere  peregrinum,'  vicinia  rauca  reclamat. 


tion,  of  course,  of  dividing  into 
four  parts. 

50-51.  tacitus  pasci :  the  cawing 
of  the  crow  when  it  finds  some- 
thing to  eat  attracts  other  birds 
which  want  a  share  of  the  food. 
There  is  no  allusion  to  the  fable  of 
the  Fox  and  the  Crow. 

52.  Brundisium:    cf.  Sat.  I,  5; 
the  naming  of  this  place  is  one  of 
the  many  personal  touches  in  this 
letter  which    show    that    Horace 
was  thinking  of  his  own  relation 
to   Maecenas  and  other  men   of 
position  in  public  life. 

53.  salebras :  roughnesses ;  only 
here  in  Horace. 

55.  refert:  brings  back  to  mem- 
ory. —  acumina  :  tricks.  —  catel- 
lam: diminutive  of  catena. 

57.  veris:    real,    z'.e.,    different 


from  the  trifling  matters  of  vs.  54, 
which  are  no  more  than  the  ordi- 
nary incidents  of  travel,  not  worth 
a  moment's  notice. 

58.  triviis:    the  impostor,  pre- 
tending to  be  suffering  from  an 
accident,   selects    a    place   where 
many  persons  would  be  passing. 

59.  planum :  TrAavos,  an  impos- 
tor; not  the  adj.  planus.  —  manet : 
from  mano,  not  from  mdneo. 

60.  Osirim  :   the  cheat  was  an 
Egyptian  and  swore   by  his  own 
god.      Rome   swarmed   with    for- 
eigners who  lived  by  their  wits. 

62.  peregrinum :  i.e.,  '  try  your 
tricks  on  some  one  who  doesn't 
know  you.' — vicinia:  this  con- 
tinues the  same  thought,  that  the 
tricks  had  been  tried  too  often  in 
that  neighborhood. 


ill 


i,  1 8]  HORAT1 

18 

This  Epistle  was  written  in  the  year  20  B.C.,  as  the  reference  to  the 
recovery  of  Roman  standards  from  the  Parthians  (vss.  56  f.)  shows, 
and  is  addressed  to  the  Lollius  to  whom  Epist.  i,  2  was  written. 

4  Lack  of  independence  is  a  fault  to  be  avoided,  my  dear  Lollius,  in 
your  relation  to  a  man  of  rank,  but  lack  of  common  sense  is  worse. 
The  true  course  lies  between.  The  lack  of  self-respect  makes  a  man  a 
mere  parasite ;  lack  of  judgment  makes  him  assert  his  independence  by 
wrangling  about  trifles. 

'  Do  not  try  to  rival  your  patron  in  extravagance ;  he  will  not  like  you 
the  better  for  it,  and  you  cannot  afford  it.  .The  ill-natured  witticism  of 
Volumnius,  that  the  best  way  to  ruin  a  man  was  to  give  him  a  fine  coat 
and  let  him  try  to  live  up  to  it,  has  enough  of  truth  in  it  to  serve  as  a 
warning.  Do  not  try  to  learn  his  secrets  and  don't  betray  his  confi- 
dences. Don't  insist  on  following  your  own  inclinations,  even  though 
they  may  seem  to  you  the  better ;  Amphion,  you  know,  gave  up  the 
lyre  to  please  his  brother.  If  your  friend  likes  hunting  better  than 
poetry,  yield  and  go  with  him.  It  will  do  you  good  and  you  are  an 
athlete;  I  have  seen  you  on  the  Campus  and  I  remember  that  sea  fight 
on  your  father's  estate.  Be  careful  in  your  speech  and  in  your  conduct. 
Introduce  only  men  that  you  know  well,  and  if  you  make  a  mistake  in 
this,  don't  refuse  to  acknowledge  it.  But  stand  by  your  true  friends,  as 
you  expect  them  to  stand  by  you.  And  conform  even  to  your  patron's 
moods ;  be  serious  when  he  is  serious,  and  gay  when  he  is  gay,  and 
keep  a  cheerful  countenance  at  all  times. 

'  But  above  all  fix  your  mind  upon  the  lessons  and  ideals  of  philosophy 
and  learn  from  them  the  secret  of  a  peaceful  life. 

'  As  for  me,  I  have  attained  to  that  peaceful  life.  I  ask  of  the  gods 
nothing  but  a  continuance  of  it.' 

This  Epistle  deals,  in  substance,  with  a  situation  like  that  which  is 
discussed  in  the  Epistle  immediately  preceding,  but  with  great  differ- 
ences both  in  form  and  in  tone.  The  epistolary  form  is  maintained 
with  much  skill ;  there  are  many  personal  touches,  so  that  the  character 
and  situation  of  the  young  Lollius  are  clearly  defined  and  the  unnamed 
patron  is  more  than  a  lay  figure.  And  the  letter  closes  with  a  passage 
of  peculiarly  intimate  self-disclosure.  All  this  is  much  superior  to  the 
essay  form  of  Epist.  i.  17.  In  the  tone,  also,  there  is  more  of  reality. 
Here,  even  more  distinctly  than  in  the  letter  to  Scaeva,  Horace  had 
constantly  in  mind  his  own  relation  to  Maecenas  and  his  own  efforts 
to  find  the  middle  course  between  an  undue  deference  and  an  unwise 

112 


[i,  '«,  9 


independence.  As  he  was  conscious  that  he  had  succeeded  in  preserv- 
ing both  his  friendship  and  his  independence,  he  can  describe  his  own 
course,  under  the  guise  of  advice  to  a  younger  friend,  with  a  sense  of 
satisfaction. 

Si  bene  te  novi,  metues,  liberrime  Lolli, 
scurrantis  speciem  praebere,  professus  amicum. 
Vt  matrona  meretrici  dispar  erit  atque 
discolor,  infido  scurrae  distabit  amicus. 
5       Est  huic  diversum  vitio  vitium  prope  maius, 
asperitas  agrestis  et  inconcinna  gravisque, 
quae  se  commendat  tonsa  cute,  dentibus  atris, 
dum  vult  libertas  dici  mera  veraque  virtus. 
Virtus  est  medium  vitiorum  et  utrimque  reductum. 


i-2.  liberrime:  soSat.  1,4, 132, 
liber  amicus,  free-speaking,  frank. 
The  word  gives  the  keynote  of  the 
Epistle,  which  is  addressed  to  a 
man  of  independent  character,  of 
whom  it  could  be  said  with  special 
force  metues  .  .  .  praebere. — spe- 
ciem :  i.e., '  in  your  great  independ- 
ence you  will  dislike  even  the 
appearance  of  servility/ — amicum  : 
directly  after  professns;  the  con- 
crete for  the  abstract;  Carm.  I, 
35,  22,  comitem  abncgat. 

3-4.  matrona :  this  word  has 
always  an  especially  honorable 
sense.  —  discolor :  a  definition  of 
dispar.  The  meretrix  wore  a 
dark-colored  toga,  the  matrona 
a  white  stola. 

5.  est:  the  emphatic  position 
gives  an  adversative  effect ;  '  you 
need  not  fear,  for  an  amicus  is  as 
different  from  a  scurra  as  a 
matrona  from  a  meretrix.  There 

HOR.  EP.  —  8  i 


is,  however,  another  fault,  which 
your  independence  may  lead  you 
into/  —  huic  .  .  .  vitio:  i.e.,  the 
fault  of  servility. 

6.  inconcinna:  cf.  Epj'st.  i.  17, 
29  ;      disagreeable,    unsuited     to 
pleasant  society. 

7.  commendat :  the  meaning  of 
the    verb    suggests    the    ironical 
turn  :    cf.  Epist.  2,  I,  261 .  —  tonsa 
cute  :  i.e., '  by  hair  cut  close  to  the 
scalp,'  a  fashion  affected   by  the 
Cynics  and  by  persons  who  desired 
to   prove   themselves  superior  to 
the  prevailing  fashion.  —  dentibus 
atris :    another    way   of   showing 
independent  indifference. 

8.  libertas :    with    a    reference 
back    to   liberrime,  and  with    the 
implication  that  too  great  freedom 
of  speech   is    like    the   asperitas 
agrestis. 

9.  This  vs.,  taking  up  at   the 
beginning   the    word  with   which 


I,  18,  10] 


HORATr 


10      Alter  in  obsequium  plus  aequo  pronns  et  imi 
derisor  lecti,  sic  nutum  divitis  horret, 
sic  iterat  voces  et  verba  cadentia  tollit, 
ut  puerum  saevo  credas  dictata  magistro 
reddere  vel  partes  mimum  tractare  secundas. 

15      Alter  rixatur  de  lana  saepe  caprina, 

propugnat  nugis  armatus.     '  Scilicet  ut  non 
sit  mihi  prima  fides  et  vere  quod  placet  ut  non 
acriter  elatrem  ?     Pretium  aetas  altera  sordet/ 


vs.  8  ends,  is  a  well-known  defini- 
tion. Cf.  Cic.  de  Off.  i,  25,  89, 
' .  .  .  mediocritatem  illam,  quae 
est  inter  nimium  et  parum,  quae 
placet  Peripateticis,'  and  often  in 
Horace,  especially  in  Carrn.  2,  10, 
5,  aurea  mediocritas. 

10-14.  alter:  the  scurra.  —  imi 
derisor  lecti :  so  Sat.  2,  8,  40  f., 
imi  convivae  lecti,  in  the  same  place 
in  the  verse.  The  parasites  were 
on  the  lectus  imus  with  the  host. 
This  whole  passage  is  best  illus- 
trated by  a  reading  of  Sat.  2,  8. 
—  cadentia:  i.e.,  remarks  which 
have  failed  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  guests.  —  dictata  .  .  .  red- 
dere :  cf.  Epist.  i,  r,  55,  haec  re- 
cinunt  .  ,  .  dictata.  —  partes  .  .  . 
secundas :  the  second  actor  in  the 
mimes  was  expected  to '  play  up  to  ' 
the  leading  actor  (cf.  Sat.  1,9,  46), 
even  repeating  his  gestures  and 
actions. 

15.  de  lana  .  .  .  caprina:  this 
appears  to  be  a  proverbial  expres- 
sion; it  is  correctly  explained  by 
the  Scholiast  as  a  trifling  question, 
whether  the  hair  of  goats  could 


properly  be  called  wool  {lana),  a 
mere  strife  about  words. 

16.  nugis  :  dative  after  propug- 
nat. —  armatus  :    absolute  ;    '  with 
drawn   sword,1   carrying   out    the 
sense  of  propugnat.     \rixatur  de 
lana  and    propugnat    nugis    are 
different  expressions  for  the  same 
thought,  as  often  in  Horace,  eg., 
dispar  atque  discolor,  vs.  3  f.     The 
dative  after  propugnat  is  perfectly 
normal,  though  it  happens  not  to 
occur  in  classical  Latin  ;  the  abla- 
tive, either  with  propugnat  or  with 
armatus,  gives  a  wrong  sense.]  — 
scilicet :  cf.  Epist.  I,  9,  3,  note.  — 
ut  non  :  a  repudiating  exclamation, 
cf.  satin  ut  in  questions  and  see 
Lane,  §§   1568,  1569.     With    this 
form  of  interrogative  exclamation 
scilicet    is    perfectly    harmonious, 
though  it  is  not  used  in  ordinary 
questions. 

17.  prima:   i.e.,  <I  should   lie 
trusted  at  once,' 'my  mere  state- 
ment should  command  instant  ac- 
ceptance.1 

18.  elatrem:  with  a  hit  at  tlv> 
Cynic  philosophy.  —  pretium  .  .  . 


114 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  18,  25 


25 


Ambigitur  quid  enim  ?     Castor  sciat  an  Docilis  plus ; 
Brundisium  Minuci  melius  via  ducat  an  Appi. 
Quern  damnosa  Venus,  quern  praeceps  alea  nudat, 
gloria  quem  supra  vires  et  vestit  et  unguit, 
quern  tenet  argenti  sitis  importuna  famesque, 
quem  paupertatis  pudor  et  fuga,  dives  amicus, 
saepe  decem  vitiis  instructior,  odit  et  horret, 


sordet :  a  condensed  expression  ; 
'  I  should  think  a  second  life  (the 
privilege  of  living  two  lives)  too 
small  a  price  to  pay  me  for  sub- 
mitting to  such  treatment.1  pre- 
tinm  is  an  appositive  to  aetas 
alt  era. 

19.  ambigitur :  i.e.,  '  what  is  all 
the  row  about  ?     Some  matter  of 
the    most    trivial    importance.'  - 
Castor  ...  an  Docilis  :  unknown ; 
they  were  actors  or  gladiators  or 
other  persons  then  well  known,  an 
allusion  to  whom  would  be  under- 
stood by  contemporary  readers.  — 
Cf.,  as  an   example  of  the  same 
kind  of  trifling  matter,  Sat.  2,  6, 
44,  Thraex  est  Gallina  Syro  par  ? 
and  72,  n:ale  necne  Lepos  saltet.  — 
sciat :  this  would  suit  either  actors 
or  gladiators. 

20.  The  via  Minucia  was  per- 
haps the  shorter  but  rougher  road, 
taken  by  Maecenas  and  Horace  in 
Sat.    i,    5.     The   via   Appia.   to 
Brundisium  by  way  of  Tarentum, 
was  longer,  but  better.  —  This  pas- 
sage, vss.  15-20,  is  one  of  those 
vivid  portraits  which  Horace  often 
draws :   it  is  the  irascible  person 
who  is  always  ready  to  contend 


about  trifles  and  whose  intolerance 
of  the  views  of  others  is  so  great 
that  any  hesitancy  in  accepting  his 
decisions  seems  to  him  like  an 
unbearable  insult. 

21  ff.  The  general  discussion 
which  started  from  liberrime  now 
passes  over  into  special  warnings 
and  injunctions. 

21-24.  The  faults  mentioned 
have  in  common  the  characteristic 
of  leading  to  the  desire  for  money. 
—  damnosa :  ruinous,  financially, 
not  morally.  —  supra  vires :  cf. 
Sat.  2,  3,  I79ff.  on  the  expensive- 
ness  of  office  seeking.  —  et  vestit 
et  unguit :  i.e.,  leads  into  expen- 
sive habits.  —  argenti  sitis:  the 
love  of  money  for  itself  produces 
the  same  effect  as  the  need  of 
money  to  pay  gambling  debts,  i.e., 
it  makes  a  man  a  less  agreeable 
friend  and  companion.  —  pauper- 
tatis .  .  .  fuga:  this  is,  in  its 
results,  the  same  as  avaritia  ;  cf. 
Epist.  i,  1 6,  65  ;  i,  6, 9  and  notes. 

25.  vitiis  instructior :  <  ten  times 
as  well  provided  with  faults.'  de- 
cem is  a  round  number,  vitiis, 
abl.  of  degree  of  difference  with 
the  comparative.  The  whole  ex- 


i,  18,  26] 


HORATI 


aut,  si  non  odit,  regit  ac,  veluti  pia  mater, 
plus  quam  se  sapere  et  virtutibus  esse  priorem 
vult  et  ait  prope  vera :  '  Meae,  contendere  noli, 
stultitiam  patiuntur  opes ;  tibi  parvula  res  est : 

30      arta  decet  sanum  comitem  toga  ;  desine  mecum 
certare.'     Eutrapelus  cuicumque  nocere  volebat 
vestimenta  dabat  pretiosa ;  beatus  enim  iam 
cum  pulchris  tunicis  sumet  nova  consilia  et  spes, 
dormiet  in  lucem,  scorto  postponet  honestum 

35      officium,  nummos  alienos  pascet,  ad  imum 


pression  is,  of  course,  humorous  ; 
the  great  man,  who  has  had  plenty 
of  experience  of  all  sides  of  life, 
does  not  want  his  friend  to  bother 
him  with  small  extravagances,  but 
to  be  a  better  man  than  himself. 

26.  regit :  advises  him.  —  ma- 
ter :  parents  wish  their  children 
to  be  wiser  and  better  than  they 
have  themselves  been. 

28.  prope  vera :  i.e.,  not  philo- 
sophically true,  since  folly  is  never 
good,  but  true  enough  in  their 
present  application.  — contendere 
noli:  parenthetic. 

30.  arta :  the  narrow  toga  is 
treated  as  a  sign  of  simplicity,  as 
in  Epod.  4,  8  the  trium  ulnarum 
toga  is  a  sign  of  ostentation. 

31-36.  Eutrapelus:  P.  Volum- 
nius,  a  Roman  knight  of  Cicero's 
time,  a  friend  of  Antony.  Two 
letters  (ad  Fatn.  7,  32  and  33)  are 
addressed  to  him  by  Cicero,  both 
written  in  a  tone  of  jesting,  and  in 
one  he  alludes  to  the  tvrpaTrcAui. 
from  which  the  name  Eutrapelus 


is  derived.  The  allusion  is  un- 
doubtedly to  some  jesting  sarcasm 
of  his,  to  the  effect  that  the  best 
way  to  ruin  an  enemy  would  be 
to  make  him  a  present  of  some 
fine  clothes ;  in  the  attempt  to 
'  live  up  to '  these  he  would  work 
out  his  own  destruction.  But  it 
begins  as  if  it  were  an  anecdote, 
like  that  of  Philippus  in  Epist.  i, 
7,  and  even  as  if  the  joke  had  been 
perpetrated  frequently  (cuicumque, 
volebat,  dabat).  In  sense  it  is  a 
continuation  of  vss.  28-31,  but  it 
need  not  be  supposed  to  have 
been  uttered  by  the  dives  amicus ; 
rather,  it  is  Horace's  supplement. 

—  dormiet :    i.e.,  will  grow  lazy. 

—  honestum  officium  :  general,  his 
proper  duties.  —  pascet:   i.e..  he 
will  increase  his  debts  and  thus  in- 
crease the  property  of  his  creditor. 

—  Thraex  :  a  mere  gladiator,  one 
of  the  last  refuges  of  men  of  fallen 
fortunes.  —  Or    he   will    end   by 
hiring  himsdf  out   to   drive   the 
horse  of  some  huckster. 


116 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  IS,  45 


Thraex  erit  aut  holitoris  aget  mercede  caballum. 
Arcanum  neque  tu  scrutaberis  illius  unquam, 
commissumque  teges  et  vino  tortus  et  ira. 
Nee  tua  laudabis  studia  aut  aliena  reprendes; 

40     nee,  cum  venari  volet  ille,  poemata  panges. 

Gratia  sic  fratrum  geminorum,  Amphionis  atque 
Zethi,  dissiluit  donee  suspecta  severe 
conticuit  lyra.     Fraternis  cessisse  putatur 
moribus  Amphion  :  tu  cede  potentis  amici 

45      lenibus  imperils,  quotiesque  educet  in  agros 


37.  illius:    'your  patron1;    the 
reference  goes  back  over  the  in- 
tervening    story     to    vs.    24    or 
28. 

38.  commissum  teges  :  to  reveal 
what  had  been  intrusted  to  one 
in  confidence  is  mentioned  in  Sat. 
i,  3,  95  ( prodiderit com missafide) 
as  a  fault  to  be  ranked  with  theft. 
—  vino  tortus:  cf.  A.  P.  435, tor- 
quere  rnero,  qitetn  perplexisse  labo- 
rant.  —  ira :  i.e.,  because  he  hap- 
pened for  the  moment  to  be  angry 
with  his  patron. 

39-40.  aliena :  in  particular  the 
interests  of  the  patron.  —  venari, 
poemata :  these  two  pursuits  may 
be  selected  merely  for  the  strong 
contrast,  but  they  sound  like  defi- 
nite allusions  to  personal  interests 
of  an  actual  patron  and  of  Lollius 
himself.  Hunting  was  a  favorite 
sport  with  the  Romans  and  is 
often  alluded  to  by  HoYace,  and 
many  of  his  younger  friends  like 
Lollius  were  interested  in  litera- 
ture. —  panges :  a  rather  formal 


term,  such  as  Lollius  might  him- 
self use  in  speaking  of  his  wish  to 
stay  at  home  and  devote  himself 
to  the  high  art  of  poetry. 

41-44.  The  debate  between  the 
brothers  Zethus  and  Amphion  in 
regard  to  the  comparative  value 
of  music  — •  standing  for  art  in 
general  —  and  the  active  life  of  a 
herdsman  and  hunter  was  in  Eu- 
ripides' Antiope  and  was  repeated 
in  the  Antiopa  of  Pacuvius. 
—  dissiluit :  was  broken.  —  se- 
vero:  the  serious  and  practical 
Zethus.  —  cessisse:  he  is  repre- 
sented in  art  as  in  the  act  of  hiding 
the  lyre  under  his  cloak.  —  puta- 
tur: is  believed;  i.e.,  'if  we  may 
accept  the  story.1  In  fact,  he  be- 
came in  tradition  one  of  the  rep- 
resentatives of  musical  skill,  as 
in  Carm.  3,  1 1,  2. 

44.  tu:  the chiastic arrangement 
emphasizes  the  argument ;  •  all  the 
more  should  you  yield.1 

45.  lenibus :  because  they  came 
from  an  attticus ;  yet  they  are  also 


II? 


if  18,  46] 


HORATI 


Aetolis  onerata  plagis  iumenta  canesque, 
surge  et  inhumanae  senium  depone  Camenae, 
cenes  ut  pariter  pulmenta  laboribus  empta : 
Romanis  sollemne  viris  opus,  utile  famae 

50      vitaeque  et  membris,  praesertim  cum  valeas  et 
vel  cursu  superare  canem  vel  viribus  aprura 
possis.     Adde  virilia  quod  speciosius  arma 
non  est  qui  tractet.     Scis  quo  clamore  coronae 
proelia  sustineas  campestria;  denique  saevam 

55      militiam  puer  et  Cantabrica  bella  tulisti 

sub  duce,  qui  templis  Parthorum  signa  refigit 


imperils  because  the  friend  is  po- 
tens. 

46.  Aetolis:  the  Scholiast  under- 
stands this  to  be  an  allusion  to  the 
hunting  of  the  Calydonian  boar  in 
Aetolia   by    Meleager;    the   story 
was  a  familiar  one,  and  perhaps 
this  slight  allusion  would  be  suffi- 
ciently clear.     But  it  is  also  quite 
possible  that  there  is  some  other 
meaning  in  the  word.  —  iumenta: 
cf.  the  description  of  such  a  hunt- 
ing party  in  Epist.  i,  6,  58  ff. 

47.  inhumanae  :  unfriendly^® all 
that  would  interrupt  her  pursuits  ; 
the   epithet   is  used   by  the  poet 
with   a   certain    humor  and    with 
reference   to   this  particular  occa- 
sion. —  senium :  moroseness,  also 
half  humorous. 

48.  pariter  :     i.e.,    with     your 
friend.  —  pulmenta  . . .  empta:  the 
thought  is  expressed    more    fully 
in  Sat.  2,  2,  9-22,  and  especially  in 
vs.    20,   tit    pnlmentaria    quaere 
wdando. 


49.  sollemne  .  .  opus:  in  Sat.  2 
2,  10  f.  hunting  is  called  Romano, 
militia,  in  contrast  to  Greek  ath- 
letics.—  viris:  'with  intentional 
emphasis ;  '  the  manly  Roman.' 

50-51.  The  injunctions  are  at 
the  same  time  lightened  and  made 
more  personal  by  these  compli- 
ments and  by  the  references  to 
Lollius'  early  life. 

52-54.  speciosius  :  />., '  you  are 
especially  successful  in  the  sports 
of  the  Campus  Martius  and  win 
the  applause  of  the  surrounding 
spectators  (coronaey. 

55.  militiam,  Cantabrica  bella  : 
the  general  term  followed  by  the 
specific  reference.    Augustus  made 
campaigns  in  Spain  in  27-25  B.C.  ; 
pner  implies  that  this  was  Lollius' 
first  experience  as  a  soldier. 

56.  Parthorum :     with    templis. 
There  are  many  allusions  to  the 
recovery  of  the  Roman  standards 
taken  from  Crassus. —  refigit  nunc : 
this  gives  the  date  of  the  Epistle 


118 


El'ISTVLAE 


[I,  1 8,  64 


nunc  et,  si  quid  abest,  Italis  adiudicat  armis. 
Ac  ne  te  retrahas  et  inexcusabilis  absis, 
quamvis  nil  extra  numerum  fecisse  modumque 
60      curas,  interdum  nugaris  rure  paterno. 
Partitur  lintres  exercitus  ;  Actia  pugna 
te  duce  per  pueros  hostili  more  refertur : 
adversarius  est  f rater,  lacus  Hadria,  donee 
alterutrum  velox  victoria  fronde  coronet. 


as  20  B.C.  The  standards  are 
thought  of  as  having  been  hung  as 
trophies  in  the  Parthian  temples 
and  as  being  taken  down  by 
Augustus  from  the  walls.  In  fact, 
they  were  restored  as  a  result  of 
diplomatic  negotiations. 

57.  si  quid  abest :  i.e.,  '  if  any- 
thing is  still  outside  the  sphere  of 
Roman  military  power.1  —  adiudi- 
cat :  as  a  judge  who  assigns  to 
the  rightful  owner  that  which  he 
has  claimed.  —  Italis  .  .  .  armis  : 
dative  ;  so  Cic.  de  Off.  i,  10,  33  ;  in 
media  relictuiii  quod  erat  populo 
Romano  adittdicavit .  —  Augustus 
himself  speaks  with  pride  of  his 
extension  of  Roman  influence  into 
the  East  by  diplomacy,  and  it  was 
the  fashion  of  the  time  to  find  in 
these  peaceful  successes  compen- 
sation for  the  defeat  which  the 
Romans  had  suffered  at  the  hands 
of  the  Parthians. 

58-60.  '  And.  to  anticipate  your 
saying  that  a  sport  like  hunting  is 
too  trival  for  one  who  has  been 
a  soldier,  let  me  remind  you, 
though  I  know  that  you  would  do 


nothing  unsuitable,  of  that  sham 
battle  which  you  and  your  brother 
once  exhibited  in  the  country  at 
your  father's  place.'  —  ne  ...  re- 
trahas :  a  parenthetic  clause  of 
purpose ;  cf.  ne  per  confer  is,  Epist. 
i,  1 6,  I. — inexcusabilis:  without 
good  reason ;  cf.  ignobilis  —  ignotits. 
—  extra  numerum  .  .  .  modum- 
que :  unfitting,  t  unsuitable  to 
your  character  and  position.'  The 
figure  is  taken  from  music.  The 
clause  is  put  in  to  excuse  in  ad- 
vance the  use  of  nugaris. 

61-64.  A  reminiscence  of  a 
mimic  naval  fight,  in  which  the 
two  brothers  had  represented  a 
battle  like  that  of  Actium,  the 
forces  being  slaves  or  boys  of  the 
neighborhood  and  boats  being 
used  for  galleys.  —  partitur:  the 
game  began  with  a  fair  division  of 
the  skiffs  between  the  two  armies. 
—  hostili  more  :  /.<?.,  '  as  if  you  had 
really  been  enemies.'  —  lacus :  a 
pond  on  the  estate.  —  Such  repre- 
sentations of  sea  fights  were  often 
given  with  much  splendor  at  public 
shows. 


119 


I,  18,  65] 


HORATI 


65      Consentire  suis  studiis  qui  crediderit  te, 

fautor  utroque  tuum  laudabit  pollice  ludum. 
Protinus  ut  moneam,  si  quid  monitoris  eges  tu, 
quid  de  quoque  viro  et  cui  dicas  saepe  videto. 
Percontatorem  fugito ;  nam  garrulus  idem  est, 

70      nee  retinent  patulae  commissa  fideliter  aures, 
et  semel  emissum  volat  irrevocabile  verbum. 
Non  ancilla  tuum  iecur  ulceret  ulla  puerve 
intra  marmoreum  venerandi  limen  amici, 
ne  dominus  pueri  pulchri  caraeve  puellae 

75      munere  te  parvo  beet,  aut  incommodus  angat. 

Qualem  commendes  etiam   atque  etiam  adspice,  ne 
mox 


65-66.  These  vss.  resume  the 
main  thought,  which  was  inter- 
rupted at  vs.  49,  or  at  vs.  58,  by 
the  complimentary  digression  on 
Lollius1  skill  in  .games.  — utroque 
.  .  .  pollice :  a  reference,  as  the 
words  fautor  and  ludum  show,  to 
the  gesture  by  which  approval  was 
expressed  in  the  amphitheater. 
The  gesture  had  become  prover- 
bial (Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.  28,  2,  25, 
polities  cum  faveamus  premere 
etiam  proverbio  iubemur).  Both 
the  origin  and  the  precise  form 
of  the  gesture  are  in  doubt. 

68.  de  quoque  viro  :  =  et  de  quo 
viro,  i.e.,  '  be  careful  what  you  say 
and  about  whom  and  to  whom.' 

70.  patulae :  the  man  who  is 
percontator,  eager  to  ask  questions, 
will  be  also  eager  to  hear  the 
answers. 

71-    A  familiar   thought,  which 


is  found  in  various  forms ;  cf.  A. 
P.  390,  nescit  vox  missa  reverti. 

72-75.  non  .  .  .  ulceret :  an  ex- 
cellent example  of  non  with  a  sub- 
junctive of  will,  which  should  not 
be  dodged  by  twisting  the  mode 
into  a  potential  or  by  connecting 
non  with  ulla.  Cf.  Sat.  2,  5,  91, 
note.  —  pueri,  puellae :  with  mu- 
nere. —  parvo :  small  in  compari- 
son to  the  benefits  which  might 
have  followed,  if  the  relation  with 
the  patron  had  continued. — beet: 
i.e.,  the  patron  would  think  the 
gift  a  full  discharge  of  all  obliga- 
tion or  perhaps  would  be  an- 
noyed {angat). 

76.  commendes :  introduce.  — 
The  Romans  made  frequent  use 
of  the  privilege  of  introducing  a 
friend  to  the  attention  of  men  in 
high  position.  Cf.  especially  Kpist. 
I,  9. 


120 


El'ISTVLAE 


[i,  18,  yo 


incutiant  aliena  tibi  peccata  pudorem. 

Fallimur  et  quondam  non  dignum  tradimus ;  ergo 

quern  sua  culpa  premet,  deceptus  omitte  tueri, 

80      ut  penitus  notum,  si  temptent  crimina,  serves, 
tuterisque  tuo  fidentem  praesidio  :  qui 
dente  Theonino  cum  circumroditur,  ecquid 
ad  te  post  paullo  ventura  pericula  sends  ? 
Nam  tua  res  agitur,  paries  cum  proximus  ardet, 

85      et  neglecta  solent  incendia  sumere  vires. 
Dulcis  inexpertis  cultura  potentis  amici ; 
expertus  metuit.     Tu,  dum  tua  navis  in  alto  est, 
hoc  age,  ne  mutata  retrorsum  te  ferat  aura. 
Oderunt  hilarem  tristes  tristemque  iocosi, 

90      sedatum  celeres,  agilem  navumque  remissi ; 


77.  aliena :   '  of  the  other  per- 
son,'     the     friend     thus     intro- 
duced. 

78.  fallimur :  '  it  is  true  that  we 
sometimes  make  mistakes,  in  spite 
of  our  best  care.'  —  ergo:    'since 
this  does  happen,  be  prepared  for 
it.' 

79.  deceptus  :    with   emphasis  ; 
'  when  it  is  clear  that  you  have 
made  a  mistake.1 

80.  penitus    notum:    i.e.,    'a 
friend   whom   you  know   so   well 
that  you  cannot  possibly  be  mis- 
taken  in   him ' ;    the   opposite  of 
non  dignum  and  qnem  .  .  .  premet. 
—  crimina  :     •  unfounded    accusa- 
tions';  cf.  Sat.  i,  3,  60  f.,  cum 
genus  hoc  inter  vitae  versetttr,  ubi 
acris    iniridia    atqiie    vigent    ubi 
crimina. 

81.  fidentem:  the  penitus   no- 


turn.  —  qui :  connective  ;  '  for 
when  he  is  attacked,  do  you  not 
see  that  you  will  likewise  suffer 
in  the  same  way  ? ' 

82.  dente  Theonino:  '  by  the 
tooth  of  envy.'  Cf.  Sat.  i,  4,  81, 
absentem  qui  rodit.  But  the  allu- 
sion in  Theonino  is  obscure ;  the 
story  told  by  the  Scholiast  is  quite 
inapplicable. 

86-88.  A  parenthetic  injunction, 
to  enforce  what  has  been  said  and 
to  introduce  the  few  miscellaneous 
warnings  (89-96)  which  follow. 
In  these  Horace  returns  to  the 
thought  with  which  he  began,  the 
danger  of  as  per  it  as  agrestis,  to 
which  Lollius  was  exposed  by  his 
independence  of  temper,  and  warns 
him  against  the  error  of  refusing 
to  conform  to  the  moods  of  his 
natron. 


121 


IIOKAT1 


[potores  bibuli  media  de  nocte  FalerniJ 
oderunt  porrecta  negantem  pocula,  quamvis 
nocturnes  iures  te  formidare  tepores. 
Deme  supercilio  nubem  ;  plerumque  modestus 

95      occupat  obscuri  speciem,  taciturnus  acerbi. 
Inter  cuncta  leges  et  percontabere  doctos, 
qua  ratione  queas  traducere  leniter  aevum  ; 
num  te  semper  mops  agitet  vexetque  cupido, 
num  pavor  et  rerum  mediocriter  utilium  spes; 

loo     virtutem  doctrina  paret  naturane  donet ; 

quid  minuat  curas,  quid  te  tibi  reddat  amicum  ; 
quid  pure  tranquillet,  honos,  an  dulce  lucellum, 
an  secretum  iter  et  fallentis  semita  vitae. 
Me  quotiens  reficit  gelidus  Digentia  rivus, 


91.  This  verse  is  not  found  in 
good  Mss.  It  was  made  up  out  of 
Epist.  I,  14,  34,  qitein  bibnliim 
liquidi  media  de  luce  Falerni,  to 
supply  a  subject  for  oderunt  in  the 
next  line. 

92-93.  oderunt :  the  subject  is 
implied  in  porrecta.  —  quamvis: 
i.e., l  however  good  the  excuse  you 
may  offer  for  your  refusal.1 — te- 
pores :  the  heating  effect  of  wine. 

94-95.  nubem :  the  figure  is  still 
in  use,  though  with  reference  to 
the  forehead  rather  than  to  the 
eyebrow  alone.  The  thought  is 
more  fully  explained  in  the  follow- 
ing sentence,  to  which  deme  .  .  . 
nubem  is  an  introduction. — ple- 
rumque :  often,  not '  generally,  usu- 
ally.'—  occupat:  cf.  Carm.  4,  9, 
46  f.,  rectius  occupat  n  inn  en  beati. 
—  obscuri:  seer  etui-.  — acerbi: 


the  reserve  of  a  taciturn  man 
may  easily  be  mistaken  for  dis- 
approval. 

96.  inter  cuncta:  i.e.,  'amid 
all  the  chances  and  changes  of 
life.' —  ISges  :  not  leges.  —  doctos  : 
the  wise,  the  philosophers. 

99.  mediocriter :   with  utilium. 

100.  This    question   was   often 
debated  in  philosophy. 

102.  dulce :  ironical. 

103.  fallentis  semita  vitae:    cf. 
Epist.  i,   17,   10,  qui  natus  mori- 
ensqite  fefellit. 

104-112.  'For  myself,  I  have 
known  such  a  life  as  you  are  liv- 
ing and  have  now  entered  upon 
the  path  of  a  quiet  life.'  —  Digentia  : 
the  stream  which  flowed  through 
his  valley,  l-.pist.  i,  16,  12  —  Man- 
dela :  a  village  near  the  farm,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  drew  tlu-ir 


122 


EP1STVLAE  [i,  18,  112 

105     quern  Mandela  bibit,  rugosus  frigore  pagus, 
quid  sentire  putas,  quid  credis,  amice,  precari? 
Sit  mihi  quod  nunc  est,  etiam  minus,  ct  mihi  vivam 
quod  superest  aevi,  si  quid  superesse  volunt  di. 
Sit  bona  librorum  et  provisae  frugis  in  annum 

1 10     copia,  neu  fluitem  dubiae  spe  pendulus  horae. 
Sed  satis  est  orare  lovem  quae  donat  et  aufert ; 
det  vitam,  det  opes,  aequum  mi  animum  ipse  parabo. 

water  from  the  Digentia.  —  ru-  '  be  tossed  about  like  a  leaf.'  The 
gosus :  i.e.,  in  winter.  —  sit  mihi:  thought  is  repeated  in  aequntn 
cf.  the  prayer  of  Carni.  1,31,  17  ff.  animnm.  —  sed  satis  est:  i.e., 

'  Frui  paratis  et  valido  mihi,  '  £ut   !    neef   V^  only  for  those 

Latoe,  clones  ac  precor  integra  thmgs  which  !  cannot  secure  my 

Cum  mente,  nee  turpem  senectam  self>  for  vitam  (=   107-108)  and 

Degere  nee  cithara  carentem.'  opes  (vs-    IO9)  ?  the  spirit  of  the 

philosopher    I    will    myself    pro- 

—  mihi  vivam :  i.e.,  '  live  my  own  vide.' 
quiet  life.'  —  fluitem  .  .  .  pendulus: 

19 

This  Epistle  was  written  just  before  the  publication  of  the  collection, 
in  the  year  20  B.C.  It  is  fitly  addressed,  like  Epist.  i,  i,  to  Maecenas, 
as  the  most  cordial  and  intimate  of  the  poet's  friends  and  admirers. 

'  There  is  an  old  idea  that  poets  should  drink  wine.  Cratinus  held 
this,  and  Homer  and  Ennius,  too,  and  I  once  laid  down  the  same  doc- 
trine. Since  then  my  contemporaries  have  reeked  of  wine,  as  if  one 
could  become  a  Cato  by  wearing  a  toga  like  his.  Imitation  of  eccen- 
tricities is  not  very  laudable,  nor,  in  fact,  is  any  kind  of  imitation. 
From  that  fault  I  have  kept  myself  free.  Archilochus  was  my  leader  in 
the  Epodes.  but  I  followed  him  exactly  as  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  did, 
learning  from  him  the  lyric  art,  but  using  it  for  other  purposes  than 
his.  So  also  I  followed  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  in  turn  in  the  Odes,  and 
I  claim  with  pride,  as  I  said  at  the  time  when  the  Odes  were  published, 
to  have  been  the  first  of  Romans  to  carry  on  the  tradition  of  the  lyric 
poetry  of  Lesbos. 

'  If  you  ask  why  my  poetry  has  not  won  greater  applause,  I  can  easily 
answer  the  question  ;  it  is  because  1  have  not  sought  for  the  favor  of 

123 


i,  19,  i]  HORATI 

critics  and  cliques.  And  when  I  say  that  I  cannot  venture  to  submit 
my  trifles  to  their  learned  judgment,  they  accuse  me  of  laughing  at 
them.  The  result  is  that  1  don't  dare  to  show  any  contempt-at  all ;  I 
back  out  of  the  contest ;  they  might  be  the  death  of  me,  if  they  knew 
what  I  really  think  of  them.'1 

Under  the  form  of  an  Epistle  to  Maecenas  Horace  is  here  defending 
his  Odes  against  the  critics,  as  in  his  earlier  career  he  had  defended 
himself  in  Sa/.  i,  4  and  Sat.  i,  10  and  had  made  sport  ot  his  detractors 
in  Sat.  2,  i.  Of  the  occasion  for  such  replies  we  know  little  except  by 
inference.  Vergil,  highly  as  he  was  honored  during  his  lifetime,  was 
also  severly  criticized,  so  that  his  friends  felt  called  upon  to  defend  him. 
That  Horace  should  have  been  the  object  of  similar  attacks,  made  all 
the  more  bitter  by  his  intimacy  with  Maecenas,  is  altogether  natural. 
With  respect  to  the  Odes,  published  in  23  B.C.,  the  criticism  took  the 
form  of  a  charge  of  lack  of  originality.  To  this  Horace  replies,  first  by 
a  kind  of  definition  of  servile  imitation,  and  then  by  a  statement  of  his 
real  relation  to  the  Greek  lyric  poets.  He  stood,  he  says,  in  precisely 
the  same  relation  to  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  in  which  they  stood  to  Archilo- 
chus ;  he  was  an  artist  of  the  same  school,  not  an  imitator.  This  is, 
of  course,  the  true  explanation  of  the  relation  of  any  poet  or  artist  to 
his  predecessors ;  a  proper  understanding  of  it  would  have  saved 
modern  critics  from  repeating  the  statement  that  Latin  literature  is 
imitative. 

Frisco  si  credis,  Maecenas  docte,  Cratino, 
nulla  placere  diu  nee  vivere  carmina  possunt 
quae  scribuntur  aquae  potoribus.     Vt  male  sanos 

i.   prisco  .  .  .  Cratino:  one  of  2-3.   This  precise  sentiment  is 

the  poets  of  the  Old  Comedy  men-  not  found  in  any  of  the  fragments 

tioned  in  Sat.  i,  4,  i.     The  adj.  of  the  plays   of  Cratinus.     It  is, 

priscus  is  used  because  it  was  the  however,  merely  a  lively  expression 

technical   rhetorical   term  for  the  of  the  praise  of  wine  which  is  fre- 

prisca  comoedia.     Cratinus1  fond-  quent  in  all  literature;  cf.   Carm. 

ness  for  wine  was   frequently  re-  i,  18,  3.  siccis  omnia  nam  dura 

ferred  to  and  had  become  tradi-  dens  proposuit.  —  diu :    with  pla- 

tional. — docte:  so   of  Maecenas,  cere,  not  with  vivere,  which  con- 

Carm.  3.  8,  5,  docte  sermones  utri-  tains  the  idea  in  itself. 

usque  linguae;   his   acquaintance  3.    at:   since. — male   sanos:  — 

with  literature  would  have  made  the  in  sanos,  i.e.,  inspired  by  the  Muses, 

sayings  of  Cratinus  familiar  to  him.  But  Horace  always  uses  this  adj. 

124 


EPISTVLAE 


19.  I2 


adscripsit  Liber  Satyris  Faunisque  poetas, 
vina  fere  dulces  oluerunt  mane  Camenae. 
Laudibus  arguitur  vini  vinosus  Homerus; 
Ennius  ipse  pater  nunquam  nisi  potus  ad  arma 
prosiluit  dicenda.     '  Forum  putealque  Libonis 
mandabo  siccis,  adimam  cantare  severis ' : 
hoc  simul  edixi  non  cessavere  poetae 
nocturne  certare  mero,  putere  diurno. 
Quid  si  quis  vultu  torvo  ferus  et  pede  nudo 


of  poets  with  a  humorous  or  scorn- 
ful tone ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  322 ;  Sat. 
2,  7,  117,  aut  insanit  homo  aut 
versus  facit. 

4.  adscripsit . . .  Satyris  :  'added 
them  to  the  list,1  '  enrolled  them 
with  his  satyrs.'     This  is  not  a 
reference    to  some  definite  myth, 
but  only  a  humorous  way  of  saying 
4  from  the  beginnings  of  poetry.' 

5.  fere  :  usually.  —  mane  :  '  the 
next  morning,'  '  the  morning  after,' 
.from    the    fumes    of    the   night's 
drinking. 

6.  laudibus  :  they  are  merely  the 
traditional  praises,  a  line  here  and 
there.  —  vinosus :     predicate ;    '  is 
accused  of  being.' 

7.  Ennius :    there   was  a  tradi- 
tion that  he  had  gout,  based  per- 
haps upon  a  line  from  one  of  his 
satiirae  (tiumquam  poetor  nisi  si 
podager)  the  form  of  which  seems 
to  have  been  in  Horace's  mind. 

8.  prosiluit :  he  sprang  forward 
like    one    of  the    fighters  he  de- 
scribed. —  puteal  Libonis  :  a  spot 
in    the    Forum   which    had   been 


struck  by  lightning  and  therefore, 
as  sacred,  surrounded  by  a  low 
wall.  It  is  said  by  the  Scholiast  to 
have  been  the  place  where  the 
praetor  held  court.  The  sense 
would  then  be,  '  business  and  pub- 
lic affairs  I  will  leave  to  water 
drinkers.' 

g.  cantare:  i.e.,  'poetry.'  —  se- 
veris :  the  same  as  siccis. 

lo-n.  edixi:  a  formal  word 
used  of  the  edict  of  the  praetor.  — 
putere :  the  expected  verb  would 
be  certare,  but  putere  is  substituted 
ironically.  —  The  sentence  con- 
tinues the  previous  course  of 
thought ;  '  Cratinus  taught  that 
poets  should  be  drinkers ;  so,  it  is 
said,  did  Homer  and  Ennius,  and 
when  Bacchus  enrolled  poets 
among  his  followers,  the  very 
Muses  took  to  hard  drinking.  Now 
it  is  my  turn ;  when  I  sang  the 
praises  of  wine,  my  fellow-poets 
began  to  sit  up  all  night  over  the 
bottle.' 

12-14.  'But  bare  feet  and  a 
scanty  toga  do  not  maice  a  Cato.1 


125 


I.  '9,  13] 


HORATI 


exiguaeque  togae  simulet  textore  Catonem, 

virtutemne  repraesentet  moresque  Catonis  ? 
15      Rupit  larbitam  Timagenis  aemula  lingua, 

dum  studet  urbanus  tenditque  disertus  haberi. 

Decipit  exemplar  vitiis  imitabile  :  quodsi 

pallerem  casu,  biberent  exsangue  cuminum. 

O  imitatores,  servum  pecus,  ut  mihi  saepe 
20      bilem  saepe  iocum  vestri  movere  tumultus  ! 

Libera  per  vacuum  posui  vestigia  princeps, 


—  pede  nudo :   in  imitation  of  the 
strict   fashion  of  th.e   older  time. 

—  exiguae :  cf.  arta  toga,  Epist.  \ , 
18,  30. — textore:  abl.  of  means  ; 
k  by  the  help  of  a  weaver  of  a  scanty 
toga.' — repraesentet:   not  exactly 
with    the   meaning   of  the   corre- 
sponding English  word,  but '  bring 
before  us,'  "  show  us  in  his  own 
person.' 

15-16.  The  point  of  the  allusion 
is  that  larbitas  tried  to  rival  Ti ma- 
genes  in  rhetorical  skill,  but  suc- 
ceeded only  in  imitating  his  fault 
of  bitterness.  This  is  the  same  as 
the  point  of  vss.  12-14,  that  one 
cannot  acquire  the  character  of 
Cato  by  imitating  his  eccentrici- 
ties, and  the  two  illustrations  are 
summed  up  in  vs.  17.  Timagenes 
was  a  Greek  rhetorician  of  consid- 
erable ability  (itrbanus,  disertus), 
who  fell  into  disgrace  because  of 
the  bitterness  of  liis  wit.  larbitas 
is  perhaps  the  nickname  of  a  cer- 
tain Cordus,  who  may  be  the  Co- 
drus  referred  to  by  Vergil,  Eel.  7, 
26,  ini>idia  rumpantur  ut  ilia 


Codro.  But  the  allusion  must  re- 
main obscure  in  its  details,  though 
the  general  sense  is  clear. — rupit : 
a  reference  to  the  fable  of  the  Ox 
and  the  Frog,  to  which  Horace 
alludes  also  in  Sat.  2,  3,  314  ff. 
The  Scholiast,  however,  takes  it 
literally.  —  Timagenis :  gen.  after 
aemula.  — lingua  :  i.e., '  the  tongue 
of  larbitas  was  his  ruin.' 

17.  decipit :  the  emphatic  word ; 
'  we  make  a  mistake  when  we  fol- 
low an  example  by  a  mere  imitation, 
of  faults  and  eccentricities,  as  when 
we  suppose  that  we  must  be  hard 
drinkers  in  order  to  be  poets.'  — 
vitiis :  with  imitabile. 

18.  casu :    by   mere  chance ;    it 
would  have  no  meaning,  any  more 
than  Cato's  toga  had.  —  exsangue  : 
'to  produce  paleness.' 

19.  imitatores :     primarily    the 
men   who   imitated    Horace  him- 
self, but  also  ip  a  general  sense. 
—  servum:  the  adjective. 

21.  libera,  per  vacuum,  prin- 
ceps :  an  emphatic  assertion  of 
his  .own  freedom  from  slavish  imi- 


126 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  19.  29 


non  aliena  meo  press!  pede.     Qui  sibi  fidet, 
dux  reget  examen.     Parios  ego  primus  iambos 
ostendi  Latio,  numeros  animosque  secutus 
25      Archilochi,  non  res  et  agentia  verba  Lycamben. 
Ac  ne  me  foliis  ideo  brevioribus  ornes 
quod  timui  mutare  modos  et  carminis  artem, 
temperat  Archilochi  Musam  pede  mascula  Sappho, 
temperat  Alcaeus,  sed  rebus  et  ordine  dispar, 


tation,  which  is  explained  in  the 
following  verses,  down  to  31. 

23.  dux  reget :  i.e., l  will  be  the 
leader  of  the  swarm,  like  a  queen 
bee.'  —  Parios  .  .  .  iambos:  'such 
iambic  measures  as  were  used  by 
Archilochus  of  Faros.1  This  re- 
fers to  the  Epodes,  that  is,  to 
couplets  of  iambic  measure  used 
for  satirical  purposes ;  both  form 
and  spirit  (numeros  animosque) 
are  included  in  this  technical  use 
of  the  word  iambi.  Iambic  sena- 
rius  is  the  ordinary  verse  of  Latin 
comedy  and  is  of  course  not  meant 
here. 

25.  non  res:  i.e.,  'but  the  form 
and  spirit  were  employed  upon  a 
wholly  different  subject-matter.' 
—  agentia  verba  Lycamben :  it  is 
the  tradition  that  Lycambes  was 
attacked  by  Archilochus  with  so 
much  bitterness  that  he  hanged 
himself.  The  phrase  must  be 
taken  as  a  whole ;  Horace  means 
that  he  did  not  imitate  the  savage- 
ness  of  Archilochus'  language. 

27.  modos  et  .  .  .  artem :  the 
same  as  numeros  animosque,  vs.  24. 


28.  temperat :  in  the  rhetorical 
sense,  of  regulating  and  shaping 
the  rhythm  of  verse  or  prose.  — 
Archilochi :    with  pede ;   '  by  the 
measures  of  Archilochus.1  —  mas- 
cula :  i.e.,  not  a  weak  woman,  but 
the  equal  of  men  in  poetry. 

29.  Alcaeus :  compare  the  noble 
tribute  to  Alcaeus  and  Sappho  in 
Carm.  2,  13,  24-36.  —  ordine:  in 
the  arrangement  of  different  lines 
to  form  a  strophe,  like  the  Alcaic 
or  Sapphic.    In  general  the  thought 
here  repeats  the  thought  of  vss. 
24-25  ;    temperat  is  the  same  as 
secutus,  pede  repeats  numeros,  re- 
bus corresponds  to  res,  and  vss. 
30-31   expand  agentia  verba  Ly- 
camben.    This    makes     complete 
the  parallel  between  Horace  and 
the  two  Greek  lyric  poets ;  he  has 
done   exactly  what    Alcaeus   and 
Sappho  did.     To  this  parallelism 
he   makes   a   slight   exception    in 
ordine,  because  he  recognizes  fully 
in  the  Odes  the  claim  of  Alcaeus 
and  Sappho  to  be  considered  the 
originators   of  the    two   strophes 
which  bear  their  names. 


127 


1, 19, 30] 


HORATI 


30      nec  socerum  quaerit  quem  versibus  oblinat  atris, 
nee  sponsae  laqueum  famoso  carmine  nectit. 
Hunc  ego  non  alio  dictum  prius  ore  Latinus 
vulgavi  fidicen  ;  iuvat  immemorata  ferentem 
ingenuis  oculisque  legi  manibusque  teneri. 

35      Scire  velis  mea  cur  ingratus  opuscula  lector 

laudet  ametque  domi,  premat  extra  limen  iniquus  ? 
Non  ego  ventosae  plebis  suffragia  venor 
impensis  cenarum  et  tritae  munere  vestis  ; 
non  ego,  nobilium  scriptorum  auditor  et  ultor, 

40      grammaticas  ambire  tribus  et  pulpita  dignor. 


30.  socerum :    Archilochus   had 
desired  to  marry  the  daughter  of 
Lycambes. 

31.  sponsae:  used  like  socerum, 
of  the  relation  which  Archilochus 
desired.     The  tradition  is  that  she 
also  hanged  herself  in  consequence 
of  the  bitterness   of  the  attacks 
upon   her  father   and    herself.  — 
famoso :  so  faniosis  versibus,  Sat. 
2,  I,  68,  of  the  satires  of  Lucilius. 

32.  hunc :  Alcaeus,  the  last  re- 
ferred to.  —  non  alio  ...  ore  :  the 
Alcaic  strophe  had  not  been  used 
before  in  Latin  poetry.     This  re- 
peats the  claim  made  in  the  epi- 
logue to  the  Odes,  Carm.  3,  30, 
1 3  f.,  princeps  Aeolium  carmen  ad 
Jtalos  dednxisse  nwdos. 

33.  iuvat :  i.e.,  '  I  feel  pride  in 
what  I  have  done  and  in  the  class 
of  readers  to  whom   1   appeal.1 — 
immemorata  :  •  things  hitherto  un- 
uttered';    this  is  the  early  sense 
of  mentorare,  '  to  tell,  to  utter.' 

34.  ingenuis:     in    contrast    to 


servunt  pec  us,  vs.  19.  Horace 
frequently  expresses  his  pleasure 
at  being  recognized  by  competent 
judges,  e.g.,  Sat.  i,  10,  72  ff. ;  2, 
I,  74  ff. 

35.  opuscula  :  this  must  refer  to 
the  Odes. 

36.  premat .  .  .  iniquus  :    to  be 
taken  together ;   *  is  unjustly  crit- 
ical.' 

37-38.  ventosae:  cf.Epist.  i,  8, 
12,  where  Horace  uses  the  word 
of  himself.  The  belief  that  de- 
mocracies were  fickle  is  a  very  old 
one  and  is  still  held  by  some  per- 
sons, in  spite  of  the  facts.  —  suf- 
fragia :  a  condensed  comparison  ; 
'  I  am  not  like  an  office  seeker, 
who  hunts  for  votes.1  The  thought 
is  then  repeated  in  plainer  words, 
though  still  with  some  figurative 
expressions,  in  vss.  39-40.  —  im- 
pensis . . .  munere :  ordinary  means 
of  indirect  bribery. 

39-40.  4 1  do  not  try  to  win  the 
favor  of  other  poets  by  an  inter- 


128 


EPISTVLAI: 


[1. 19,47 


45 


Hinc  illae  lacrimae.     '  Spissis  indigna  theatris 

scripta  pudet  recitare  et  nugis  addere  pondus,' 

si  dixi,  '  Rides,'  ait,  '  et  lovis  auribus  ista 

servas  ;  fidis  enim  manare  poetica  mella 

te  solum,  tibi  pulcher.'     Ad  haec  ego  naribus  uti 

formido,  et  luctantis  acuto  ne  secer  ungui, 

'  Displicet  iste  locus,'  clamo,  et  diludia  posco. 


change  of  compliments. ' —  nobi- 
lium :  ironical,  as  in  par  nobile 
fratrnm,  Sat.  2,  3,  243  ;  '  writers 
who  think  themselves  famous.'  — 
auditor  et  ultor  :  i.e.,  '  by  listening 
to  their  readings  from  their  works 
and  by  reading  mine  to  them  for 
their  approval.1  The  best  parallel 
to  this  is  Juv.  i,  i,  semper  ego 
auditor  tantum  ?  numquamne  re- 
ponam  .  .  .  ?  The  custom  of  giv- 
ing readings,  which  had  already 
become  wearisome,  tended  to  form 
mutual  admiration  societies,  and 
the  attendance  at  such  readings 
was  therefore  a  kind  of  bribe  to 
win  approval  for  one's  own  writ- 
ings. Ultor  is  intentionally  substi- 
tuted for  some  word  like  recitator, 
to  make  the  irony  plainer.  —  tribus : 
this  recurs  to  the  figure  of  37-38. 
—  pulpita :  the  platforms  from 
which  the  critics  lectured. 

41.  hinc  illae  lacrimae:  this 
phrase  was  first  used  in  Latin  lit- 
erature by  Terence  (Andr.  125  f.) 
and  had  become  proverbial,  as  it 
has  in  English,  always  with  an 
ironical  tone.  —  spissis  .  .  .  thea- 
tris :  the  halls  where  public  read- 
ings were  given,  which  were 


crowded  with  poets  and  literary 
critics.  There  is  no  reference  to 
the  performance  of  plays.  —  in- 
digna :  this  is  said  with  pretended 
modesty,  like  opuscula,  vs.  35,  and 
nugis  in  the  next  line. 

42.  addere  pondus  :  i.e.,  to  treat 
them    as    if    they    were    weighty 
utterances. 

43.  rides:     you    are    ironical; 
i.e.,  '  my  critic  seems  to  find  my 
humility    merely   affected.'   as   of 
course   it  was.     From  this  point 
to  the  end  the  tone  is  wholly  one 
of  scornful  and  open  irony,  as  in 
the  close  of  Sat.  i,  10.  —  lovis: 
Augustus,  as  the  supreme  repre- 
sentative  of  the   inner   circle   of 
cultivated  readers. 

44.  fidis  :   '  for  you  feel  a  con- 
ceited   confidence   in   the  quality 
of  your  poetry.'  —  mella :   a  cog- 
nate accus.  after  manare. 

45.  naribus  uti :    cf.   naso  SHS- 
pendis  adnnco,Sat.  1,6, 5, and  note. 

46.  formido :    entirely   ironical, 
since   he   is   at   this  moment  ex- 
pressing his  scorn    (iiaribns  uti) 
in  the  very  act  of  pretending  to 
conceal  it. 

47.  displicet  ista  locus  :  the  cry 


HOK.  EP.  —  9 


129 


1,19,48]  IIORATI 

Ludus  enim  genuit  trepidum  certamen  et  iram, 
ira  truces  inimicitias  et  funebre  bellum. 


of  a  contestant,  a  wrestler  or  gladi-  course,    with    irony.     Cf.   Thack- 

ator,  who  thinks  that  his  opponent  eray,  '  The  Rose  and  the  Ring,1 

has  an  unfair  advantage  in  posi- 

,       ,       . ,        c         j            j  '  Critics  serve  us  authors  thus ; 
tion  and  who  theretore  demands 

Sport  to  them  is  death  to  us. 
a  pause  (dnudia)  to  equalize  the 

conditions.     The  reference  to  the  —  ludus :   with  reference  to  dilu- 

puipita,  40,  and  theatris   is  sec-  dia,  —  The   adjectives   are   inten- 

ondary.  tionally     extravagant,     trepidiim, 

48-49.    '  For  the  consequences  truces,  funebre,  carrying  out  the 

may  be  most   serious ' ;    still,  of  irony  oiformido. 


An  Epilogue  to  the  collection  of  Epistles,  written  in  the  year  20.  after 
the  other  poems  were  collected  for  publication. 

'  You  are  eager  to  see  the  world,  my  book,  like  a  young  slave  who 
seeks  to  escape  from  the  house  of  a  good  master.  Go,  then,  and  meet 
your  fate ;  you  will,  I  think,  have  some  readers,  but  I  do  not  predict  for 
you  an  immortality  of  favor. 

4  While  the  favor  lasts,  tell  your  readers  what  I  am,  a  freedman's  son 
who  feels  himself  now  coming  to  middle  age.' 

This  poem  is,  on  the  one  side,  an  expression  of  the  writer's  hopes 
and  fears,  as  he  sends  a  new  book  out  into  the  world.  It  is  done,  as 
one  would  expect  from  Horace,  without  flourish  of  trumpets ;  he  is 
quite  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  book  has  merits,  but  he  knows  also  that 
it  is  not  the  greatest  book  that  was  ever  written.  On  this  side  the 
poem  might  be  compared  with  Catullus's  address  to  his  new  book,  with 
Ovid's  Tristia  i,  i  and  Martial,  i,  3.  On  the  other  side,  this  epistle  is 
like  the  biographies  which  were  often  appended  to  standard  editions, 
much  as  the  Vita  by  Suetonius  is  preserved  in  the  Mss.  of  Horace's 
complete  works.  The  brief  'Life'  of  the  author  gives  his  birth  and 
origin  (20),  his  rise  in  life  (21-23),  n's  appearance  and  character 
(24-25).  and  his  a<jc  (26-28),  as  such  things  are  given  in  biographies 
of  the  standard  form.  Propertius  (i,  22)  and  Ovid  (Amor.  3,  15)  have 
followed  the  same  custom. 

130 


[l,  20,   10 


Vertumnum  lanumque,  liber,  spectare  videris, 
scilicet  ut  prostes  Sosiorum  pumice  mundus. 
Odisti  clavis  et  grata  sigilla  pudico  ; 
paucis  ostendi  gemis  et  communia  laudas, 
non  ita  nutritus.     Fuge  quo  descendere  gestis. 
Non  erit  emisso  reditus  tibi.     '  Quid  miser  egi  ? 
quid  volui  ? '  dices,  ubi  quis  te  laeserit,  et  scis 
in  breve  te  cogi,  cum  plenus  languet  amator. 
Quodsi  non  odio  peccantis  desipit  augur, 
carus  eris  Romae  donee  te  deseret  aetas ; 


1.  Vertumnum:  a  shrine  of  this 
god  was  in  the  Vicus   Tuscus,  a 
street    leading    down    from    the 
Forum    toward    the   river;    there 
were  booksellers1  shops  along  this 
street.  —  lanum :    this   may   have 
been  an  archway  over  the  Vicus 
Tuscus  or  one  of  the  arches  in  the 
Forum;  cf.  Epist.  i.  i,  54.     The 
two    names    together  stand  for  a 
quarter  of  the  city  where  books 
were  sold  and  where  also,  carry- 
ing out  the  double  meaning  of  the 
Epistle,  there  were  houses  of  ill- 
repute. 

2.  scilicet  ut:   cf.   Epist.   i,  9, 
3,    note.  —  prostes:    in   a    double 
sense ;     cf.    prosti&itbtm,    of    a 
harlot.  —  Sosii :      a     well-known 
firm    of    booksellers,    mentioned 
also     in     A.  P.     345 .  —  pumice  : 
used  to   smooth  the  end  of  the 
papyrus  roll;   cf.   Catull.    i,    1-2, 
.  .  .  libellntn    arido  .  .  .  pumice 
expolituin. 

4.    gemis:  i.e.,  'you  are  dissat- 
isfied with  the  admiration  of  my 


friends    and  wish   for   more    ad- 
mirers.' 

5.  fuge :  /'.*.,  '  go  quickly  then, 
since  you  will  have  your  way.1/ — 
descendere :    the  regular  word  for 
going    down   from   the   residence 
quarters,  on  the  hills,  to  the  Fo- 
rum, with  a  secondary  reference  to 
the  descent  in  life  of  the  runaway 
slave. 

6.  emisso :     primarily    of    the 
slave,  but  also  of  the  book ;    cf. 
Epist.  i,  1 8,  71,  et  semel  emissum 
volat  irrevocable  verbum. 

7-8.  scis  :  =sentis;  the  primary 
reference  is  to  the  book,  rolled  up 
(/«  breve  .  .  .  cogi)  and  laid  aside  ; 
with  reference  to  the  slave  it 
means  •  driven  to  poverty  and 
hardship.'  —  languet  amator :  here 
the  slave  is  chiefly  in  mind,  yet  the 
phrase  may  be  used  also  of  the 
tired  reader. 

10.  aetas  :  youth,  the  flower  of 
youth  ;  so  often  of  boys  and  girls. 
From  this  point  the  comparison 
of  the  book  to  the  voung  slave  is 


I,  20,   II] 


HORATI 


contrectatus  ubi  manibus  sordescere  vulgi 
coeperis,  aut  tineas  pasces  taciturnus  inertis 
aut  fugles  Vticam  aut  vinctus  mitteris  Ilerdam. 
Ridebit  monitor  non  exauditus,  ut  ille, 

15      qui  male  parentem  in  rupes  protrusit  asellum 
iratus  :  quis  enim  invitum  servare  laboret  ? 
Hoc  quoque  te  manet,  ut  pueros  elementa  docentem 
occupet  extremis  in  vicis  balba  senectus. 
Cum  tibi  sol  tepidus  plures  admoverit  auris, 

20      me  libertino  natum  patre  et  in  tenui  re 
maiores  pennas  nido  extendisse  loqueris, 
ut  quantum  generi  demas,  virtutibus  addas ; 


less  prominent,  though  occasional 
words  show  that  the  figure  is  not 
forgotten. 

1 1 .  contrectatus  .  .  .  manibus : 
the  buyer  could  take  up  the  book 
and  look  at  it  as  in  a  modern  book- 
shop ;  cf.  Sat,  i,  4,  72,  libellos  quis 
mantis  insndet  volgi. 

12-13.  taciturnus :  this  word 
AnAfiigies  are  selected  for  their  sug- 
gestion of  the  slave,  though  the  rest 
of  the  phrase  is  applicable  only  to 
the  book.  —  Vticam,  Ilerdam:  in 
Africa  and  in  Spain  ;  they  are  se- 
lected as  types  of  provincial  towns, 
where  books  no  longer  salable  in 
Rome  might  find  purchasers. 

14-16.  monitor:  Horace;  cf. 
augur,  vs.  9.  —  protrusit :  since 
he  could  not  keep  the  ass  from  the 
cliff,  he  gave  up  the  effort  and 
pushed  him  over. — iratus:  cf. 
I'dio  peccantis,  vs.  9. 

17.  elementa :  i.e..  used  as  a 
text-book  for  children  who  are 


learning  to  read  and  are  too  young 
to  be  interested  in  the  sense.  — 
docentem :  sc.  te. 

19.  sol  tepidus  :  <  the  warm  sun- 
shine   of     popular     favor ' ;     i.e., 
'when  you  are  still  fresh  enough 
to   have   many  readers/     [There 
are  many  varying  explanations  of 
this  rather  ambiguous  phrase,  but 
tepeo,  tepor,  tepidns  in  Horace  al- 
ways mean  warmth  in  contrast  to 
cold,  except  in  Sat.  1,3,  81,  never 
warmth  in  contrast  to  heat.    That 
in  connection  with  sol  it  should 
mean  anything  but '  warm  '  is  quite 
impossible.] 

20.  libertino   natum  patre :   so 
libertino  patre  natum.  Sat.  1 ,  6,  6 ; 
45 ;  46,  with  emphatic  repetition. 
—  in  tenui  re:    cf.  Sat.   i,  6,  71, 
macro  pauper  agello,  of  his  father. 

22.  generi :  birth.  The  reason 
given  in  this  line  is  one  which 
could  not  have  been  expressed  in 
Sat.  i,  6,  before  he  felt  that  his 


132 


EPISTVLAE 


[i,  20,  28 


me  primis  urbis  belli  placuisse  domique ; 
corporis  exigui,  praecanum,  solibus  aptum, 
25      irasci  celerem,  tamen  ut  placabilis  essem. 
Forte  meum  si  quis  te  percontabitur  aevum, 
me  quater  undenos  sciat  implevisse  Decembris, 
collegam  Lepidum  quo  duxit  Lollius  anno. 


position  was  secure,  though  it  was 
doubtless  even  then  in  his  mind. 

23.  belli  .  .  .  domique:      with 
primis,   not  with  placuisse.     Cf., 
in  general,  Sal.  2,  i,  76,  Epist.  \, 

'7,35- 

24.  corporis   exigui :    short   of 
stature,  as  is  said  in  the  Vita  of 
Suetonius;    'habita   corporis   fuit 
brevis     atque     obesus.1 —  praeca- 
num :  gray  before  my  time,  as  he 
was  only  forty-four  years  old.  — 
solibus  aptum:  the  Romans  made 
less  use  than  we  of  artificial  heat- 
ing and  so  arranged  their  porti- 
coes as  to  have  convenient  places 
sheltered  from  the  wind  and  open 
to  the  winter  sun.     Many  passages 


show  that   Horace   disliked   cold 
weather. 

25.  irasci  celerem:  the  vitium 
irae  is  one  to  which  Horace  fre- 
quently refers  in  such  a  way  as  to 
acknowledge  his  own  proneness 
to  it. 

27.  Decembris :    the  month    in 
which  his  birthday  came. 

28.  The    year    21    B.C.      The 
peculiar  word  du*ti  is   used  be- 
cause Lollius  was  at  first  consul 
alone  and  '  brought  in  '  Lepidus  as 
his  colleague  only  after  long  delay. 
The    birthday    named    would    of 
course  be  the  last  one  preceding 
the  time  of  writing,  which  was  in 
the  summer  or  autumn  of  20  B.C. 


'33 


The  date  of  this  Epistle  can  be  determined  with  a  fair  degree  of  pre- 
cision. It  is  probable  that  Horace  wrote  it,  in  accordance  with  the 
custom  which  he  had  followed  in  publishing  other  collections  of  poems, 
after  the  other  Epistles,  2  and  3  (the  Ars  Poetica),  to  serve  as  an  intro- 
duction and  to  dedicate  the  whole  collection  to  the  person  addressed  in 
this  letter.  This  general  probability  is  supported  by  a  passage  in  the 
Vita  of  Suetonius  :  '  post  sermones  vero  quosdam  lectos  nullam  sui 
mentionem  habitam  ita  sit  questus :  "  irasci  me  tibi  scito,  quod  non  in 
plerisque  eius  modi  scriptis  mecum  potissimum  loquaris.  An  vereris  ne 
apud  posteros  infame  tibi  sit,  quod  videaris  familiaris  nobis  esse  ? " 
expresseritque  eclogam  ad  se  cuius  initium  est  cum  tot  sustineas  .  .  .  .' 
This  story  comes  immediately  after  a  reference  to  the  Carmen  Saecu- 
lare  and  the  Fourth  Book  of  the  Odes.  The  sermones  quosdam  and 
the  eius  modi  scriplis  cannot  have  been  the  Satires,  published  fifteen 
years  earlier,  and  can  scarcely  have  been  the  First  Book  of  the  Epistles, 
which  had  been  before  the  public  for  some  years.  These  words  must 
therefore  refer  to  Epist.  2,  2  and  3,  already  known  to  Augustus  before 
they  were  formally  published.  All  this  falls  into  proper  sequence  with 
the  references  to  the  campaigns  of  15-14  H.C.,  referred  to  in  vss.  252- 
253,  and  points  to  14  or  13  B.C.  as  the  date  of  composition. 

The  course  of  thought  is  natural  and  easy,  shifting  from  one  aspect 
of  the  subject  to  another  without  following  a  formal  scheme.  Some 
general  divisions  will  be  noticed :  vss.  5-92,  the  overestimate  of  early 
writers  in  comparison  with  new  poetry;  93-117,  the  historical  develop- 
ment which  has  resulted  in  the  present  situation;  118-138,  the  contri- 
butions of  the  poet  to  the  welfare  of  society;  139-213,  the  special 
disadvantages  and  defects  of  dramatic  writing;  214-250,  the  good  influ- 
ence of  the  patronage  of  Augustus  upon  literature ;  250-270,  Horace's 
own  relation  to  the  patronage  of  Augustus. 

In  the  Second  Book  of  the  Epistles  the  form  of  versified  letter  is 
somewhat  changed.  The  three  Epistles  are  all  long  and  their  very 
length  destroys  the  illusion  of  the  letter  form ;  they  necessarily  become 
essays,  addressed,  it  is  true,  to  an  individual,  but  intended  for  the  public 


El'ISTVLAE  [2,  i,  2 

In  this  Epistle  the  personal  tone  is  also  subdued  by  the  fact  that  it 
was  addressed  to  the  Emperor.  The  opening  lines,  therefore,  though 
they  are  concerned  entirely  with  the  personal  aspect  and  not  at  all  with 
the  subject  of  the  letter,  are  distinctly  and  quite  properly  formal.  The 
close,  from  vs.  250  to  the  end,  is  also  personal,  having  to  do  with 
Horace's  own  relation  to  literature  and  to  Augustus,  and  here  there  is 
a  lighter  tone,  especially  from  vs.  264  to  the  end.  At  other  points,  too, 
as  in  214  ff.,  there  is  a  certain  measure  of  appeal  to  Augustus  to  use  his 
influence  for  the  good  of  literature.  In  general,  however,  Horace  has 
not  made  any  very  serious  effort  to  preserve  the  illusion  of  a  letter. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  is  not  a  formal  essay ;  it  is  rather  the  un- 
studied comment  of  a  veteran  man  of  letters  upon  the  condition  and 
prospects  of  the  literature  of  his  time.  The  particular  subjects  selected 
for  comment  or  criticism  are  not  indeed  limited  to  Horace's  own  experi- 
ence, but  they  are  in  part  suggested  by  it.  The  whole  of  the  first  third 
of  the  Epistle  is  a  protest  against  the  over- valuation  of  the  early  Latin 
poetry  and  a  defense  of  living  writers,  including  Horace  himself,  against 
the  disposition  to  undervalue  the  present.  This  is,  in  some  sense,  a 
continuation  of  the  argument  of  Sat.  i,  4;  I,  10;  2,  I,  and  Epist.  i,  19, 
but  it  would  be  pressing  it  too  far  to  find  in  it  the  motive  of  the  whole 
letter.  In  other  parts,  in  118-138,  in  139  ff.,  Horace  is  writing  as  a 
student  of  literary  history,  selecting  such  portions  of  the  rhetorical 
tradition  as  suited  his  purpose  and  using  them  to  illustrate  and  define 
the  situation  of  his  time. 

This  Epistle  deserves  most  careful  reading.  Much  of  the  subject- 
matter,  it  is  true,  has  no  immediate  relation  to  modern  conditions, 
though  the  comments  upon  the  stage  are  an  exception  and  might 
have  been  written  for  a  magazine  in  this  century.  The  literary  history, 
also,  must  be  taken  with  much  reserve ;  it  is  only  the  current  teaching 
of  the  scholar  and  is  in  many  points  quite  incorrect.  But  the  easy  turn 
of  the  thought,  the  mastery  of  happy  expression,  the  humor  and  the 
occasional  satire,  all  show  that  Horace  came  toward  the  close  of  life 
with  ripening  powers  —  integra  cum  mente,  as  he  had  wished. 

Cum  tot  sustineas  et  tanta  negotia  solus, 
res  Italas  armis  tuteris,  moribus  ornes, 

i.  solus  :  others  (Agrippa,  Tibe-  2.  res  Italas  :  no  more  than  rent 
rius)  were  associated  with  him,  but  pttblicam,  'the  state.1 — moribus: 
the  real  responsibility  rested  upon  one  of  the  purposes  which  Angus- 
Augustus  alone.  tus  kept  most  distinctly  before 

135 


«  I,  3] 


HORATI 


legibus  emendes,  in  publica  commoda  peccem, 
si  longo  sermone  morer  tua  tempora,  Caesar. 
Romulus  et  Liber  pater  et  cum  Castore  Pollux, 
post  ingentia  facta  deorum  in  templa  recepti, 
dum  terras  hominumque  colunt  genus,  aspera  bella 
componunt,  agros  adsignant,  oppida  condunt, 
ploravere  suis  non  respondere  favorem 
speratum  mentis.     Diram  qui  contudit  hydram 
notaque  fatali  portenta  labore  subegit, 


him  was  the  need  of  social  reform, 
which  he  attempted  to  bring 
about  by  a  return  to  stricter  stand- 
ards. He  took  great  pains  to 
set  a  good  example  himself  and 
tried,  though  with  little  success, 
to  train  his  family  in  the  good 
old  ways. — ornes:  provide,  fur- 
nish ;  this  is  the  proper  sense  of 
ornare. 

3.  legibus:     many    laws    were 
passed  to  regulate   marriage  and 
divorce,  to  control  bribery,  to  limit 
expense,  all   with  very   small  re- 
sults. 

4.  longo:    this   and    the   other 
epistles  of  this  book  are  in  fact 
long,  as  compared  with   Horace's 
other     writings.      He     does    not 
mean,  therefore,  *  if  I  should  delay 
you  by  a  long  discourse,'  but  'if 
this    long    epistle    should   detain 
you.'     The  modest  suggestion   is 
'  do  not  allow  me  to  detain  you, 
but  put  off  the  reading  to  a  con- 
venient time.' 

5-17.    'Other  heroes  have  not 
been  honored  till  after  their  death, 


but  we  have  recognized  your  worth 
while  you  are  still  with  us.' 

5.  Liber :  the  god  Dionysus,  as 
a    bringer    of    civilization,    who 
taught  men  to  cultivate  the  vine, 
not  Bacchus,  as  the  god  of  drink- 
ing. —  The  list  of  beneficent  gods 
and     heroes,     Romulus,      Liber, 
Castor  and   Pollux,    Hercules,   is 
traditional  and  occurs  with  slight 
variations    in    many   places,   e.g., 
Carm.  I,  12,  21-28;  3,  3,  9-16; 
Cic.  de  Nat.  Dear.  2,  24,  62,  where 
Aesculapius  is  added. 

6.  templa :  t.e.,  into  the  dwell- 
ing places  of  the  gods  in  heaven  ; 
an  old  sense  of  templiim. 

7-8.  The  various  steps  in  ad- 
vancing civilization.  Cf.  Sat,  I,  3, 
99-105. 

10.  contudit :  crushed  with  his 
club. 

11.  fatali:     'decreed     by    the 
Fates,'  fated,    not   '  fatal.'  —  por- 
tenta :    he   is    thinking   especially 
of  those  labors  of  Hercules  which 
consisted    in    the    killing   of  de- 
structive monsters. 


136 


EP1STVLAE 


£2,  I,  21 


comperit  invidiam  supremo  fine  domari. 
Vrit  enim  fulgore  suo,  qui  praegravat  artes 
infra  se  positas,  extinctus  amabitur  idem. 
Praesenti  tibi  matures  largimur  honores 
iurandasque  tuum  per  numen  ponimus  aras, 
nil  oriturum  alias,  nil  ortum  tale  fatentes. 
Sed  tuus  hie  populus  sapiens  et  Justus  in  uno, 
te  nostris  ducibus,  te  Graiis  anteferendo, 
cetera  nequaquam  simili  ratione  modoque 
aestimat,  et  nisi  quae  terris  semota  suisque 


12.  invidiam:  this  repeats  the 
thought  of  vs.  9  and  leads  on  to 
the  main  theme,  the  invidia  which 
poets  encountered.  Strictly,  the 
word  is  not  in  place  in  the  story  of 
Hercules. — supremofine :  i.e., 'only 
by  death,' '  not  until  after  his  death.' 

13-14.  urit :  transferred  from 
physical  pain  to  the  suffering 
of  emotion.  Here  the  physical 
sense  is  to  dazzle,  blind,  as  fulgore 
shows.  —  praegravat :  literally, 
weighs  down ;  to  be  interpreted 
with  infra  se  positas.  —  artes : 
powers,  almost  the  same  as 
•virtntes.  —  The  whole  expression 
is  difficult  of  analysis,  first,  because 
two  different  figures  are  used  in 
it rit  and  praegravat,  and,  second, 
because  of  the  mixture  of  the  con- 
crete (qui,  extinctus,  amabitttr) 
and  the  abstract  ^praegravat, 
artes).  The  underlying  sense  is. 
'  he  who  is  superior  to  others  in 
his  powers  and  who  thus  makes 
others  feel  their  inferiority,  excites 
envy  by  his  greatness.'  —  ama- 


bitur:   'but  after  his    death   his 
virtues  are  recognized.' 

15.  praesenti  tibi :  '  to  you,  it  is 
true,  recognition  has  come  during 
your    lifetime.'  —  matures  :     i.e., 
4  before  it  was  too  late.' 

16.  numen :  an  unofficial  deifi- 
cation  of  Augustus    began   early 
(29  B.C.)    in   the    provinces   and 
was  then  taken  up  in  some  parts 
of    Italy.     But    the    only    formal 
recognition  of  this  in  Rome  was  a 
cult  of  the  genius  Augtisti,  with 
altars  where  oaths  could  be  taken. 
The  complete  deification  was  not 
until  after  the  death  of  Augustus, 
who     during     his     lifetime   -dis- 
couraged these  extravagances. 

18.  'But    this    recognition    of 
present  merit  is  by  no  means  ex- 
tended  to   poets    and   poetry.'  — 
tuus :  with  reference  back  to  vss. 
15-17. 

19.  anteferendo  :  in    apposition 
with  uno,  anticipating  the  single 
exception  to  cetera. 

21-22.   terris    semota:     'which 


137 


2,  I,  22] 


HORAT1 


25 


temporibus  defuncta  videt,  fastidit  et  odit, 
sic  fautor  veterum,  ut  tabulas  peccare  vetantes, 
quas  bis  quinque  viri  sanxerunt,  foedera  regum 
vel  Gabiis  vel  cum  rigidis  aequata  Sabinis, 
pontificum  libros,  annosa  volumina  vatum, 
dictitet  Albano  Musas  in  monte  locutas. 


had  passed  away  from  the  earth.' 
—  temporibus  defuncta  :  '  and  had 
completed  the  time  allotted  to 
them.'  The  phrases  belong  strictly 
to  the  writers  of  books,  rather 
than  to  the  writings. 

23.  sic  fautor :    the  verbal  force 
of  many  nouns  was   so  strongly 
felt  that  they  may  even,  in  combi- 
nation  with   gsse,   take   an  accu- 
sative,   or,    as    here,  an   adverb. 
Translate    by    a    verb ;  '  and    so 
strongly   favors   ancient    writings 
that.  .  .  .'  —  veterum:  neuter, like 
cetera.  —  tabulas :     the    Twelve 
Tables. 

24.  bis  quinque  viri :    the  De- 
cemvirs. 

25.  Gabiis :     governed   by   the 
following  cum.     A  copy   of   this 
treaty,    made    by    Tarquin    with 
Gabii,   written   in   archaic   letters 
on  bull's  hide,  was  still  in  existence 
in  the  time  of  Dionysius  of  Hali- 
carnassus,  in  Horace's  time.    Cf. 
Livy,  I,  54.     Several  treaties  with 
the    Sabines    were    preserved. — 
aequata  :  ratified.  The  implication 
that  they  were  'on  equal  terms'  is 
merely  conventional. 

26.  pontificum  libros:    the   rec- 
ords of  rituals  and  of  events  of 


religious  significance,  dating  back 
to  the  earliest  use  of  writing  in 
Rome.  —  volumina  :  prophecies 
and  oracles,  written  in  some  of 
the  early  verse  forms  like  the  Sa- 
turnian.  Livy  mentions  in  25,  12 
certain  carmina  which  foretold 
the  battle  of  Cannae. 

27.  dictitet:  the  subject  is  still 
Popnlus.  —  Albano  ...  in  monte : 
one  of  the  most  sacred  spots  in 
early  Roman  worship ;  if  the 
Muses  transferred  their  home  from 
Greece  to  Italy,  as  such  opinions 
would  seem  to  imply,  then  the 
Alban  Mount  would  become  their 
Helicon.  —  Musas  .  . .  locutas:  this 
seems  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  the 
phrase  of  Aelius  Stilo  and  Varro, 
quoted  by  Quint.  10,  I,  99,  'Mu- 
sas Plautino  sermone  locuturas 
fuisse,  si  Latine  loqui  vellent.'  — 
Though  these  early  records  are 
lost,  there  are  fragments  enough 
to  show  that  they  were  composed 
in  an  extremely  formal  and 
cramped  style,  that  they  were,  in 
fact,  not  literature  at  all.  Horace 
is  using  extreme  examples  to  lay 
a  foundation  for  his  argument 
against  the  school  of  critics  who 
maintained  with  an  excess  of  zeal 


'3* 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  i,  35 


Si,  quia  Graiorum  sunt  antiquissima  quaeque 
scripta  vel  optima,  Romani  pensantur  cadem 

30      scriptores  trutina,  non  est  quod  multa  loquamur : 
nil  intra  est  olea,  nil  extra  est  in  mice  duri; 
venimus  ad  summum  fortunae,  pingimus  atque 
psallimus  et  luctamur  Achivis  doctius  unctis. 
Si  meliora  dies,  ut  vina,  poemata  reddit, 

35      scire  velim  chartis  pretium  quotus  adroget  annus. 


the  value  of  the  early  Latin  litera- 
ture. 

28-33.  'The  fact  that  the  old- 
est Greek  writers  are  the  best 
does  not  prove  that  the  same 
thing  is  true  in  Latin  literature.1 

28.  Graiorum:    the  more  poetic 
word.     In  the  Satires  Horace  pre- 
fers Graecits ;    but  the  distinction 
is   not  sharply  made,  cf.   vs.   90, 
below. 

29.  optima:  Horace  is  thinking 
in  a  general  way  of  the  fact  that 
Greek  literature  begins  with  Ho- 
mer; he  is  not  following  out  the 
argument  into  details,  like  the  com- 
parison of  the  merits  of  Archilo- 
chus  and  Alcaeus,  and  he  is  not 
thinking   at   all   of  the   place   of 
tragedy. 

30.  trutina:  cf.  the  similar  use 
of  this   figure   in   Sat.    i,   3,   72, 
where    ponetur     corresponds     to 
pensantur.  —  non  est  quod:    i.e., 
'there  is  no  more  to  be  said,'  'it  is 
an  end  of  all  rational  argument, 
and  we  can  prove  anything.' 

31.  intra,    extra:     adverbs.  — 
olea :    with  in  to  be  supplied  from 
/;/  mice;  cf.  Gat>iis,vs.  25.  — duri:  • 


with  nil.  'The  same  kind  of  ar- 
gument from  analogy  would  prove 
that  as  a  nut  is  hard  outside  and 
soft  inside,  so  an  olive  must  be 
the  same.' 

32-33.  'By  the  same  reasoning, 
as  we  have  become  masters  of  the 
world,  we  must  be  masters  of  the 
Greeks  in  all  the  arts.'  This  is 
another  illustration,  beside  that 
of  vs.  31,  of  the  absurdities  to 
which  the  argument  of  28-29 
would  lead.  —  pingimus,  psalli- 
mus, luctamur:  literature,  paint- 
ing and  sculpture,  music,  and 
gymnastics  are  the  four  liberal 
arts  on  which  Greek  education 
was  based. — unctis:  with  refer- 
ence only  to  the  last  mentioned 
art,  luctamur. 

34-49.  A  new  argument :  '  the 
measurement  of  poetry  by  its 
antiquity  is  absurd,  because  the 
standard  is  shifting.  How  many 
years  are  required  to  make  a 
writer  old  ? ' 

34.  dies:   time',   cf.  Carm.  3,  6, 
45,  quid  non  imminuit  dies  ? 

35.  quotus  .  .  .  annus:  the  Eng- 
lish idiom  requires  a  plural. 


139 


2,  I,  36] 


IIOKATI 


Scriptor  abhinc  annos  centum  qui  decidit,  inter 

perfectos  veteresque  referri  debet  an  inter 

viles  atque  novos  ?     Excludat  iurgia  finis. 

'  Est  vetus  atque  probus  centum  qui  perficit  annos.' 

40      Quid,  qui  deperiit  minor  uno  mense  vel  anno, 
inter  quos  referendus  erit,  veteresne  poetas, 
an  quos  et  praesens  et  postera  respuat  aetas  ? 
'  Iste  quidem  veteres  inter  ponetur  honeste, 
qui  vel  mense  brevi  vel  toto  est  Junior  anno.' 

45      Vtor  permisso,  caudaeque  pilos  ut  equinae 

paullatim  vello  et  demo  unum,  demo  etiam  unum, 
dum  cadat  elusus  ratione  mentis  acervi, 


36.  decidit:    the   figure   of  the 
falling  leaf. 

37.  referri:     be    set    down,    be 
counted. 

38.  finis:  a  definite  line,  here  a 
definite  figure,  like  centum. 

40.  The  argument  is  general,  as 
centum  was  of  course  suggested  as 
a  round  number ;  but  Horace  prob- 
ably noticed  the  fact  that  this  limit 
would  exclude  from  the  veteres 
atque  probi  Lucilius,  who  was 
highly  praised  by  the  admirers  of 
the  early  literature.  He  died  in  103 
B.C.,  and  would  therefore  fall  short 
of  the  time  by  only  a  few  years. 

42.  respuat:  the  subjv.  means 
'  should,  according  to  your  rule, 
refuse  to  accept.1 

43-44.  '  Such  a  trifle  as  a  month 
or  even  a  whole  year  should  not 
count.'  —  iste :  '  the  man  you  men- 
tion.'—  honeste:  luith  credit,  to 
his  honor. 


45-47-  The  argument  called  So- 
rites, the  argument  of  the  'falling 
heap.'  Given  a  sufficient  amount 
of  grain  to  be  called  a  heap 
(crtopds),  will  it  still  be  a  heap  if 
one  grain  is  taken  away  ?  And  at 
what  point,  if  one  still  continues 
to  take  away  a  grain  at  a  time,  will 
it  cease  to  be  a  heap  ?  Another 
form  of  the  argument  was  to  ask 
how  many  hairs  may  be  lost  before 
a  man  can  fairly  be  called  bald 
(<£aAcucpos) .  —  permisso :  the  con- 
cession in  vss.  43-44.  —  caudae 
.  .  .  equinae :  this  is  either  a  con- 
fusion of  the  argument  of  the 
<£oAu/<pds  with  a  story  about  the 
pulling  out  of  the  hairs  from  a 
horse's  tail  one  at  a  time,  to  show 
what  may  be  accomplished  by 
patience  (Val.  Max.  7,  3,  6),  or  it 
is  some  variant  of  the  argument, 
unknown  to  us.  —  ratione :  the 
argument,  the  reasoning. 


140 


EI'ISTVLAE 


55 


qui  redit  ad  fastos  et  virtutem  aestimat  annis 
miraturque  nihil  nisi  quod  Libitina  sacra vit. 

50      Ennius  et  sapiens  et  fortis  et  alter  Homerus, 
ut  critici  dicunt,  leviter  curare  videtur 
quo  promissa  cadant  et  somnia  Pythagorea. 
Naevius  in  manibus  non  est  et  mentibus  haeret 
paene  recens  ?     Adeo  sanctum  est  vetus  omne  poema 

55      Ambigitur  quoties  uter  utro  sit  prior,  aufert 


48.  redit  ad  fastos :  -turns  back 
to  the  Fasti,1  i.e.,  goes  to  the  record 
of  years  and  dates  for  his  standard. 
The  general  phrase  is  made  more 
specific  in  aestimat  and  miratitr. 

49.  Libitina :    the  goddess  asso- 
ciated with  funerals  ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  6, 
19. 

50-62.  '  But  let  us  look  in  more 
detail  at  the  old  and  greatly  ad- 
mired Roman  poets,  and  at  the 
critical  and  popular  judgments  of 
them.1 

50.  sapiens :  a  general  term  of 
praise  used  also  by  Horace  of  Lu- 
cilius    (Sat.    2.    i,    17).  —  fortis: 
with  reference  to  his  descriptions 
of  wars  and  heroes.  —  alter  Home- 
rus :  these  words  were  used  of  him 
by   Lucilius   and    expressed   with 
exaggeration    the    prevalent    atti- 
tude of  critics. 

51.  leviter  curare :    '  to  care  but 
little,1  'to  be  indifferent.1 

52.  quo  .  .  . cadant :  '  how  they 
turn    out.1  —  somnia:    in    the  be- 
ginning  of  the   Annales    Ennius 
told  how  Homer  had  come  to  him 
in   a  dream  and    had   said    that 
Ennius    was    a    reincarnation    of 


Homer  himself,  according  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of 
souls,  taught  by  Pythagoras.  — 
These  lines  about  Ennius  give  the 
critical  estimate  of  students  of  the 
early  literature  like  Varro,  but 
with  touches  of  irony,  especially  in 
lei>iter  curare  videtur ;  •  he  is  so 
securely  established  that  he  does 
not  need  to  care  —  and  in  fact 
does  not  care  —  whether  his  per- 
formance equals  his  promise  or 
not.1 

53-54.  Naevius :  died  in  204 ; 
writer  of  comedies  and  especially, 
in  this  connection,  the  first  of 
Roman  epic  poets.  His  Bellum 
Punicutn  in  Saturnian  verse  was 
supplanted  by  the  Annals  of 
Ennius,  as  that  in  turn  gave  way 
to  the  Aeneid.  —  paene  recens  : 
/>.,  '  we  read  him  almost  as  if  his 
works  were  still  new,1  a  little  hit  at 
the  critics,  who,  in  spite  of  their 
praise  of  the  old,  are  as  eager  as 
any  one  to  read  the  last  thing  that 
has  appeared. 

55  -56.  uter  utro :  such  ques- 
tions were  much  debated  by  critics 
and  grammarians :  they  arranged 


141 


2,  I,  56] 


HORATI 


Pacuvius  docti  famam  senis,  Accius  alti, 
dicitur  Afrani  toga  convenisse  Menandro, 
Plautus  ad  exemplar  Siculi  properare  Epicharmi, 
vincere  Caecilius  gravitate,  Terentius  arte. 
60      Hos  ediscit  et  hos  arto  stipata  theatro 

spectat  Roma  potens ;  habet  hos  numeratque  poetas 
ad  nostram  tempus  Livi  scriptoris  ab  aevo. 
Interdum  vulgus  rectum  videt,  est  ubi  peccat. 
Si  veteres  ita  miratur  laudatque  poetas, 


writers  in  lists  according  to  their 
merits,  with  some  words  of  com- 
ment on  each,  as  here.  —  Pacuvius  : 
died  in  132,  one  of  the  great  tragic 
writers.  —  Accius :  died  in  104, 
also  a  writer  of  tragedies.  The 
judgment  here  expressed  was  the 
traditional  judgment  and  is  re- 
peated by  Quintil.  10,  I,  77. 

57-59.  Four  comic  poets,  with 
the  conventional  estimate  of  each. 
Afranius,  a  contemporary  of 
Accius,  wrote  comedies  on  Ro- 
man subjects,  called  by  gram- 
marians fabulae  togatae,  but  in  the 
manner  of  the  Greek  New  Comedy. 
He  is  said  to  have  used  material 
from  Menander.  and  this  is  ex- 
pressed i  n  toga  convenisse.  Plautus 
(died  in  184),  the  representative  of 
the  fabula  palliata,  comedy  in 
which  the  actors  wore  the  Greek 
pallium.  His  excellence  was  held 
to  be  in  the  quick  and  easy  move- 
ment (propettue)  of  his  dialogue, 
in  which  he  was  thought  to  equal 
Epicharmus,  a  Sicilian  writer  of 
comedy.  The  general  form  of 


expression  pairs  Afranius  and 
Plautus  off  together,  though  in  fact 
Plautus  should  be  classed  with  the 
two  following  writers.  Caecilius 
(died  about  168)  was  sometimes 
considered  the  greatest  of  the 
writers  of  the  fabula  palliata. 
Terentius  (died  in  160)  was  the 
last  of  the  greater  writers  in  this 
style.  Of  all  these  poets  only  the 
works  of  Plautus  (twenty  plays) 
and  Terence  (six  plays)  are  pre- 
served ;  the  rest  are  in  rather 
scanty  fragments. 

60.  arto :    so   crowded    that   it 
seemed  small. 

61.  potens:  ironically, like veui- 
mus  ad  siiininiiin  fortunae,  vs.  32. 

62.  Livi:     Livius    Anclronicus, 
the  earliest  of  Latin  writers,  with 
whose   production    of  a   play,  in 
240     B.C.,     Latin    literature    was 
thought  to  have  begun. 

63.  The     thought    is     turning 
back  from  the  judgment  of  critics 
to  the  popular  opinion,  connecting 
thus  with  vs.  i8ff. 

64.  si :  the  alternatives  are  put 


142 


EPISTVLAE 


[2.  '.  75 


65      ut  nihil  anteferat,  nihil  illis  comparet,  errat. 
Si  quaedam  nimis  antique,  si  pleraque  dure 
dicere  credit  eos,  ignave  multa  fatetur, 
"  et  sapit  et  mecum  facit  et  love  iudicat  aequo. 
Non  equidem  insector  delendaque  carmina  Livi 

70      esse  reor,  memini  quae  plagosum  mihi  parvo 
Orbilium  dictare,  sed  emendata  videri 
pulchraque  et  exactis  minimum  distantia  miror ; 
inter  quae  verbum  emicuit  si  forte  decorum  et 
si  versus  paullo  concinnior  unus  et  alter, 

75      iniuste  totum  ducit  venditque  poema. 


in  two  conditional  clauses,  without 
any  indication  of  the  adversative 
relation;  cf.  Epist.  i,  17,  6,  and 
ii. 

66-67.  antique :  in  the  old  and 
stiff  style.  —  dure:  with  special 
reference  to  the  versification ;  cf. 
Sat.  I,  4,  8,  durus  componere 
versus,  of  Lucilius.  —  ignave : 
flatly,  without  making  sufficient 
effort  to  find  attractive  and  agree- 
able expression. —  pleraque :  many 
things,  not  '  most  things.' 

68.  mecum  facit:  supports  my 
view. 

69.  delenda  .  .  .  esse   reor:    a 
periphrasis   for  another  verb  like 
insector ;   '  I  am  not  attacking  or 
desiring-to-destroy  .   .   .  .' —  Livi: 
selected  here  partly  because  he  had 
not   been   mentioned   in   the   list 
above,  vss.  50-59,  partly  because 
his  writings  illustrate  with  special 
clearness   the   faults   of  the   very 
early  literature. 

70-71.   plagosum  .  .  .  Orbilium: 


the  phrase  of  the  pupil  has  con- 
ferred immortality  upon  the 
teacher.  Suetonius  included  him 
in  his  de  Grammaticis,  with  a  ref- 
erence to  this  passage.  This  was 
the  school  which  Horace  attended 
in  Rome,  Sat.  I,  6,  76  ff.  —  dictare  : 
the  poetry^  probably  the  Latin 
translation  of  the  Odyssey,  was 
dictated  to  the  pupils  to  be  written 
down  and  learned. 

72.  exactis  .  .  .  distantia :  little 
short  of  perfect.  —  miror :  in  inten- 
tional contrast  to  insector,  delenda 
.  .  .  reor,  as  a  very  mild  expres- 
sion of  judgment. 

73-75-  emicuit:  stands  out 
above  the  mass,  with  decorum, 
as  a  predicate.  —  versus :  Horace 
frequently  refers  to  the  great  ad- 
vance in  the  art  of  versification, 
which  is  most  conspicuous  in  the 
hexameter.  —  ducit  venditque  :  to 
be  taken  together,  '  carries  along 
and  sells';  the  first  verb  is,  as 
often,  very  general  and  needs  the 


*43 


2,  I,  76] 


HORATI 


Indignor  quidquam  reprehendi,  non  quia  crasse 
compositum  illepidcvc  putetur,  sed  quia  nuper; 
nee  veniam  antiquis,  sed  honorem  et  praemia  posci. 
Recte  necne  crocum  floresque  perambulet  Attae    - 

80      fabula  si  dubitem,  clament  periisse  pudorem 

cuncti  paene  patres,  ea  cum  reprehendere  coner, 
quae  gravis  Aesopus,  quae  doctus  Roscius  egit ; 
vel  quia  nil  rectum  nisi  quod  placuit  sibi  ducunt, 
vel  quia  turpe  putant  parere  minoribus  et  quae 

85      imberbi  didicere  senes  perdenda  fateri. 

lam  Saliare  Numae  carmen  qui  laudat,  et  illud, 


interpretation  of  the  more  definite 
following  word. 

77.  putetur :  a  verb  of  thinking 
is  often  illogically  inserted  into  a 
causal  clause  in  which  the  opinion 
of  some  other  person  than  the 
writer  is  expressed,  in  order  to 
emphasize  by  its  meaning  as  well 
as  by  its  mode  the  fact  that  the 
writer  is  not  responsible  for  the 
opinion. 

79.  crocum  floresque  :  the  stage 
was  sprinkled  with  saffron,  to  give 
a  pleasant  fragrance,  and  appar- 
ently with  flowers,  though  the  cus- 
tom is  not  elsewhere  alluded  to.  — 
Attae  :  T.  Quinctius  Atta,  died  in 
78  B.C..  a  writer  of  comedies, 
fabulaetogatae.  He  is  not  strictly 
among  the  veteres,  but  he  illus- 
trates the  contrast  between  the 
treatment  of  living  writers  and  of 
those  no  longer  living. 

81.  patres :  the  men  of  an  older 
generation,  who  had  seen  these 
plays  in  their  youth. 


82.  Aesopus :  a  tragic  actor  of 
the  Ciceronian  period,  highly  es- 
teemed for  his  acting  and  his 
character ;  hence  gravis.  —  Ros- 
cius :  an  actor  of  comedy,  also 
very  highly  regarded.  Cicero's 
speech  pro  Roscio  Comoedo  was 
made  in  a  suit  to  which  he  was  a 
party. 

83-85.  These  ordinary  weak- 
nesses of  age  are  connected  with 
the  general  course  of  thought  by 
the  fact  that  they  explain  the  un- 
reasonable prejudice  against  the 
new  writers. 

86.  Saliare  .  .  .  carmen :  a 
chant  of  the  guild  of  the  Salii, 
'leaping1  priests.  The  fragments 
are  given  in  Baehrens'  Fragments, 
pp.  29  ff.  Quintilian  (i,  6,  40) 
says  of  them  vix  sacerdotibus  SMS 
satis  intellecta.  —  Numae  :  this 
king  was  traditionally  regarded 
as  the  founder  of  many  religious 
ceremonies. 


144 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  i,  9<> 


quod  mecum  ignorat,  solus  vult  scire  videri, 
ingeniis  non  ille  favet  plauditque  sepultis, 
nostra  sed  impugnat,  nos  nostraque  lividus  odit. 

90      Quodsi  tarn  Graecis  novitas  invisa  fuisset 

quam  nobis,  quid  nunc  esset  vetus?     Aut  quid  haberet, 
quod  legeret  tereretque  viritim  publicus  usus  ? 
Vt  primum  positis  nugari  Graecia  bellis 
coepit  et  in  vitium  fortuna  labier  aequa, 

95      nunc  athletarum  studiis  nunc  arsit  equorum, 
marmoris  aut  eboris  fabros  aut  aeris  amavit, 


88.  non  favet  plauditque :  i.e., 
'  such  absurd  praise  of  the  past  is 
not  what  it  purports  to  be ;  it  is 
in  reality  nothing  but  an  expres- 
sion of  jealous  dislike  of  the  writers 
of  the  present.' 

92.  tereret:  frequently  used,  as 
in  English,  of  the  wearing  out  of 
a  book    by  repeated  and   careful 
reading.  —  viritim  .  .  .  usus :    a 
mixture,  as  in  vss.  13-14,  of  the 
concrete  and  the  abstract,  to  ex- 
press  emphatically   the  universal 
reading  of  the  Greek  writers. 

93-117.  Contrasts  and  resem- 
blances in  the  history  of  civilization 
in  Greece  and  in  Rome. 

93.  positis    .    .    .    bellis:    after 
the  great  war  for  existence,  the 
Persian  War,  was  over.  —  nugari : 
i.e.,  '  to  turn  to  lighter  pursuits.1 
The   word    does   not    necessarily 
imply    censure ;     it    is    used    by 
Horace    (Sat.    i,  9,   2)   and    by 
Catullus  (1,4)  of  their  own  lyric 
poetry;  yet  there  is  in  it  and  in 
iritium  something  of  the  Roman 


feeling  that  art  is  not  quite  a  seri- 
ous business. 

94.  labier:  =  labi ;  Horace  uses 
this  old  form  some  half  a  dozen 
times.  —  aequa :  favorable ;  but 
the  word  is  selected  for  the  con- 
trast to  the  figure  in  labier. 

95-100.  A  vivid  picture  of  the 
lively  interest  of  Greece  in  all 
forms  of  art.  The  three  liberal 
arts,  gymnastics  and  games  (95)* 
sculpture  and  painting  (96-97), 
and  music  and  dancing  (98),  are 
taken  up  in  turn.  The  verbs, 
arsit,  amavit,  suspendit,  estgavisa, 
express  the  intensity  of  the  inter- 
est, and  the  forms  of  sentence, 
nunc  .  .  .  nunc,  ant  .  .  .  aut,  the 
sucession  of  genitives  grouped 
about  the  noun,  express  the  vari- 
ety of  interest.  —  suspendit :  cf. 
Epist.  i,  6,  14,  defixis  oculis 
animoque  et  cor  pore  tor  pet,  and 
torpes,  Sat.  2,  7,  95,  of  gazing  in- 
tently at  a  picture. — tragoedis  : 
the  art  of  acting  is  connected  with 
dancing  and  music. 


HOR.  EP. — 10 


145 


2,  I,  971 


HORATI 


suspendit  picta  vultum  mentemque  tabella, 
IHI m  tibicinibus  nunc  cst  gavisa  tragoedis ; 
sub  nutrice  puella  velut  si  luderet  infans, 

100  quod  cupide  petiit,  mature  plena  reliquit. 
Hoc  paces  habuere  bonae  ventique  secundi. 
Romae  dulce  diu  fuit  et  sollemne  reclusa 
mane  domo  vigilare,  client!  promere  iura, 

105    cautos  nominibus  rectis  expendere  nummos, 
maiores  audire,  minori  dicere  per  quae 
crescere  res  posset,  minui  damnosa  libido. 

101  Quid  placet  aut  odio  est,  quod  non  mutabile  credas  ? 


99-100.  '  Like  a  little  child,  play- 
ing at  the  feet  of  its  nurse,  it  turned 
quickly  from  one  plaything  to  an- 
other.1—  sub  nutrice  :  cf.  Epist.  i, 
1 6,  77,  sub  cnstode.  —  petiit,  reli- 
quit -.  the  subject  is  Graecia* 
continued  from  the  preceding  sen- 
tence ;  the  formal  comparison  is 
all  contained  in  vs.  99.  —  mature 
plena :  to  be  taken  together  and 
both  with  reliquit. 

102.  hoc  . . .  habuere :  'such  was 
the  result,'  going  back  in  thought 
to  vss.  93-94. — paces:  times  of 
peace.  [But  I  do  not  think  that 
this  translation  explains  the  plural. 
It  may  be  due  to  positis  bellis,  or, 
more  probably,  to  venti  secundi, 
the  plural  being  regular  in  this 
phrase.  The  single  example  in 
Plautus  (Pers.  753)  is  inexplica- 
ble. See,  in  general,  Langen,  Bei- 
trage,  pp.  105  ff.]  —  venti  secundi : 
a  common  figure. 

103-110.  'At  Rome  the  history 
has  been  a  very  different  one.' 


103.  sollemne:  'the  fixed  cus- 
tom.'—  reclusa:  the  patron  ad- 
mitted freely  all  who  chose  to  come 
to  him  for  help  or  advice. 

105.  cautos  :    with    numtnos.  — 
rectis :   expressing  in   a  different 
way  the  same  idea  as  cautos. 

106.  maiores,  minori:  with  refer- 
ence to  the  strict  family  discipline 
and  the  respect  exacted  from  the 
young. 

107.  damnosa  libido :    cf.  dam- 
nosa Venus,  Epist.  I,  18,  21  ;  the 
caution  is  economic,  not  moral. 

The  contrast  in  these  verses  is 
double ;  Greece  turned  to  the  arts, 
and  changed  quickly  from  one  in- 
terest to  another,  while  Rome  was 
severely  practical,  and  for  a  long 
time  unchanging. 

ioi.  'But  there  is  nothing  so 
fixed  that  it  does  not  at  last  change ; 
we  have  abandoned  everything  else 
and  plunged  into  writing.1  This 
line  stands  in  the  Mss.  after  ioo, 
where  it  breaks  the  thought,  while 


146 


EPISTVLAE 


C2» 


Mutavit  mentem  populus  levis  et  calet  uno 
scribendi  studio  ;  puerique  patresque  severi 
fronde  comas  vincti  cenant  et  carmina  dictant 
Ipse  ego,  qui  nullos  me  adfirmo  scribere  versus, 
invenior  Parthis  mendacior,  et  prius  orto 
sole  vigil  calamum  et  chartas  et  scrinia  posco. 
Navem  agere  ignarus  navis  timet ;  abrotonum  aegro 
non   audet   nisi   qui   didicit    dare ;    quod   medicorum 

est 

promittunt  medici ;  tractant  fabrilia  fabri : 
scribimus  indocti  doctique  poemata  passim. 
Hie  error  tamen  et  levis  haec  msania  quantas 


at  this  point  it  makes  a  perfect 
middle  step  from  vss.  103-107  to 
io8ff. 

108.  mutavit :  this  takes  up  mu- 
tabile  credas,  with  emphatic  asser- 
tion of  the  reality  of  it ;  •  the  change 
has  actually  occurred.1  —  calet :  as 
Graecia  arsit,  but  uno  studio,  not 
with  many. 

no.  fronde :  with  the  poet's  ivy 
crown,  instead  of  the  usual  garland 
of  flowers.  — dictant :  they  have  a 
slave  ready,  so  that  they  may  dic- 
tate their  verses  even  while  they 
are  at  dinner. 

in.  ipse  ego :  '  and  I,  who  am 
laughing  at  it,  am  no  better  than 
the  rest.1  —  adfirmo  scribere:  the 
present  tense  implies  '  in  the  very 
act  of  making  the  statement  I  am 
found  to  be  lying  like  a  Dutchman.1 

112.  Parthis  mendacior:  this  is 
merely  one  of  the  expressions  of 
national  hostility,  like  Punica  fides 
or  perfide  Albion.  The  Parthians 


were  at  this  time  the  traditional 
enemies  of  Rome. 

113.  scrinia:  the  boxes  to  put 
the   rolls  in  when  they  were  fin- 
ished. 

114-116.  'All  other  trades  de- 
mand some  knowledge  and  train- 
ing.' 

114.  abrotonum:      a    compara- 
tively harmless  household  remedy, 
yet    even    for   giving   that  some 
knowledge   is    considered    neces- 
sary. 

117.  scribimus:  in  the  emphatic 
position  ;  '  but  writing  may  be  done 
by  anybody  at  any  time.'  —  All 
this  is.  of  course,  to  be  taken  hu- 
morously. It  is  the  amusement 
of  the  trained  professional  at  the 
zealous  eagerness  of  the  amateur. 

118  ff.  'Yet  this  popular  craze 
for  poetry  has  its  good  side :  the 
poetry  may  be  poor,  but  it  keeps 
the  writer  busy  with  harmless 
things.' 


2,  I,  119] 


HORAT1 


virtutes  habeat,  sic  collige.     Vatis  avarus 
120    non  temere  est  animus,  versus  amat,  hoc  studet  unum; 

detrimenta,  fugas  servorum,  incendia  ridet; 

non  fraudem  socio  puerove  incogitat  ullam 

pupillo  ;  vivit  siliquis  et  pane  secundo ; 

militiae  quamquam  piger  et  malus,  utilis  urbi, 
125    si  das  hoc,  parvis  quoque  rebus  magna  iuvari. 

Os  tenerum  pueri  balbumque  poeta  figurat, 

torquet  ab  obscenis  iam  nunc  sermonibus  aurem ; 

mox  etiam  pectus  praeceptis  format  amicis, 

asperitatis  et  invidiae  corrector  et  irae, 
130    recte  facta  refert,  orientia  tempora  notis 


119.  sic  collige:  so  Sat.  2,  I,  51, 
sic  collige  niecuin. 

120.  non  temere :  not  easily. '  not 
without  strong  reason ' ;  so  Sat.  2, 
2,  1 16;  Sat.  2,  4,  35  ;  Epist.  2,  2, 

13- 

121.  The    losses    which     most 
people   are    constantly   dreading; 
cf.  Sat.  I,  I,  77,  formidare  nialos 
f tires,  incendia,  servos,  ne  te  corn- 
pi  lent  fugientes. 

123.  siliquis:  standing  for  plain 
living,  as  doesfia/ie  secundo, '  bread 
of  an  inferior  quality  of  flour.' 

124.  militiae:  dative;  this  is  a 
joking  reminiscence   of  his   own 
brief  career  as  a  soldier.  —  urbi : 
i.e.,  in  peace,  as  domi  militiae  are 
used  for  '  peace  and  war.' 

125.  si    das    hoc.-    i.e.,  'unless 
you  deny  that  so  humble  a  person 
as  a  poet  can  be  of  use  at  all  to 
the  great  Empire.' 

From   this   point,    through    the 


enumeration  of  the  poet's  services 
to  society,  the  thought  turns  to  the 
history  of  poetry,  and  especially  of 
the  drama. 

127.  obscenis:    more  general  in 
meaning  than  the  English  word ; 
low,  harmful^  in  contrast  to  the 
lofty  thought   and   expression   of 
poetry.  —  iam  nunc :  while   he  is 
still  puer. 

128.  mox:    at  the  later  stage, 
when  the  character  (pectus}  is  tak- 
ing shape. — amicis:  like  a  friendly 
adviser  and  helper,  not  with  the 
severity  of  laws. 

129.  Faults  to  which  youth  is 
especially  prone. 

130.  recte  .  .  .  refert :  /.<?.,  po- 
etry contains  the  record  of  noble 
action.  —  orientia  tempora :  i.e.,  as 
the  young  man  goes  on  from  one 
period   of   life    to    another,   each 
period  in  turn   rising,  as  it  were, 
above  the  horizon  of  life.     Not  to 


148 


El'ISTVLAE 


[2,  I,  138 


'35 


instruit  exemplis,  inopem  solatur  et  aegrum. 
Castis  cum  pueris  ignara  puella  mariti 
disceret  unde  prcces,  vatem  ni  Musa  dedisset  ? 
Poscit  opem  chorus  et  praesentia  numina  sentit; 
caelestis  implorat  aquas  docta  prcce  blandus, 
avertit  morbos,  metuenda  pericula  pellit ; 
impetrat  et  pacem  et  locupletem  frugibus  annum. 
Carmine  di  super!  placantur,  carmine  Manes. 


be  compared  with  the  English 
'  rising  generation.'  —  notis :  the 
recte  facta,  which,  having  been 
made  known  to  us  through  poetry, 
become  e.rei/ipla. 

131.  solatur:  by  raising  him 
above  his  discouraging  circum- 
stances. 

132-133.  A  reference  to  the 
Carmen  Saeculare  composed  by 
Horace  for  the  great  festival  in 
17  B.C.  It  was  sung  by  a  chorus 
of  boys  and  girls ;  C.  S.  6,  virgines 
lectas  puerosqne  castos.  —  disceret : 
the  poet  is  thought  of  as  himself 
teaching  the  song  to  the  chorus. 
—  unde  :  a  quo.  —  vatem :  the 
more  formal  name  for  the  poet, 
especially  in  his  religious  capac- 
ity. 

I34~I37-  There  were  many  other 
occasions  when  choral  songs  were 
used,  from  early  times,  in  religious 
ceremonies,  e.g.,  Livy,  27,  37  ;  31, 
12,  and  they  probably  formed  a 
part  of  some  of  the  annually  recur- 
ring festivals.  Carm.  1,21  is  such 
a  song  to  Diana  and  Apollo,  and 
Catull.  34  to  Diana.  The  function 
of  the  chorus  is  stated  in  general 


terms  in  vs.  134,  then  more  spe- 
cific instances  are  given  in  135-7. 
and  the  whole  is  summarized  in 
138. — poscit  opem:  the  general 
function,  as  in  many  places  in  the 
Carm.Saec.  —  praesentia  .  .  .  sen- 
tit  :  C.  S.  73  f.,  haec  lovem  sent  ire 
deosque  cunctos  \  spent  bonani  cer- 
tamqiie  dommn  reporto;  the  chorus 
recognizes  the  presence  and  favor 
of  the  gods  to  whom  it  has  prayed 
—  caelestis  .  .  .  aquas  :  prayers 
for  rain  were  common,  and  there 
was  a  special  ceremony,  called 
aquilicinm,  for  this  purpose.  — 
docta:  /.£.,  the  prayer  taught  in 
suitable  formula  by  the  vates.  — 
morbos :  the  performance  of  pre- 
scribed rites,  which  often  included 
a  choral  prayer,  was  one  of  the 
regular  methods  of  averting  pesti- 
lence. —  pericula  :  dangers  to  the 
state,  threatened  invasion,  defeat 
in  battle.  —  locupletem  .  .  .  an- 
num :  the  ambarvalia  was  a  cere- 
mony for  this  purpose. 

138.  A  summary  of  the  whole, 
132-137.  —  Manes:  i.e.,  di  in- 
feri. 


149 


'39] 


1IORATI 


Agricolae  prisci,  fortes  parvoque  beati, 
140    condita  post  frumenta,  levantes  tempore  festo 
corpus  et  ipsum  animum  spe  finis  dura  ferentem, 
cum  sociis  opcrum,  pueris  et  coniuge  fida, 
Tellurem  porco,  Silvanum  lacte  piabant, 
floribus  et  vino  Genium,  memorem  brevis  aevi. 
145    Fescennina  per  hunc  inventa  licentia  morem 


*39-i55-  A  history  of  the  rise 
of  poetry  in  Italy,  before  the  com- 
ing in  of  the  Greek  influence,  lead- 
ing up  to  a  critical  estimate  of  it. 
This  history  is  not,  however,  based 
upon  any  knowledge  of  the  devel- 
opment of  Italian  poetry  before 
Livius  Andronicus.  That  develop- 
ment, whatever  it  may  have  been, 
had  passed  entirely  unrecorded. 
The  account  which  Horace  here 
gives  and  the  corresponding  ac- 
count in  Livy  7,  2  are  based  upon 
some  Greek  rhetorical  tradition, 
adapted  to  embrace  the  few  facts 
which  were  known  by  inference  or 
tradition,  like  the  versus  Fescen- 
nini  (145)  and  the  lex  of  the 
Twelve  Tables  (i52f.). 

139.  fortes  parvoque  beati  :/.*., 
simple  and  happy,  as  in  a  Golden 
Age,  when  song  might,  as  it  was 
thought,  originate. 

140.  condita  :  the  harvest-home 
festival. 

141.  ipsum  animum  :  and  even 
their     spirits.  —  ferentem :     i.e. , 
which  had  borne  hardship  up  to 
this  time. 

143.  pueris:  as  Ofellus  (Sat.  2, 
2,  115)  labors  in  the  fields  with 


his  sons.  —  coniuge:  so  Epod.  2, 
39  ff.  —  These  are  details  of  the 
ideal  life  of  the  farmer,  cultivat- 
ing his  own  fields  with  the  help  of 
his  family,  not  working  on  the  great 
estate  of  an  absentee  landlord. 

143.  Tellurem:    mentioned    by 
Varro  (R.R.  I,  i,  4)  as  one  of  the 
gods  to  be  worshiped  by  farmers. 
—  Silvanum :  called  tutor  finimn 
in  Epod.  2,  22. 

144.  Genium:  a  protecting  spirit, 
born    to  each  human   being  and 
accompanying   him    through    life 
to    the    end,  sharing    his    pleas- 
ures    and     sorrows.       Offerings 
were  made  to  the  Genius,  as  to  a 
divinity,  yet  he  was  mortal   and 
therefore    memorem    brevis  aevi, 
like  the  man  himself. 

145.  Fescennina  .  .  .  licentia  : 
the  Fescennine  verses  survived  in 
historic  times  in  the  form  of  abu- 
sive songs  sung  at  weddings  and  in 
triumphal  processions,  apparently 
to  avert  the  jealousy  of  the  gods, 
which  might  be  awakened  by  the 
felicity  of  the  bridegroom  or  of  the 
successful    general.     A    modified 
specimen  is  given  in  Catullus,  61, 
119  ff.     Horace   here   treats    the 


ISO 


EFISTVLAE 


[2,  i,  «57 


versibus  alternis  opprobria  rustica  fudit, 
libertasque  recurrentis  accepta  per  annos 
lusit  amabiliter,  donee  iam  saevus  apertam 
in  rabiem  coepit  verti  iocus  et  per  honestas 

150    ire  domos  impune  minax.     Doluere  cruento 
dente  lacessiti:  fuit  intactis  quoque  cura 
condicione  super  communi ;  quin  etiam  lex 
poenaque  lata,  malo  quae  nollet  carmine  quemquam 
describi :  vertere  modum  formidine  fustis 

155  ad  bene  dicendum  delectandumque  redacti. 
Graecia  capta  ferum  victorem  cepit  et  artes 
intulit  agresti  Latio ;  sic  horridus  ille 


custom  of  singing  such  verses  as 
having  been  invented  for  use  in 
rustic  festivals  (per  hunc  moreni), 
and  regards  the  abusive  quality  of 
the  songs  as  the  most  important 
element. 

146.  versibus  alternis :  Livy,  7, 
2,  uses  almost  the  same  expression : 
the  singers  are  supposed  to  have 
extemporized   in    turn,   somewhat 
as  in  the  songs  in  the  Eclogues,  3 
and  7. 

147.  libertas :  i.e., .  the   licentia 
became  customary  and  so  a -per- 
mitted   freedom.  —  accepta:     bal- 
ancing  invent  a.     Livy    uses   this 
word  also. 

148.  amabiliter :  i.e..  the  oppro- 
bria rustica  were  at  first  merely 
jocose. 

149.  honestas :  honorable,  with 
the  Roman  feeling  of  respect  for 
the  'great  houses.' 

150.  impune  :  with  tnittay. 

151.  dente:  the  figure  of  a  sav- 


age animal  is  already  suggested 
in  rabiem.  —  intactis:  others  be- 
side the  lacessiti ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  I,  23, 
timet  quamqitam  est  intactus  et 
odit,  of  satire. 

I52-I53-  lex  poenaque  lata:  Cic. 
refers  to  this  (de  Rep.  4,  10,  12), 
si  quis  occentavisset  si-ve  carmen 
condidisset  quod  infamiatn  faceret 
flagitiumve  alteri,  but  the  exact- 
words  of  the  law  are  not  known. 
— quae  nollet:  which  forbade. 

154.  describi:  cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  3,  si 
quis  erat  dignus  describi.  —  formi- 
dine fustis :  the  penalty  was  death 
by  the  rods  of  the  lictors. 

156.  One  of  Horace's  best  and 
most  frequently  quoted  phrases. 

157.  agresti :   referring  back  to 
vss.    139    ff.  —  The   whole   state- 
ment is  to  be  understood  in  a  very 
general  sense.     The  earliest  Greek 
influences,  which  came  in  through 
Livius    Andronicus.   Ennius,   and 
their  successors  in  the  drama,  were 


2,  I,  I58] 


HORATI 


defluxit  numerus  Saturnius  et  grave  virus 
munditiae  pepulere,  sed  in  longum  tamen  aevum 

160    manserunt  hodieque  manent  vestigia  ruris. 
Serus  enim  Graecis  admovit  acumina  chartis, 
et  post  Punica  bella  quietus  quaerere  coepit, 
quid  Sophocles  et  Thespis  et  Aeschylus  utile  ferrent. 
Tentavit  quoque  rem  si  digne  vertere  posset, 

165    et  placuit  sibi  natura  sublimis  et  acer  ; 


at  least  a  century  earlier  than  the 
conquest  of  Greece. 

158.  numerus  Saturnius :  of  this 
old  Italian  meter  many  specimens 
are  extant.  It  was  the  national 
verse  until  it  was  displaced  by  the 
hexameter.  The  earliest  epic, 
the  Bellum  Pimicum  of  Naevius, 
was  in  Saturnians.  Its  irregulari- 
ties justify  the  adj.  horridits. 
—  grave  virus:  /.<?.,  the  roughness 
was  like  an  unpleasant  liquid,  op- 
pressive to  the  senses. 

160.  vestigia  ruris :  •  of  the  prim- 
Jtive  rudeness  of  rustic  Latium.' 

-  This  is  the  point  of  the  argu- 
ment ;  '  the  early  writers,  whom 
critics  extol  so  highly,  were  in 
fact  only  partially  affected  by 
Greek  influence,  while  we  of  the 
present  time  have  more  perfectly 
learned  Greek  technique.'  It  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  Horace  should 
share  the  modern  view,  which  finds 
so  much  of  interest  in  the  origins 
and  primitive  forms  of  art. 

161.  serus  :  this  refers  back  ward 
to  manserunt  Iwdieytte  nianent  and 
is  then  made  more  definite  in  vs. 
162. 


162.  post  Punica  bella:    these 
words  could  not  be  used  with  ref- 
erence to  the  First  Punic  War  only. 
We  are  obliged  therefore  to  sup- 
pose that  Horace  was  following  an 
erroneous   chronology,   of   which 
there  are  traces  in  other  authors, 
which  made  Livius  Andronicus  a 
contemporary  of  Ennius.  -      The 
thought  here  corresponds  to  vs.  93, 
positis   .  .  .    Graecia     bellis ;     the 
peace    which    succeeded   a   great 
war  gave  opportunity  for  the  culti- 
vation of  literature. 

163.  Thespis:    traditionally  the 
founder  of  the  tragic  drama ;    cf. 
A.    P.   276.      The     chronological 
order  is  not  observed.  -  -    utile : 
there   is   perhaps  a  touch  of  the 
Roman  attitude  in  the  use  of  this 
word. 

164.  tentavit    rem :    made  the 
attempt.    -  -    vertere:    used   as   a 
technical    term   of  translating  or 
adapting  a  Greek  play. 

165-166.  placuit  sibi:  i.e.,  'the 
attempt  was  successful ' ;  the 
phrase  does  not  at  all  imply  'self- 
satisfaction,'  as  the  context  shows. 
—  natura:  this  prepares  for  the 


152 


El'ISTVLAE 


[2,  i, 


170 


nam  spirat  tragicum  satis  et  feliciter  audet, 

sed  turpem  putat  inscite  metuitque  lituram. 

Creditur,  ex  medio  quia  res  arcessit,  habere 

sudoris  minimum,  sed  habet  comoedia  tan  to 

plus  oneris,  quanto  veniae  minus.     Adspice  Plautus 

quo  pacto  partes  tutetur  amantis  ephebi, 


restriction  of  vs.  167.  —  sublimis 
et  acer :  of  lofty  spirit ;  this  is  the 
same  as  the  acer  spiritus  ac  vis  of 
Sat.  i ,  4,  46.  —  spirat  tragicum : 
this  figure  is  especially  poetic;  it 
appears  in  various  forms,  spirare 
helium,  qiiietem,  amores  (Carm. 
4,  13,  \<)),proelia,  magnum,  tnai- 
ora,  and  has  been  taken  over  into 
English.  —  satis:  with  feliciter. 
—  feliciter  audet :  of  the  style,  as 
spirat  is  of  the  spirit.  —  These 
opinions  in  regard  to  the  fitness 
of  Roman  character  to  tragedy 
are  justified  by  the  facts.  There 
was  no  lack  of  the  lofty  and  the 
heroic.  But  the  production  of 
great  tragedy  requires  a  very  high 
esthetic  and  constructive  imagi- 
nation, in  which  the  Romans  were 
lacking. 

167.  This   was  a  favorite  doc- 
trine with  Horace  (cf.  Sat.  i,  10, 
67-72 ;  A.  P.  290)  and  a  natural 
one  in  the  Augustan  Age,  when 
the  efforts  of  writers  in  prose  and 
in  verse  were   directed  most  ear- 
nestly toward  perfection   of  style. 
Cf.,  >'.£"••  what  is  said  in  the  Vita 
of  Donatus  about  Vergil's  methods 
of  work. 

1 68.  ex  medio :  from  ordinary 


life,  in  distinction  from  the  myth- 
ical and  heroic  world  from  which 
tragedy  takes  its  subjects  (res). 

170.  plus  oneris:  merely  another 
figure  for  plus  sudoris;  the  labor 
of  writing  well  is  like  a  burden 
under  which  the  bearer  sweats. 
—  veniae  minus :  i.e.,  it  is  less  easy 
to  win  a  favorable  judgment  in 
comedy  than  in  tragedy,  precisely 
because  it  deals  with  ordinary  life, 
so  that  each  hearer  can  judge  for 
himself  of  the  correctness  of  the 
picture.  —  Plautus  :  the  unfavor- 
able judgment  here  expressed  is 
repeated,  from  a  slightly  different 
point  of  view,  in  A.  P.  270  ff.  It 
is  not  without  justification,  but  it  is 
one-sided ;  the  merits  of  Plautus 
as  a  writer  of  comedy  were  not  of 
a  kind  to  appeal  to  Horace. 

171-172.  quo  pacto  :  i.e.,  '  how 
poorly.'  —  tutetur:  'plays  the 
part,'  transferred  from  the  actor  to 
the  writer ;  the  meaning  is  that  the 
characters  are  not  harmoniously 
and  consistently  drawn,  as  they 
are  in  the  Greek  originals  and  in 
Terence.  The  judgment  rests 
upon  too  narrow  a  conception  of 
art  in  comedy.  —  ephebi,  patris, 
lenonis :  standing  figures  in  the 


153 


2,   I,   172] 


IIOKA1I 


ut  patris  attcnti,  lenonis  ut  insidiosi, 
quantus  sit  Dossennus  edacibus  in  parasitis, 
quam  non  adstricto  percurrat  pulpita  socco. 

175    Gestit  enim  nummum  in  loculos  demittere,  post  hoc 
sccurus  cadat  an  recto  stet  fabula  talo. 
Quern  tulit  ad  scaenam  ventoso  Gloria  curru, 
exanimat  lentus  spectator,  sedulus  inflat ; 
sic  leve,  sic  parvum  est,  animum  quod  laudis  avarum 

180    subruit  aut  reficit !     Valeat  res  ludicra,  si  me 
palma  negata  macrum,  donata  reducit  opimum. 
Saepe  etiam  audacem  fugat  hoc  terretque  poetam, 


comedy  ;  the  adjectives  used  with 
each  are  also  traditional. 

173.  Dossennus :  a  character  in 
\\\efabula  Atellana,  resembling  in 
general   the   parasite   of  Plautus. 
The  sense  of  the  line  is  not  quite 
clear,  but  appears  to  be.  '  what  a 
Dossennus  he  is  in  the  part  of  the 
hungry  parasite,'  i.e.,  '  how  much 
his  parasites  resemble  the  Dossen- 
nus of  popular  farces,  rather  than 
the  more  artistic  figure  of  the  par- 
asite in  the  New  Comedy.1 

174.  non    adstricto:      'loosely 
tied.' '  careless.1     This  is  a  general 
expression,  summarizing  vss.  170- 

'73- 

175-176.  'For  he  was  careless 
and  negligent  (vs.  167),  interested 
only  in  the  price  he  got  for  his 
play.'  —  post  hoc  :  after  he  was 
paid.  The  leading  actor  (dominus 
gregis)  was  the  agt-nt  of  the  giver 
of  the  games  in  buying  the  play 
from  the  writer.  securus :  care- 
less.—  stet:  a  technical  word  for 


holding  a  place  on  the  stage,  but 
here  brought  back  to  its  original 
meaning  by  recto  talo,  'stands 
firm,1  'stands  upright.' 

177.  The  thought  turns  from 
Plautus  to  the  condition  of  the 
stage  and  dramatic  writing.  — 
Gloria:  cf.  Sat.  i,  6,  23,  fulgent e 
.  .  .  Gloria  curru.  —  ventoso :  as 
fickle  as  the  wind;  cf.  Epht.  i, 
19,  37,  ventosae  plebis. 

178-181.  The  same  thought  is 
here  expressed  three  times ;  first 
by  exanimat  (takes  away  his 
breath)  and  inflat  (causes  him  to 
take  a  full  breath  of  self-satisfac- 
tion) ;  secon:!,  by  subruit  and 
reficit  (of  pulling  down  and  rebuild- 
ing an  edifice)  :  and  third,  in 
macrum  and  opimum.  —  lentus  : 
unresponsive,  exactly  as  in  Sat. 
i,  9,  64,  lentissima  brace hia. — 
valeat :  i.e.,  - 1  do  not  care  for  it.' 

182.  etiam  :  \\\\.\\andmem',  'even 
one  who  might  venture  to  take 
the  risk  of  failure  is  daunted  by 


154 


F.PISTVLAK 


[2,  I, 


quod  numero  plurcs,  virtute  et  honore  minores, 
indocti  stolidiquc  et  depugnare  parati, 

185    si  discordet  equcs,  media  inter  carmina  poscunt 
aut  ursum  aut  pugiles  ;  his  nam  plebecula  gaudet. 
Verum   equitis   quoque   iam    migravit    ab    aure 

luptas 

omnis  ad  incertos  oculos  et  gaudia  vana. 
Quattuor  aut  plures  aulaea  premuntur  in  horas, 

190    dum  fugiunt  equitum  turmae  peditumque  catervae; 
mox  trahitur  manibus  regum  fortuna  retortis, 
esseda  festinant,  pilenta,  petorrita,  naves, 
captivum  portatur  ebur,  captiva  Corinthus. 


vo- 


the  poor  taste  of  the  audience  that 
is  to  judge  him.' 

184.  indocti  stolidique  :  /.<?., '  in- 
capable either  by  training  or  by 
natural   sensitiveness   of    judging 
correctly.1  —  depugnare  parati :  not 
literally,  but  '  prepared  to  maintain 
their  position.' 

185.  eques  :  used  also  in  Sat.  i, 
10,  76,  of  the  more  cultivated  part 
of  the  audience,  with  a  reference  to 
the  law  of  Otho  reserving  fourteen 
rows  behind  the  senators  for  the 
eqiiites. 

1 86.  aut    ursum     aut     pugiles : 
shows  suited  to  their  taste.     The 
Hecyra  of  Terence  was  twice  driven 
from    the   stage    by   the   superior 
attraction  of  boxers  and  a  rope- 
dancer  and  a  rumored  gladiatorial 
show,  and  it  is  to  this  well-known 
bit  of  literary  history  that  Horace 
is  alluding. 

187.  equitis  quoque:  even   the 
better  portion  of  the  audience  has 


been  led  astray  by  the  spectacular 
drama. 

1 88.  incertos :   shifting,   chang- 
ing horn  one  object  to  another. — 
vana :  the  pleasures  which    come 
from  seeing  mere  shows  are  empty, 
in  comparison  with  the  more  last- 
ing pleasure  of  good  poetry. 

189.  premuntur:     kept     down; 
the  curtain  was  lowered,  instead  of 
being  raised,  as  in  a  modern  theater. 

190.  A  battle  was  represented 
on  the  stage. 

191-193.  The  triumphal  proces- 
sion after  the  battle.  —  manibus  : 
.  .  .  retortis:  as  captives,  with  their 
hands  bound  behind  their  backs. — 
regum  fortuna :  kings,  once  favor- 
ites of  fortune,  now  enslaved  ;  the 
phrase  is  epic,  like  -virtus  Scipia- 
dae.  Sat.  2,  i,  72. — The  details 
that  follow  are  merely  suggestive 
of  the  elaborateness  of  some  trium- 
phal processions.  —  •  chariots,  car- 
riages, wagons,  models  of  ships  or 


155 


2,  I,  194] 


HORATI 


Si  foret  in  terris,  rideret  Democritus,  seu 
195    diversum  confusa  genus  panthera  camelo, 

sive  elephas  albus  vulgi  converteret  ora; 

spectaret  populum  ludis  attentius  ipsis 

ut  sibi  praebentem  nimio  spectacula  plura ; 

scriptores  autem  narrare  putaret  asello 
200    fabellam  surdo.     Nam  quae  pervincere  voces 

evaluere  sonum,  referunt  quem  nostra  theatra  ? 

Garganum  mugire  putes  nemus  aut  mare  Tuscum  ; 


figureheads,  statues   of  ivory  and 
Corinthian  bronze.' 

194.  Democritus :    by   tradition 
the   'laughing   philosopher';    the 
sense   therefore    is    '  here    would 
indeed    be    a    spectacle    for    the 
philosopher  who  found  in  the  fol- 
lies of  men   matter  for   laughter 
rather  than  for  reproof.' 

195.  The  giraffe,  cameloparda- 
lis,  was   supposed    to  be  a  cross 
between   a  camel   and  a  panther 
(pard),    and    the    confusion    of 
expression    here    is   intended    to 
symbolize  the  mixture.     The  ex- 
pression is,  in  fact,  so  confused  that 
it    is   not   clear   whether    Horace 
means  diversum  genus  to  be  an 
accus.  with  confusa  (Sat.  I,  6,  74, 
suspensi  loculos)  or  an  appositive 
of  panthera.     The  first  giraffe  seen 
in  Rome  was  brought  over  for  Cae- 
sar's Alexandrian  triumph  in  468.0. 

198.  nimio  .  .  .  plura :  much 
mure;  so,  frequently,  plus  nimio, 
e.g.,  Epist.  I,  10.  30. 

199-200.  scriptores:  of  such 
plays,  of  plays  in  which  the  spec- 


tacular element  greatly  exceeded 
the  poetical.  —  asello  .  .  .  surdo  : 
the  proverbial  expression  surdo 
fabellam  narrare  (Ter.  Meant. 
222,  nunc  surdo  narret  fabulani) 
is  strengthened  by  asello.  with  a  re- 
minder of  the  Greek  saying  ova> 
TIS  eAeyt  pJvOov  '  6  8«  TO.  WTU  cKtvet, 
'  a  man  told  a  story  to  an  ass  ;  the 
ass  only  shook  his  ears.' 

201.  evaluere:    more  emphatic 
than  a  form  of  posse,  and  the  per- 
fect tense,  appealing  to  the  facts 
of  past  experience,  is   more   em- 
phatic in  a  sentence  that  implies  a 
negative,  than  the   present   tense 
would    be ;   'no  voices  have  ever 
had  (or  now  have)  power  enough 
to.   .  .  .' 

202.  Garganum :  the  same  illus- 
tration,   from    the    noise    of    the 
wind  in  the  oak  forests  of  Garga- 
nus  (a    mountainous    promontory 
on  the  Adriatic  coast  not  very  far 
from  Horace's  early  home)  is  used 
in  Carm.  2,  9,  7,  and  references  to 
the  storms  of  the  Tuscan  sea  are 
frequent. 

56 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  I,  214 


205 


tanto  cum  strepitu  ludi  spectantur  et  artes 

divitiaeque  peregrinae  !     Quibus  oblitus  actor 

cum  stetit  in  scaena,  concurrit  dextera  laevae. 

'  Dicit  adhuc   aliquid  ? '      '  Nil  sane.'      '  Quid  placet 

ergo  ? ' 

'  Lana  Tarentino  violas  imitata  veneno.' 
Ac  ne  forte  putes  me,  quae  facere  ipse  recusem, 
cum  recte  tractent  alii,  laudare  maligne, 
ille  per  extentum  funem  mihi  posse  videtur 
ire  poeta,  meum  qui  pectus  inaniter  angit, 
irritat,  mulcet,  falsis  terroribus  implet, 
ut  magus  et  modo  me  Thebis  modo  ponit  Athenis. 
Verum  age,  et  his,  qui  se  lectori  credere  malunt 


203.  artes  :  ironical ;  artes  and 
divitiae  are  together   the  antece- 
dent of  quibus,  and  therefore  refer 
especially  to  the  dress  of  the  act- 
ors, not  to  such  things  as  are  men- 
tioned in  vs.  193. 

204.  oblitus  :  also  ironical ;  lit., 
'smeared,'  i.e.,  loaded  down,  cov- 
ered up. 

207.  The  wool  of  Tarentum  was 
famous  and  the  dye  made  from 
the  murexot  the  Gulf  of  Tarentum 
was  considered  second  only  to  the 
Tyrian.  —  violas  :  color  compari- 
sons in  poetry  are  to  be  regarded 
as  mere  suggestions.  —  veneno  : 
this  continues  the  ironical  tone. 

209.  maligne :  grudgingly,   un- 
generonsly;   the  sense  of  the  Eng- 
lish    malignant    is    not    in    the 
word. 

210.  per  extentum  funem  :    the 
expression  is  proverbial,  as  in  Eng- 


lish, of  an  act  which  requires  great 
skill  and  involves  danger. 

211.  meum:  by  putting  himself 
into  the  position  of  a  spectator  and 
hearer  Horace  is  able  to  express 
more  easily  his  admiration  for  the 
art   of  the  dramatist  and  to  dis- 
claim all  rivalry.  —  inaniter :  i.e., 
by  the  stage  illusions,  which  are 
unreal ;     to    be    taken   also   with 
irritat  and  mulcet. 

212.  falsis:  the  same  as /«««/&>•. 

213.  ut    magus:     to    be   taken 
with  the  rest  of  the  vs. ;  'and  like 
a  magician.  .  .  .'  —  Thebis,  Athe- 
nis :   the  scenes   of  tragedy,    like 
the   Oedipus    story,   and   of   the 
plays  of  the  New  Comedy. 

214  ff.  '  Turn  now  from  the  stage 
and  consider  the  difficulties  with 
which  poets  labor  who  write  for 
the  reading  public.' 

214.  et  his :  these  also,  since  age 


'57 


2,   I,  2I5] 


HORATI 


215    quam  spectatoris  fasticlia  ferre  supcrbi, 

curam  redde  brevem,  si  munus  Apolline  dignum 
vis  complere  libris  et  vatibus  addere  calcar, 
ut  studio  maiore  petant  Helicona  virentem. 
Multa  quidem  nobis  facimus  mala  saepe  poetae, 

220  ut  vineta  egomet  caedam  mea,  cum  tibi  librum 
sollicito  damns  aut  fesso,  cum  laedimur,  unum 
si.quis  amicorum  est  ausus  reprendere  versum, 
cum  loca  iam  recitata  revolvimus  irrevocati, 


prefixed  to  another  imperative  is 
not  usually  connected  with  it  by  et. 

216.  curam  redde:  a  direct  ad- 
dress to  Augustus  as  a  patron  of 
literature,  interested  in  all  forms 
of  poetry  and  founder  of  the  tem- 
ple of  Apollo,  with  which  the  two 
great  libraries,  of  Greek  and  of 
Latin  writings,  were  connected. 
The  words  are  carefully  chosen ; 
curam.  not  merely  interest ;  redde, 
give  as  something  due  to  them ; 
brevem,  since  Augustus  is  so  much 
occupied  with  other  cares,  vss. 
1-4.  —  munus:  the  library  was  a 
gift  for  public  use.  The  general 
sense  is.  'if  you  wish  to  make  your 
gift  worthy  of  the  god  of  poetry  by 
filling  it  with  books  that  deserve 
such  preservation.1 — addere  calcar: 
to  set  spurs  to  without  any  sugges- 
tion of  'adding1;  the  phrase  is 
common  and  not  different  from 
admovere  calcar,  snhdere  calcar. 

218.  Helicona:  as  the  home  of 
the  Muses.  The  line  is  entirely 
general,  merely  a  supplement  to 
addere  calcar. 


219.  quidem:    with   concessive 
effect ;    'it   is   quite  true   that  we 
poets   are   sometimes  childish    in 
our    expectations/     The    comple- 
tion  of  the   thought   begins  with 
sed  tauten,  vs.  229. 

220.  ut  vineta  .  .  .  caedam:  the 
expression    is     evidently    prover- 
bial, of  saying  or  doing  something 
which  injures  one's  own  interests. 
It  does   not  occur    elsewhere  in 
this  form,  but  cf.  Tibull.  I,  2,  100, 
quid  messis  uris  acerba  tuts  ?  and. 
for  the  literal  meaning,  Verg.  Eel. 
3,  to  f.,  cum  me  arbustum  videre 
Miconis  \  atque  mala  vitis  incidere 
falce  novellas. 

221.  sollicito  .  .  .  aut  fesso:  cf. 
the  humorously  exaggerated  care- 
fulness of  Horace,  when   he  was 
sending  a  copy  of  the   Odes  to 
Augustus,  F.pist.  i,  13,  especially 
vs.  3,  si  validtts,  si  laetus  erit. 

223.  The  line  refers  to  the  be- 
havior of  an  author  reading  his 
own  poetry  to  an  audience ;  when 
a  passage  pleases  him.  he  goes 
back  and  reads  it  over,  without 


158 


EP1STVLAE 


'•  2. '3 


cum  lamentamur,  non  apparere  labores 
225    nostros  et  tenui  deducta  poemata  filo, 

cum  speramus  co  rem  venturam,  ut  simul  atque 
carmina  rescieris  nos  fingere,  commodus  ultro 
arcessas  et  egere  vetes  et  scribere  cogas. 
Sed  tamen  est  operae  pretium  cognoscere,  quales 
230    aedituos  habeat  belli  spectata  domique 
virtus  indigno  non  committenda  poetae. 
Gratus  Alexandro  regi  magno  fuit  ille 
Choerilus,  incultis  qui  versibus  et  male  natis 


waiting  to  be  urged.  —  revolvimus : 
in  a  literal  sense,  of  the  turning 
back  of  the  scroll.  —  irrevocati: 
revocare  is  the  technical  word  for 
recalling  an  actor  or  a  reciter. 

224.  non  apparere :    / ,-..    •  that 
the  labor  we   have   given  to  our 
work  is    not  sufficiently  appreci- 
ated1; the  complaint  is  intention- 
ally put  in  a  form  which  reveals 
its  absurdity. 

225.  tenui  deducta  .  .  .  filo  :  'the 
fineness  and  subtlety  of  our  work.' 
The  figure  is  taken  from  spinning 
and  is  often  used,  e.g.,  Sat.  2,  I,  3  f. 

227.  commodus :    •  you   will    be 
so   obliging   as    to  .  .  .' — ultro: 
without  waiting  to  be  asked. 

228.  egere  vetes  :   i.e.,  '  save  us 
from   poverty.'     The    two   verbs, 
vetes    and    cogas,    carry    on    the 
thought  of  ultro  and  suggest,  ironi- 
cally, the  picture  of  the  poet  indif- 
ferent   to    poetry  and    shrinking 
from  writing,  but  compelled  by  his 
patron     to     accept     wealth     and 
assume  the  task  of  writing. 


229.  sed  tamen :  taking  up  the 
thought  where  it  was  interrupted 
by  wulta  quidem  .  .  .  facimus,  vs. 
219. — est  operae   pretium: 'it  is 
worth  your  while.1  —  cognoscere :  a 
rather    formal    word,    to   consider 
carefully,  '  to  investigate  the  ques- 
tion.1 

230.  aedituos  :   '  temple  attend- 
ants,1 as  if  the  virtus  Augusti  were 
a  divinity.  —  habeat:   more    fully 
expressed   this   would   be    habere 
oporteat ;  the  direct  question  would 
have  been   in   the  subjv.,   quales 
aedituos    habeat     (should    have) 
virtus  tua. 

232-234.  The  story  is  that  Choe- 
rilus wrote  a  poor  poem  on  the 
exploits  of  Alexander  and  was 
rewarded  by  him,  in  spite  of  the 
badness  of  the  poetry.  These  out- 
lines are  filled  in  by  the  Scholiast 
with  some  details  which  rather 
detract  from  the  aptness  of  the 
illustration.  If  they  are  authentic, 
Horace  has  intentionally  omitted 
them.  A  few  later  allusions  (Cur- 


159 


[2,  .',  234 


HO  R  ATI 


rettulit  acceptos,  regale  nomisma,  Philippos. 

235     Seel  veluti  tractata  notam  labemque  remittunt 
atramenta,  fere  scriptores  carmine  foedo 
splendida  facta  linunt.     Idem  rex  ille,  poema 
qui  tarn  ridiculum  tarn  care  prodigus  emit, 
edicto  vetuit  ne  quis  se  praeter  Apellem 

240    pingeret  aut  alius  Lysippo  duceret  aera 

fortis  Alexandri  vultum  simulantia.     Quodsi 
indicium  subtile  videndis  artibus  illud 
ad  libros  et  ad  haec  Musarum  dona  vocares, 
Boeotum  in  crasso  iurares  acre  natum. 


tius,  8,  5,  8  ;  Auson.  Efrist.  16,  3) 
show  that  the  story  became  tradi- 
tional.—  incultis:  from  lack  of 
art. — male  natis :  from  lack  of 
natural  ability.  —  rettulit  accep- 
tos :  /.*.,  '  put  them  down  in  his 
account  book  on  the  credit  side1; 
a  bookkeeping  term  used  ironi- 
cally.—  regale  nomisma:  because 
they  were  called  Philippi,  after 
the  name  of  the  king;  cf.  the 
'Napoleon.'  There  is  perhaps 
also  a  suggestion  that  Alexander 
'paid  like  a  prince.'  nomisma  is 
in  apposition  to  Philippos. 

235-237-  '  But  poor  poetry  really 
brings  discredit  upon  the  hero 
whose  deeds  it  celebrates.' — re- 
mittunt: 'give  off,'  leave  upon 
the  hand. — atramenta:  ink  or 
any  black  pigment.  —  fere:  often, 
not  '  generally,  usually.'  —  The 
comparison  (•  poor  poets  stain 
great  deeds,  as  ink  stains  the 
fingers')  is  good  enough  in  its 
essential  point  (linunt  =  notam 


labemque  remittunf),  but  is  dis- 
tinctly lame  in  the  details,  which 
by  no  means  correspond. 

237-238.  idem  :  with  adversative 
force,  as  often. — tarn,  tarn:  these 
words  take  for  granted  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  details  of  the  story, 
as  do  ille  (232),  ille  (237). 

239-240.  edicto  vetuit  ne  quis : 
in  the  legal  style ;  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  187. 
The  story  was  traditional  and  is 
alluded  to  by  Cicero  (ad  Fa m.  5, 
12,  7)  and  told  by  Pliny  (H.  N.  7. 
37,  125).  Apelles  and  Lysippus 
were  the  two  most  distinguished 
artists  of  the  period.  —  alius  Ly- 
sippo :  cf.  Epist.  I,  1 6,  20 ;  exactly 
equivalent  to  praeter  Apellem. 
—  duceret:  cast.  —  aera:  the  plur. 
is  significant ;  bronzes,  i.e.,  bronze 
figures. 

242.  videndis  artibus  :  'arts  that 
appeal  to  the  eye,'  painting  and 
sculpture ;  ablative,  Lane,  §  2266. 

244.  Boeotum:  gen.  plur.  with 
aere.  —  crasso:  proverbial  of  the 


160 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  1,251 


245    At  neque  dedecorant  tua  de  se  iudicia  atque 
munera,  quae  multa  dantis  cum  laude  tulerunt, 
dilecti  tibi  Vergilius  Variusque  poetae  : 
nee  magis  expressi  vultus  per  aenea  signa 
quam  per  vatis  opus  mores  animique  virorum 

250    clarorum  apparent.     Nee  sermones  ego  mallem 
repentes  per  humum,  quam  res  componere  gestas, 


atmosphere  of  Boeotia,  so  that  the 
name  of  the  country  had  become 
proverbial  for  dullness.  — The  tra- 
dition which  Horace  is  here  follow- 
ing, that  Alexander  was  a  poor 
judge  of  poetry,  is  not  in  fact 
consistent  with  a  correct  inter- 
pretation of  the  Choerilus  story, 
which,  in  its  full  form,  is  meant  to 
represent  him  as  dealing  humor- 
ously and  good-naturedly  with  a 
poem  the  badness  of  which  he  fully 
understood.  A  similar  tradition, 
attributing  to  him  ignorance  of 
painting,  appears  in  an  anecdote 
told  by  Pliny  (H.  N.  35,  10,  85) 
of  his  making  foolish  criticisms  in 
the  studio  of  Apelle^.  Both  tradi- 
tions probably  came  from  Athenian 
witticisms,  extending  the  proverbial 
dullness  of  Boeotia  to  the  Mace- 
donian conqueror. 

245  ff.  '  But  you  do  not  need 
this  warning,  as  your  patronage 
of  Vergil  and  Varius  shows.' 

245.  dedecorant .  .  .  iudicia :  z>., 
'  do  no  discredit  to  your  selection 
of  them.' 

246.  munera :  there  is  a  definite 
story  of  the  giving  of  money  to 
Vergil   when   he  read    the   sixth 


book  of  the  Aeneid  to  Augustus, 
and  he  left  a  considerable  fortune 
at  his  death,  which  must  have 
come  from  gifts.  Varius  also  re- 
ceived money  from  Augustus.  — 
laude  :  credit,  honor,  not  '  praise ' 
from  the  recipients  of  the  gifts. 

247.  Vergil  died  in  19  B.C.,  and 
Varius  was  probably  not  living  at 
this  time,  though  the  date  of  his 
death  is  not  known. 

248.  expressi :      the     figure    is 
taken   from   the   shaping  of  wax 
or  clay.  —  vultus :  '  the  expression 
of  the  face.' 

250  ft.  'I  too  would  join  in  re- 
cording your  deeds  if  only  my 
powers  were  equal  to  the  task.' 

250-251.  sermones  .  .  .  repentes 
per  humum:  this  often-quoted 
phrase  expresses  Horace's  habitual 
attitude  toward  the  Satires  and 
Epistles ;  they  are  Talks,  inspired 
pnly  by  a  Musa  pedeslris  (Sat.  2, 
6,  17).  It  was  in  the  Epodes  and 
the  Odes  that  he  felt  himself  to 
be  a  poet.  —  res  ...  gestas  :  an 
historical  epic  after  the  manner  of 
Ennius.  The  title  of  the  work 
might  have  been  Res  Gestae 
Angusti. 


HOR.  EP.  —  ii 


161 


2,  t,  252] 


HORATI 


terrarumque  situs  et  flumina  dicere  et  arces 
montibus  impositas  et  barbara  regna,  tuisque 
auspiciis  totum  confecta  duella  per  orbem, 

255    claustraque  custodem  pacis  cohibentia  lanum, 
et  formidatam  Parthis  te  principe  Romam, 
si,  quantum  cuperem,  possem quoque :  sed  neque  parvum 
carmen  maiestas  recipit  tua,  nee  meus  audet 
rem  tentare  pudor,  quam  vires  ferre  recusent. 

260    Sedulitas  autem,  stulte  quern  diligit,  urget, 


252-253.  These  details  evi- 
dently refer  to  campaigns  in  coun- 
tries little  known  to  the  public 
and  deserving  particular  descrip- 
tion. The  phrase  arces  montibits 
impositas  points  to  the  campaigns 
of  Drusus  and  Tiberius  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Alps  against  the 
Vindelici,  which  were  carried  on  in 
15-14  B.C.,  and  which  Horace  had 
already  celebrated  in  Carm.  4,  4 
and  14,  at  the  request  of  Augustus. 

254.  duella:  the  epic  word.    In 
these  lines,  as  in  the  similar  pas- 
sage in  Sat.  2,  i,  12-15,  Horace, 
in  the  very  act  of  professing  his 
inability  to  write  an  epic,  indulges 
in  a  bit  of  epic  description. 

255.  claustra :    the    temple   of 
Janus    was   closed    by  Augustus 
twice    before     this    Epistle    was* 
written,  in  29  and  in  25  B.C.,  and 
a  third  time  at  some  later  date.  — 
custodem  pacis  :  the  phrase  is  not 
quite  precise  ;  Janus  guards  peace 
within  his  closed  doors. 

256.  Parthis:  cf.  /-:pist.  i,  12, 
27,  note. 


257.  si  ...  possem :  the  prota- 
sis of  mallem,   vs.    250.  —  quan- 
tum cuperem :    the    thought    was 
traditional  in  rhetorical  criticism. 
Cf.  also  citpidnm  in  the  similar 
passage,  Sat.  2,  I,  12. 

258.  maiestas  .  .  .  tua :  not,  of 
course,  as  a  title,  but  with  some- 
thing of  formality.  —  recipit:  ad- 
mit, permit. 

259.  rem  tentare:    'to  attempt 
a  task,'  not  quite  as  in  vs.  164.  — 
pudor :   the  abstract  for  the  con- 
crete, to  balance  maiestas.  —  The 
clauses    repeat-  and  amplify   the 
thought  of  quantum  cuperem  pos- 
sem ;  '  I  do  not  wish  to  offer  you 
a  poor  song,  which  is  all  that  I  am 
able  to  do,  and  I  am  not  able  to 
attempt  a  great   poem,  which  is 
what     I     should     wish    to    give 
you.' 

260.  sedulitas  :  officiousness,  an 
ill-regulated  desire  to  please ;  cf. 
sedulus,  Epist.  I,  13,  5.  —  stulte: 
with  urget ;  'is  foolish  in  laying 
a  burden  upon  the  very  person  he 
desires  to  please.' 


162 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  i,  270 


praecipue  cum  senumeris  commendat  et  arte; 
discit  enim  citius  meminitque  libentius  illud, 
quod  quis  deridet,  quam  quod  probat  et  veneratur. 
Nil  moror  officium,  quod  me  gravat,  ac  neque  ficto 

265    in  peius  vultu  proponi  cereus  usquam, 
nee  prave  f  actis  decorari  versibus  opto, 
ne  rubeam  pingui  donatus  munere  et  una 
cum  scriptore  meo  capsa  porrectus  operta 
deferar  in  vicum  vendentem  tus  et  odores 

270    et  piper  et  quidquid  chartis  amicitur  ineptis. 


261.  praecipue:    'this  is   espe- 
cially true  of  poetry,  because  poor 
verses  stick  in  the  memory.1 

262.  discit :  the  subject  is  to  be 
supplied  from  the  next  clause. 

264-265.    officium:  =  sedulitas. 

—  gravat :  =  urget.  —  ficto :  shaped. 

—  in  peius :  />.,  '  by  a  poor  artist, 
who  would  misrepresent  my  fea- 
tures, as  I,  if  I  tried  to  write  an 
epic,    might    misrepresent    your 
deeds.'  —  cereus:    wax  was  used 
for    portrait  busts,  as    for  masks 
(imagines)  of  distinguished  ances- 
tors.    Cf.  expressi^  vs.  248. 


266.  decorari:  ironical.  —  There 
is  an  implied  comparison;  'as  I 
should  not  be  pleased  by  a  poor 
portrait  of  myself,  so  I  should  not 
care  to  be  described  in  bad  verses.' 

267.  pingui :  stupid,  as  in  Sat. 
2,  6,  14. 

268.  scriptore  meo:   'the  man 
who  wrote  about  me,'  '  my  eulo- 
gist.1—  capsa    porrectus:    like    a 
corpse  in  a  coffin. 

269.  vicum  vendentem  tus :  the 
vicus  Tuscus,  with  a  pun  on  tus 
—  tuscus. 


2 


The  subject  matter  of  this  Epistle  is  so  general  and  there  are  so  few 
allusions  to  public  matters  that  the  date  cannot  be  fixed  with  certainty. 
It  is  clear  that  so  elaborate  a  renunciation  of  poetry  cannot  have  been 
written  during  the  period  from  17  B.C.  to  13  B.C.,  when  Horace  was 
writing  the  Carmen  Saeculare  and  the  Fourth  Book  of  the  Odes.  There 
is  nothing  to  show  that  it  might  not  have  been  composed  after  13  B.C., 
but  the  general  tone,  in  which  it  much  resembles  Epist.  i,  i,  and  the 

163 


2,2]  I  It)  R  ATI 

difficulty  of  supposing  that  Horace  twice  publicly  announced  his  inten- 
tion of  giving  up  lyrical  poetry,  makes  the  earlier  date,  20-18  B.C.,  more 
probable. 

For  the  young  Julius  Floras,  see  Introd.  to  Epist.  I,  3.  He  was  still 
in  the  suite  of  Tiberius  and  had  apparently  been  long  absent  from 
Rome. 

'  Did  you  ever  buy  a  slave,  my  dear  Florus,  and  find  yourself  pre- 
vented from  complaining  of  his  faults  by  the  fact  that  the  dealer  had 
expressly  mentioned  them  ?  Then  you  must  not  complain  of  not 
hearing  from  me,  for  I  warned  you  that  I  never  answer  letters.  And  in 
spite  of  this,  you  call  on  me  for  more  Odes  !  Do  you  remember  that 
story  of  the  soldier  of  Lucullus  ?  Some  thief  stole  his  savings  and  in  a 
rage  he  went  off  and  stormed  a  castle  and  got  honor  and  more  money. 
But  when  the  general,  with  most  flattering  words,  invited  him  to  lead 
another  storming  party,  he  declined  with  thanks  and  advised  the  gen- 
eral to  get  some  other  man  who  had  just  lost  his  purse.  That  is  just 
my  attitude.  I  lost  my  purse  at  Philippi  and,  in  a  rage,  I  stormed 
the  castle  of  poetry.  But  once  is  enough  ;  I  am  taking  my  ease  now. 
There  are  plenty  of  reasons  for  not  writing.  In  the  first  place,  you  all 
ask  for  different  things.  And  then,  how  can  one  write  in  Rome,  where 
all  is  confusion  ?  Nor,  for  another  reason,  do  I  like  the  mutual  admira- 
tion clubs,  which  I  should  have  to  join.  And  it  is  no  easy  matter, 
either,  to  write  really  good  poetry. 

'  The  fact  is  that  I  have  turned,  as  I  said  once  before,  from  lyrics  to 
philosophy,  and  am  trying  to  learn  the  secrets  of  true  Hving.  I  am  con- 
sidering the  nature  of  possession  and  how  it  differs  from  use  and  how 
transient  it  is,  at  the  best.  I  am  trying  to  practice  the  doctrine  of  the 
Golden  Mean  and  to  become  both  better  and  happier,  as  I  grow 
older.' 

In  this  Epistle,  as  in  Epist.  2,  i,  the  letter  form  is  used  at  the  be- 
ginning with  considerable  skill,  and  something  of  the  personal  tone  is 
maintained  for  perhaps  fifty  lines.  But  from  that  point  the  epistle  be- 
comes a  versified  essay,  first,  on  the  writing  of  poetry  and,  second, 
on  philosophy.  The  latter  part  contains  nothing  that  Horace  had 
not  said  before,  though  it  is  here  expressed  in  new  forms,  but  the 
strictures  upon  the  state  of  literature  in  Rome  are  always  interesting. 
The  humorous  opening  of  the  Epistle,  the  bit  of  autobiography,  and 
the  veiled  allusion  to  Propertius  are  perhaps  the  best  parts  of  the 
letter.  As  a  whole  it  is  scarcely  equal  to  the  other  Epistles  of  this 
Book. 

164 


El'ISTVLAE 


[2,  2,  11 


Flore,  bono  claroque  fidelis  amice  Neroni, 
si  quis  forte  velit  puerum  tibi  vendere  natum 
Tibure  vel  Gabiis  et  tecum  sic  agat :  '  Hie  et 
candidus  et  talos  a  vertice  pulcher  ad  imos 
fiet  eritque  tuus  nummorum  milibus  octo, 
verna  ministeriis  ad  nutus  aptus  eriles, 
litterulis  Graecis  imbutus,  idoneus  arti 
cuilibet ;  argilla  quidvis  imitaberis  uda ; 
quin  etiam  canet  indoctum  sed  duke  bibenti. 
Multa  fidem  promissa  levant,  ubi  plenius  aequo 
laudat  venales  qui  vult  extrudere  merces. 


1.  Flore,  Neroni:    c$.  Epist.  I, 
3,  1-2,  notes,  and  Epist.  i,  8,  2. 

2.  puerum:    slave,    not    'boy,' 
though  the  context  shows  that  he 
is  young. 

3.  Tibure  vel  Gabiis :  any  two 
Italian   towns;    a  slave   born    in 
Italy,    not    a   foreign    captive.  — 
agat:  deal,  i.e.,  'present  his  pro- 
posal in  these  terms.1 

4.  candidus :  fair,  of  complex- 
ion. —  talos  a  vertice  :   proverbial 
like   the   English   'from   head   to 
foot.1    ' 

5.  fiet  eritque:  legal  tautology, 
like   'to  have   and  to  hold,'  em- 
ployed here  to  give  an  air  of  defi- 
niteness  and  frankness  to  the  offer. 
—  milibus   octo :    nearly  $400,  an 
ordinary  price   for  a  fairly  good 
slave.     Davus,  speaking  of  him- 
self as  a  cheap  slave,  says  he  was 
worth  $100.     The  price  named  is 
meant  to  be  attractive,  but  not  sus- 
piciously low. 


6.  verna :  a  house  slave,  not  a 
common  field  laborer.  —  ministe- 
riis :  dative  with  aptus. — ad  nutus : 
to  be  taken  closely  with  ministeriis 
aptus,  almost  as  a  modifier ; 
'  quick  to  perform  his  duties  at  a  nod .' 

7-8.  litterulis  .  .  .  imbutus : 
'  he  knows  a  little  Greek ' ;  the 
depreciatory  tone  is  suggested  by 
the  diminutive  and  expressed  in 
imbutus.  Cf.  Tac.  Dial.  19,  ele- 
mentis  studiorum  etsi  non  instruc- 
tus  at  certe  imbutus.  —  arti  cuili- 
bet :  there  is  a  description  in  Ter. 
Eitn.  476  ff.  of  a  young  slave  who 
knows  literature,  wrestling,  and 
music.  —  argilla  .  .  .  uda  :  the  fig- 
ure of  the  artist  making  his  clay 
model  is  suggested  by  arti. 

9.  quin  etiam :  /.<?.,  '  in  fact  he 
already  knows  something  of  one 
art,  singing.1  —  indoctum  :  this 
suggests  again  the  frank  man  who 
will  not  praise  too  highly  what  he 
offers  for  sale. 


165 


2,  2,  12] 


HORATI 


Res  urget  me  nulla,  meo  sum  pauper  in  acre. 
Nemo  hoc  mangonum  faceret  tibi,  non  temere  a  me 
quivis  ferret  idem.     Semel  hie  cessavit  et,  ut  fit, 
in  scalis  latuit  metuens  pendentis  habenae ' : 
des  nummos,  excepta  nihil  te  si  fuga  laedat, 
ille  ferat  pretium  poenae  securus ;  opinor 
prudens  emisti  vitiosum  ;  dicta  tibi  est  lex ; 
insequeris  tamen  hunc  et  lite  moraris  iniqua  ? 


12.  res:  pressure,  necessity.— 
meo  ...  in  acre :    in  distinction 
from  aes  alienum ;  the  words  ex- 
plain the  first  part  of  the  line ;  '  I'm 
not  rich,  but  I  have  no  debts.' 

13.  hoc  faceret:    'would  make 
you  such  an  offer  as  this.'  —  non 
temere :  '  not  without  some  special 
reason.' 

14-15.  This  is  the  point  of  the 
whole,  dropped  in  at  the  end  as 
a  matter  of  no  importance,  yet 
distinctly  mentioned  lest  the  con- 
cealment should  invalidate  the 
bargain.  —  cessavit :  cf.  Sat.  2,  7, 
100,  nequatn  et  cessator  Davus. 
This  is  the  mildest  possible  way 
of  saying  that  the  young  slave 
shirks  his  work  whenever  he  can  ; 
' it  is  a  fact  that  he  once  lingered 
about  his  work  and  then,  fearing  a 
a  whipping,  hid  himself.'  So  in 
Plaut.  M.  G.  582  f.  the  slave  says 
nam  iam  aliquo  anfugiam  et  me 
occnltabo  aliquot  dies,  \  dum  haec 
consilescunt  turbae.  —  in  scalis : 
under  the  stairs  ;  he  did  not  really 
run  away. — pendentis:  i.e.,  usu- 
ally hanging  on  the  wall,  ready  for 


use. 


16.  des  :  continuing  the  suppo- 
sition,  without  si;  'suppose   you 
hand  over  your  money.'  —  si  .  .  . 
laedat :  a  secondary  condition,  with 
des;   'taking    it    for   granted,   of 
course,    that    you    find    nothing 
else  objectionable.'  —  excepta  .  .  . 
fuga :  '  the  running  away   having 
been  distinctly  mentioned.'    Exci- 
pere  is  the  technical  term  in  law  for 
mentioning  a  point  which  is  an '  ex- 
ception '  to  the  general  statement ; 
cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  285,  mentem,  nisi  liti- 
giosus,  exciperet  dominus,  cum  ven- 
deret. 

17.  poenae  securus :  without  fear 
of  penalty,  because  he  had  com- 
plied with  the  law  in  mentioning 
the  slight  tendency  to  '  shirk.' 

18.  prudens  :  deliberately, '  with 
your  eyes  open.'  —  lex :  the  state- 
ment which  the  law  requires,  setnel 
.    .    .   cessavit,    not    the    written 
«  law.' 

19.  insequeris,    moraris :     '  are 
you  pursuing  him,  trying  to  hold 
him?'     The  present  tense  carries 
the  reader  over  from  the  story  to 
its  application  ;  this  is  a  condensed 
way  of  saying  '  would  you  make 


1 66 


EFISTVLAE 


[2,  2,  3-J 


20      Dixi  me  pigrum  proficiscenti  tibi,  dixi 

talibus  officiis  prope  mancum,  ne  mea  saevus 

iurgares  ad  te  quod  epistula  nulla  rediret. 

Quid  turn  profeci  mecum  facientia  iura 

si  tamen  attentas  ?     Quereris  super  hoc  etiam,  quod 

25      expectata  tibi  non  mittam  carmina  mendax. 
Luculli  miles  collecta  viatica,  multis 
aerumnis,  lassus  dum  noctu  stertit,  ad  assem 
perdiderat,  post  hoc  vehemens  lupus  et  sibi  et  hosti 
iratus  pariter,  ieiunis  dentibus  acer, 

30      praesidium  regale  loco  deiecit,  ut  aiunt, 
summe  munito  et  multarum  divite  rerum. 
Clarus  ob  id  factum  donis  ornatur  honestis 


a  fuss  about  your  bargain  and 
threaten  a  suit  ?  Yet  that  is  exactly 
what  you  are  doing  to  me,  though 
I  warned  you  plainly.' 

20.  dixi,  dixi:    'I  was  just  as 
plain  in  my  warnings  as  the  seller 
of  the  slave  in  my  little  story.1  — 
proficiscenti :  on  his  journey  with 
Tiberius. 

It  is  extremely  characteristic  of 
Horace  to  go  through  all  the  de- 
tails of  the  story,  leaving  the  appli- 
cation to  the  end.  Compare  the 
detailed  description  of  Tigellius, 
Sat.  I,  3,  2-19,  the  point  of  which 
is  not  reached  till  vs.  24. 

21.  talibus  officiis  :  letter  writing 
and  other  friendly  offices ;  dative 
with  tnancnm,  which  is  a  strong 
word  for  hand  apt  us,  inntilis. 

23.  profeci :  /.*., '  what  good  has 
my  plain  warning  clone  ? 1  —  me- 
cum facientia:  cf.  Epist.  2,  i,  68. 


24.  super  hoc  etiam:   'in  addi- 
tion to  all  this,1  '  you  even  go,  so 
far,  besides.' 

25.  mendax:    •   'breaking      my 
promise';   cf.  Epist.  I,  7,  2. 

26.  Luculli:   commander  in  Ci- 
licia    against    Mithridates,    74-67 
B.C.     The  story  is  not  told  else- 
where. — viatica :  properly '  travel- 
ing   money,'    then    any    kind    of 
allowance,  from  which  the  soldier 
had  saved  what  he  could. 

27.  ad  assem:  i.e.,  all  of  it,  'to 
a  penny.' 

29.  dentibus:  with  reference  to 
lupus. 

30-31.  regale:  i.e.,  of  Mithri- 
dates.—  ut  aiunt:  with  the  next 
line,  giving  the  authority  of  the 
story  teller  for  the  strong  expres- 
sions sujnine,  innltarutn  divite. 

32  donis  .  .  .  honestis :  the 
various  insignia,  chains,  crowns, 


167 


2,  2,  33] 


1 10  K  ATI 


accipit  et  bis  dena  super  sestertia  minimum. 
Forte  sub  hoc  tempus  castellum  evertere  praetor 

35      nescio  quod  cupiens  hortari  coepit  eundem 

verbis,  quae  timido  q'uoque  possent  addere  mentem 
'  I  bone  quo  virtus  tua  te  vocat,  i  pede  fausto, 
grandia  laturus  meritorum  praemia.     Quid  stas  ?  ' 
Post  haec  ille  catus  quantumvis  rusticus  :  '  Ibit, 

40      ibit  eo,  quo  vis,  qui  zonam  perdidit,'  inquit. 
Romae  nutriri  mihi  contigit  atque  doceri 
iratus  Grais  quantum  nocuisset  Achilles. 
Adiecere  bonae  paullo  plus  artis  Athenae, 
scilicet  ut.vellem  curvo  dinoscere  rectum, 


medals,  that  were  given  for  con- 
spicuous bravery. 

33.  bis   dena  .  .  .  sestertia:    a 
little  less  than  $1000,  a  large  share 
of  the  booty  for  a  common  sol- 
dier. —  super :  adverb. 

34.  forte    sub    hoc  tempus:    a 
phrase  for  continuing  the  narra- 
tive, like  '  it  happened  about  this 
time.'  —  praetor:  in  the  old  sense, 
commander. 

35.  nescio  quod  :    this  also  is  in 
the  narrative   style,  passing  over 
unimportant  details. 

36.  timido  quoque :    even   to  a 
coward.  —  mentem :    spirit,  pur- 
pose;  this  is  an  unusual  sense  for 
metis. 

37.  pede  fausto :  a  rather  formal 
phrase,  almost  in  a  solemn   tone, 
as  if  the  gods  were  sure  to  favor 
the  undertaking. 

38.  grandia  .  .  .  praemia :   so  in 
Sat.  2,  I,  i  j  f->  to  the  lofty  motives 


for  writing  about  Augustus,  Treba- 
tius  adds,  as  if  by  an  afterthought, 
mnlta  labor n in  praemia  laturus. 

39-40.  catus :  sharp ;  a  collo- 
quial, almost  vulgar,  word  to  go 
with  quantumvis  ruslicns.  —  ibit, 
ibit :  the  shrewd  soldier  mimics 
in  his  reply  the  lofty  tone  of  the 
repeated  /,  /  of  the  general's  exhor- 
tation.—  zonam:  'money  belt,1 
*>., '  who  has  had  the  same  experi- 
ence that  I  had,'  vs.  27. 

41-54.  The  application  of  the 
story. 

41.  contigit:    'it  was  my  good 
fortune ' ;  this  corresponds  to  the 
soldier's  collecta  viatica.     For  the 
facts  compare  Sat.  I,  6,  76. 

42.  That  is,  he  learned  Greek 
and  read  the  Iliad. 

43-45.  '  My  good  fortune  was 
increased  by  the  opportunity  of 
studying  in  Athens.'  —  bonae:  with 
Athenae.  —  artis:  education,  as  in 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  2,  52 


45      atque  inter  silvas  Academi  quaerere  verum. 
Dura  sed  emovere  loco  me  tempora  grato, 
civilisque  rudem  belli  tulit  aestus  in  arma 
Caesaris  Augusti  non  responsura  lacertis. 
Vnde  simul  primum  me  dimisere  Philippi, 

50      decisis  humilem  pennis  inopemque  paterni 
et  laris  et  fundi  paupertas  impulit  audax, 
ut   versus   facerem.      Sed    quod    non    desit 
tern 


haben- 


Sat.  I,  6,  77. — vellem:  desire, 
choose. — curvo,  rectum:  geometri- 
cal terms,  transferred  to  ethics, 
as  the  use  of  dinoscere  shows.  — 
inter  silvas :  the  olive  trees  of  the 
Academy.  This  spot  was  outside 
of  the  city  and  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  parks  about  Athens.  — 
Academi :  this  does  not  refer  to 
the  Academic  school,  to  which 
Horace  shows  no  inclination,  but 
only  to  the  place,  as  representative 
of  all  philosophy.  —  quaerere  ve- 
rum: this  is  the  more  theoretical 
side  of  philosophy,  including  spec- 
ulations in  natural  philosophy. 

46-48.  '  But  I  lost  my  chances, 
as  the  soldier  lost  his  money.1  — 
dura  .  .  .  tempora :  the  period  im- 
mediately after  the  death  of  Julius 
Caesar  in  March.  44  B.C.  —  civilis : 
with  aestus ;  cf.  furor  ci-vilis, 
Car m.  4,  15.  1 8.  —  rudem  belli: 
=  i>nbellern;  cf.  Epod.  i,  16. 
Horace  mentions  Brutus  as  his 
leader  only  in  Carm.  2,  7,  2,  quite 
casually,  and  in  Sat.  i,  7,  which 
dites  from  this  period  of  his  life. 


—  non  responsura:  the  future  ex- 
presses the  idea  of  destiny.  — 
lacertis :  as  if  in  wrestling. 

49.  Philippi:  in  42  B.C.  Hor- 
ace returned  at  once  to  Rome,  not 
continuing  the  contest,  as  some  of 
his  friends  did,  by  joining  the 
army  of  the  younger  Pompey. 

51.  et  laris  et  fundi :   with  i  no- 
pe m.     The   two  words   together 
stand  for  the  estate  near  Venusia, 
which    was    probably   confiscated 
and  assigned  to  some  veteran  of 
the  army  of  Augustus.  —  audax : 
corresponding  to  vss.  28-29,  whe- 
mens  lupus. 

52.  ut  versus  facerem :  this  cor- 
responds to  the  soldier's  exploit, 
vss.  30-31.     But  Horace  does  not, 
either  here  or  elsewhere,  tell  how 
his  writing  brought  him  relief  from 
poverty,  except  indirectly,  through 
his    acquaintance.      There    is    no 
reason  to  suppose  that  an  author 
received  a  royalty  from    the  sale 
of  his  works.  —  quod  non  desit  ha- 
bentem :  this  is  the  modest  equiva- 
lent of  vss.  32-33. 


169 


2-  2,  53] 


HORAT1 


quae  poterunt  unquam  satis  expurgare  cicutae, 

ni  melius  dormire  putem  quam  scribere  versus? 
55      Singula  de  nobis  anni  praedantur  euntes, 

eripuere  iocos,  venerem,  convivia,  ludum, 

tendunt  extorquere  poemata.     Quid  faciam  vis? 

Denique  non  omnes  eadem  mirantur  amantque. 

Carmine  tu  gaudes,  hie  delectatur  iambis, 
60     ille  Bioneis  sermonibus  et  sale  nigro. 

Tres  mihi  convivae  prope  dissentire  videntur, 

53.  poterunt   .    .    .   expurgare: 
i.e., '  what  possible  remedy  can  cure 
his  feverish  madness  ? '  —  cicutae : 
hemlock,  which  was  used  not  only 
as  a  poison,  but  also  in  smaller 
doses  as  a  cure  for  fever. 

54.  dormire:     cf.   Sat.  2,  I,  7, 
where  the  word  is  used  exactly  as 
here. 

55.  The  application  of  the  anec- 
dote  of  the   soldier  to   Horace's 
own  history  and  circumstances  is 
carried  out  into  humorous  detail 
and  is  not  to  be  taken  seriously. 
Cf.    the  equally  exaggerated  and 
humorous  explanation  of  his  choice 
of   Satire    in   Sat.    \,    10,   40-47. 
From    this    point,    however,    the 
reasoning  becomes  more  serious. 
—  singula :  specified   in  the  next 
line.      This  line  is  an  expression 
of  the  feeling  of  the  middle-aged 
man.     The  thought  is  repeated  in 
A.  P.  175-176. 

56.  Cf.  Epist.  i,  7,  26-28,  where 
the  losses  that  come  with  middle 
age  are  described  somewhat  more 
fully. 

57.  tendunt:   the  present  tense 


is  emphatic ;  '  they  are  now  going 
on  to  take.  .  .  .'  —  extorquere : 
'against  my  will.'  —  quid  faciam 
vis  ?  i.e.,  '  what  can  I  do  but  sub- 
mit ? '  Greenough  well  compares 
que  voulez-vous  ? 

58.  denique:  introducing  a  new 
point,  but  not  the  final  one  ;  then, 
too.  This  is  a  not  uncommon 
use. 

59-60.  carmine:  lyric  poetry, 
the  Odes.  — iambis :  iambic  poems 
of  satirical  tone,  like  many  of  the 
Epodes.  —  Bioneis  :  Bion  was  a 
philosopher  of  the  third  century, 
of  a  biting  wit,  so  that  he  became 
a  type  of  the  caustic  satirist.  It 
is  quite  unlikely  that  Horace  was 
influenced  by  him ;  at  the  most  it 
was  only  in  his  earliest  satires. 
His  name  is  used  here  only  as  a 
general  descriptive  term.  —  ser- 
monibus :  satires.  —  sale  nigro : 
coarse  black  salt,  which  would 
make  strong  brine.  The  figure  is 
often  used,  e.g.,  Sat.  i,  10.  3. 

61.  prope:  with  the  whole  sen 
tence  or  with  indent  nr,  not  with 
dissentire ;  '  if  you  have  only  three 


170 


EP1STVLAE 


[2.  2,  73 


that 


the 


poscentes  vario  multum  diversa  palato. 

Quid  dem  ?  Quid  non  dem  ?  Renuis  tu,  quod  iubet  alter, 

quod  petis,  id  sane  est  invisum  acidumque  duobus. 

65      Praeter  cetera,  me  Romaene  poemata  censes 
scribere  posse  inter  tot  curas  totque  labores  ? 
Hie  sponsum  vocat,  hie  auditum  scripta,  relictis 
omnibus  officiis,  cubat  hie  in  colle  Quirini, 
hie  extremo  in  Aventino,  visendus  uterque ; 

70      intervalla  vides  humane  commoda.     Verum 

purae  sunt  plateae,  nihil  ut  meditantibus  obstet. 
Festinat  calidus  mulis  gerulisque  redemptor, 
torquet  nunc  lapidem  mine  ingens  machina  tignum, 

across  the  whole  town.'  —  humane 
commoda :  so  in  colloquial  Latin, 
miser e  miser,  inepte  stultus,  and 
frequently  an  adjective  is  strength- 
ened by  an  adverb  of  like  stem  or 
meaning;  instead  of  either  hu- 
mana,  '  human,  suited  to  a  man,' 
or  commoda,  '  convenient,'  the  two 
are  united  into  the  single  ironical 
phrase,  'convenient  for  a  man.' 
70-71.  '  But  perhaps  you  will 
say  that  .  .  .' ;  as  if  put  in  by 
some  other  person,  who  said  *  you 
can  be  thinking  over  a  poem 
(meditantibus^  as  you  go.'- 
purae :  empty,  clear  of  obstacles 
which  would  prevent  thinking. 

72.  festinat :  the  answer  begins, 
as  often,  without   an   adversative 
particle,  as  though  a  mere  state- 
ment of  facts  supplied  a  sufficient 
answer. — calidus:  'hurrying;  this 
continues  the  thought  of  festinat, 

'as  a  predicate. 

73.  torquet :    twists  up,  luinds 


guests,   it   is  almost  certain 
they  will  differ.' 

62.    multum:  \\\\\\  diversa. 

64.  acidum :     maintaining 
figure  of  guests  at  the  table. 

65.  praeter  cetera  :  still  another 
reason,  vss.  65-86,  for  not  comply- 
ing with  the  expectation  of  Florus 
that  he  should  send  him  poems. 
For   the   general   thought,  which 
was  habitual  with  Horace,  cf.  Sat. 
2,  6,  23-39. 

67.  sponsum :  cf.  Sat.  2,  6,  23, 
Romae    sponsor  em    me   rapis.  — 
auditum:  i.e.,  to  a  recitation,  as 
in  Sat.  i,  4,  23. 

68.  cubat:  is  lying  ill;  cf.  Sat. 
i,  9.  18. 

70.  intervalla  :  the  distance 
would  be  somewhere  between 
one  mile  and  two,  but  Horace  is 
not  thinking  of  precise  measure- 
ments ;  he  names  the  two  hills 
which  were  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  city,  by  way  of  saying  '  clear 


171 


2,  2,  74] 


link  ATI 


tristia  robustis  luctantur  funera  plaustris, 
75      hac  rabiosa  fugit  canis,  hac  lutulenta  ruit  sus  : 
i  nunc,  et  versus  tecum  meditare  canoros ! 
Scriptorum  chorus  omnis  amat  nemus  et  fugit  urbes, 
rite  cliens  Bacchi  somno  gaudentis  et  umbra, 
tu  me  inter  strepitus  nocturnes  atque  diurnos 
80     vis  canere  et  contracta  sequi  vestigia  vatum  ? 
Ingenium,  sibi  quod  vacuas  desumpsit  Athenas 
et  studiis  annos  septem  dedit  insenuitque 
libris  et  curis,  statua  taciturnius  exit 


up,  the  verb  being  chosen  because 
the  lifting  of  the  weight  is  done 
by  means  of  wheels  and  pulleys. 
74.  Cf.  Sat.  I,  6,  42  f.,  where 
the  noise  of  the  Forum  is  expressed 
in  the  same  way,  by  imagining  the 
meeting  of  funeral  processions  and 
heavy  wagons. 

76.  i  nunc :  as  in  vs.  37.  —  For 
this  description  of  the  confusion 
of  an  ancient  city,  cf.  the  similar 
passage  in  Juv.  3,  245  ff.     Some 
attempts  were  made  to  control  the 
traffic,  but  they  cannot  have  been 
very  effectual. 

77.  scriptorum :  poets,  as  cano- 
ros, canere,  and  vatum  show.  — 
chorus,  nemus :   these  words  sug- 
gest the  chorus  of  the  Muses  in 
the  sacred  grove. 

78.  rite:  with  cliens;  'devoted 
to  Bacchus,  as  is  fit.1     This  is  the 
traditional    idea,   expressed   more 
fully  in  Epist.  \,  19,  i-n. 

80.  contracta:  i.e..  'to  follow 
the  steep  and  narrow  path,'  the 
path  where  only  the  few  have  been 


able  to  tread.  The  same  thought 
is  in  Propert.  4,  i,  14,  non  datur 
ad  Musas  cur r ere  lata  via. 

81-86.  '  Study  and  the  writing 
of  poetry  are  incompatible  with 
the  excitements  and  confusions  of 
active  life.  A  man  who  gives  him- 
self up  to  one  unfits  himself  for 
the  other.  The  student  in  the 
retirement  of  Athens  makes  a 
ridiculous  figure  in  affairs ;  I, 
when  I  am  living  in  the  midst 
of  the  distractions  of  Roman  life, 
must  not  expect  to  write  poetry.' 

81.  ingenium:  'a  man  of  abil- 
ity.'   This    is    probably   not    an 
allusion   to  some  definite  person 
(the    presents,    exit,    quatit.    are 
general),   but,    to   make    it   more 
vivid,   an    air  of   definiteness    is 
given  to  it  by  Athenas  (the  typical 
spot  for  seclusion  and  study)  and 
by  annos  septem  (a  long  time) . 

82.  insenuit:    cf.    Epist.    I,   7, 
85,  amore  senescit  habendi. 

83.  libris  et    curis:    abl.,   like 
atnore  in  the  passage  just  quoted. 


172 


EPISTVLAK 


[2,  2,  91 


plerumque  et  risu  populum  quatit ;  hie  ego  rerum 
85      fluctibus  in  mediis  et  tempestatibus  urbis 

verba  lyrae  motura  sonum  conectere  digner  ? 
Frater  erat  Romae  consulti  rhetor,  ut  alter 
alterius  sermone  meros  audiret  honores, 
Gracchus  ut  hie  illi,  foret  huic  ut  Mucius  ille. 
90      Qui  minus  argutos  vexat  furor  iste  poetas  ? 
Carmina  compono,  hie  elegos.     '  Mirabile  visu 


curae,  of  studies  in  philosophy,  as 
in  Carm.  3,  21,  15,  sapientiitin 
curas.  —  statua :  a  proverbial  com- 
parison, which  is  used  also  in 
English.  —  taciturnius  :  neut.  with 
ingenium.  —  exit  :  turns  out, 
'comes  out  at  the  end';  cf.  A. 
P.  22,  currente  rota  cur  urceus 
exit? 

84-86.  plerumque  :  generally ; 
this  indicates  that  the  whole  com- 
parison is  in  general  terms.  —  hie : 
'  in  Rome,  not  in  vacuae  Athenae? 
—  ego :  1 1,  not  an  ingenium . '  —  mo- 
tura sonum:  like  the  English, 'to 
wake  the  lyre/  —  digner :  *  con- 
sider myself  fit,'  i.e.,  'think  it 
possible  that  in  such  a  life  I 
should  still  be  capable  of  writing 
poetry.1 

87-105.  This  reason  for  not 
writing  poetry  —  the  fact  that  one 
must  join  the  mutual  admiration 
societies  in  Rome  —  is  introduced 
abruptly  by  an  allusion,  the  point 
of  which  does  not  appear  till  vs. 
90,  just  as  this  letter  begins  with 
a  story,  vss.  2-19,  the  point  of 
which  is  not  at  first  apparent. 

87.   consulti:    an  office  lawyer, 


a  jurist.  —  rhetor :  a  court  lawyer, 
a  pleader.  The  two  are  of  the 
same  general  profession,  but  in 
different  branches  of  it. — The 
construction  of  this  line  and  the 
next  is  harsh  and,  indeed,  doubt- 
ful. As  the  text  stands,  it  means 
'  there  was  an  orator  in  Rome  who 
was  the  brother  of  a  jurist,  a 
brother  so  close  that  each  heard 
from  the  other  nothing  but  com- 
pliments.' 

89.  Gracchus  :  both  the  Gracchi 
were     orators,     but    Gaius,     the 
younger  of    the    two,   was   espe- 
cially famous.     This  compliment 
was  paid  of  course  to  the  rhetor. 

—  Mucius  :  there  were  three  great 
jurists  named  Mucius  Scaevola. 

90.  qui   minus :    i.e.,  '  is  there 
any  reason  why  poets  should  not 
show  the  same  fraternal  spirit  ? ' 

—  argutos :  as  a  standing  epithet, 
clear-voiced.  —  vexat  furor :  these 
words  throw  off  the  ironical  tone 
of  the  story,  vss.  87-89. 

91.  carmina :     lyric    poetry.— 
elegos :    elegy,   which    was    culti- 
vated at  this  time  in  Rome  with 
great  success,  so  that  it  was  prob- 


173 


2,  2,  92] 


HORATI 


caelatumque  novem  Musis  opus  !  '     Adspice  primum, 
quanto  cum  fastu,  quanto  molimine  circum- 
spectemus  vacuam  Romanis  vatibus  aedem, 
95      mox  etiam,  si  forte  vacas,  sequere  et  procul  audi, 
quid  ferat  et  quare  sibi  nectat  uterque  coronam. 
Caedimur  et  totidem  plagis  consumimus  hostem 
lento  Samnites  ad  lumina  prima  duello. 


ably  the  most  admired  form  of 
poetry.  Horace  did  not  himself 
attempt  it.  The  allusion  here  is 
almost  certainly  to  the  elegiac  poet 
Propertius.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Maecenas  circle,  yet  he  is  no- 
where mentioned  by  Horace,  who 
mentions  so  many  literary  friends. 
The  suspicion  that  this  silence  cov- 
ers some  hostility  is  strengthened 
by  the  great  differences  in  tempera- 
ment and  in  literary  ideals.  Com- 
mentators have  therefore  found 
veiled  allusions  to  Propertius  in 
various  passages  (Sat.  I,  10,  1 8, 
simius  iste ;  Sat.  1,9);  this  is  the 
most  distinct  and  probable. 

92.  caelatum :  the  poem  is 
praised  in  terms  which  would  be 
used  of  a  highly  ornamented  work 
of  art.  —  novem  Musis :  dat.  of 
agent  with  caelatum;  the  poem 
is  so  perfect  that  all  the  Muses 
must  have  aided  in  the  writing  of 
it.  —  adspice :  the  two  poets  are 
pictured  standing  before  the  tem- 
ple of  Apollo,  exchanging  compli- 
ments. 

93-94.  fastu :  pride.  —  moli- 
mine :  a  rather  rare  word,  with  a 
suggestion  of  vastncss  and  effort 


from  its  connection  with  molior, 
moles ;  an  air  of  importance.  — 
circum-spectemus :  a  word  is  run 
over  from  one  line  to  the  next 
in  a  few  other  places;  Sat.  i,  2, 
62;  2,3,  117;  A.  P.  424.  There 
may  be  here  an  intentional  hit  at 
the  dignified  air  of  the  poets.  — 
vacuam :  the  temple  library  was 
'  open  to  Roman  poets,'  as  if  in 
expectation  of  their  coming.  Cf. 
Epist.  2,  i,  216  f. 

95.  si  ...  vacas :  'if  you  are 
quite  at  leisure,1  and  have  nothing 
better  to   do.  —  sequere :    to  the 
hall  where  the  poets  are  to  read 
their  verses  to  each  other.     No 
definite  place  is  thought  of;   the 
two  poets,  having  looked  proudly 
at  the   library   where  they   hope 
that  their  poems  are  to  be  pre- 
served, pass  on  to  a  hall  where 
they  hold  a  recitatio. 

96.  sibi  nectat :   each  is  weav- 
ing a  chaplet  for  himself  by  com- 
plimenting the  other  in  order  to 
be  complimented  in  turn. 

97-98.  A  condensed  compari- 
son ;  the  two  poets  are  like  two 
gladiators  and. exchange  poems  as 
the  gladiators  exchange  blows.  — 


EPISTVLAE 


2.  105 


105 


Discedo  Alcaeus  puncto  illius,  ille  meo  quis? 
Quis  nisi  Callimachus  ?     Si  plus  aclposcere  visus, 
fit  Mimnermus,  et  optivo  cognomine  crescit. 
Multa  fero,  ut  placem  genus  irritabile  vatum, 
cum  scribo  et  supplex  populi  suffragia  capto ; 
idem,  finitis  studiis  et  mente  recepta, 
obturem  patulas  impune  legentibus  aures. 


caedimur :  the  comparison  is  in- 
troduced without  any  word  of 
comparison.  —  lento,  ad  lumina 
prima :  i.e.t '  we  keep  it  up  all  the 
afternoon,  till  the  first  lamps  are 
lit,'  till  darkness  separates  the  com- 
batants. —  Samnites  :  heavily  ar- 
mored gladiators,  who  would  fight 
long  without  injury,  until  both 
were  tired  out.  —  duello  :  here  in 
the  original  sense,  a  fight  between 
two  persons. 

99.  discedo :     *.*.,    'when    the 
combat  of  poems  is  over,  he  calls 
me    an    Alcaeus.1 — puncto:    the 
vote    was   recorded   by   a    mark, 
punctum,  on  a  tablet,  which  was 
a    kind   of  tally    sheet.  —  quis  ? 
Horace's     pretended     hesitation 
suggests  that  he  does  not  know 
or  care  what  name  he  shall  use, 
but  will  call  the  other  poet  any- 
thing that  will  please  him  —  say, 
Callimachus. 

100.  Callimachus :      Propertius 
(5,   I.  64)   calls  himself  the  Ro- 
tnanns  Callimachus.    Callimachus 
was   a   poet   of  the    Alexandrian 
school,  of  the  third  century  B.C. 
He  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
masters    of    the    learned    elegy ; 


Catullus  translated  one  of  his 
poems  (Catull.  66),  the  Coma 
Berenices. 

101.  Mimnermus:  an  earlier 
(about  600  B.C.)  writer  of  elegi- 
acs, who  was  considered  to  be  the 
founder  of  elegy.  —  optivo :  a  legal 
term  (  —  adoptive),  expressing  with 
cognomine  the  idea  that  the  name 
is  given  as  names  were  given  to 
great  generals,  e.g.,  Scipio  Afri- 
canus.  Such  a  cognomen  increases 
the  poet's  sense  of  importance 
(crescit). 

102-105.  '  I  bear  all  this  kind 
of  thing  when  I  am  myself  writ- 
ing, but  if  I  do  not  write  I  can 
escape  from  it.'  This  sums  up 
vss.  87-101  and  explains  how  the 
necessity  of  paying  compliments 
is  an  added  reason  for  not  writing. 
—  irritabile :  i.e.,  sensitive  and 
eager  for  compliments.  —  suffra- 
gia capto :  a  comparison  in  brief; 
'and  seek  for  hearers  as  a  candi- 
date seeks  for  votes.'  —  mente 
recepta :  Horace  is  always  half 
humorous  when  he  refers  to  the 
inspiration  of  poets.  —  obturem: 
the  subj.  mode  is  faintly  poten- 
tial, almost  a  future.  —  patulas : 


175 


2,  2,   I06J 


H  OR  ATI 


Ridentur  mala  qui  componunt  carrnina,  verum 
gaudent  scribentes  et  se  venerantur,  et  ultro, 
si  taceas,  laudant  quidquid  scripsere  beati. 
At  qui  legitimum  cupiet  fecisse  poema, 
cum  tabulis  animum  censoris  sumet  honesti, 
audebit,  quaecumque  parum  splendoris  habebunt 
et  sine  pondere  erunt  et  honore  indigna  ferentur, 


*>.,  'which  before  I  had  been 
obliged  to  keep  open.1  —  impune  : 
with  obturem. 

106-128.  Besides  all  the  rea- 
sons already  given  for  not  writing 
poetry,  there  is  the  further  reason, 
the  most  serious  of  all,  that  the 
work  demands  the  utmost  effort 
and  the  best  powers.  '  Some 
poets,  it  is  true,  find  pleasure  in 
composing,  without  regard  to  the 
quality  of  the  product,  but  the 
poet  of  high  ideals  is  his  own 
severest  critic.1 

107.  gaudent  scribentes :  '  are 
full  of  joy  in  their  writing.'  The 
best  parallel  to  these  verses  is 
Catull.  22,  on  Suffenus ;  nequeidem 
umquam  \  aeque  est  beatus  ac 
poema  cum  scribit.  —  ultro :  '  they 
go  on  themselves  to  praise  their 
writings.1  —  beati :  with  laudant. 

109.  legitimum:  i.e.,   'a  poem 
according  to  the  rules  of  the  art 
of  poetry.' 

1 10.  cum    tabulis :    '  when    he 
takes  up  his  tablets  to  begin  writ- 
ing.'    The  tabulae  were  used  for 
a  first  draft,  because  erasure  and 
change  were   easy  in  the  waxen 
surface.     The    expression    partly 


anticipates  the  following  compar- 
ison of  the  critic  to  the  censor; 
'the  poet,  when  he  takes  up  his 
tablets  to  write,  will  feel  as  the 
censor  does  when  he  takes  up  the 
lists.'  — honesti :  defining  censoris 
by  a  predicate  addition  ;  '  with  all 
its  strictness.1  The  thought  is 
then  further  amplified  in  audebit. 

The  next  lines  deal  almost  en- 
tirely with  that  part  of  the  poet's 
work  which  has  to  do  with  the 
selection  of  dignified  and  ex- 
pressive words.  This  was  a  sub- 
ject to  which  Horace  had  given 
much  thought,  and,  while  he  is 
following  the  ordinary  rhetorical 
doctrines,  he  is  also  illustrating 
them  by  expressing  his  thought 
with  special  care. 

in.  quaecumque:  sc.  verba. 
—  parum  splendoris :  =  sordida, 
humilia;  words  that  carry  with 
them  mean  or  unpoetic  associa- 
tions. 

112.  sine  pondere:  =  levia, 
inania;  words  that  do  not  convey 
much  meaning  of  any  kind.  — 
honore  indigna  :  this  rather  general 
phrase  —  unworthy  —  is  used  with 
special  reference  to  the  figure  of 


176 


Kl'lSTYI.AK 


[2,  2,  118 


verba  movere  loco,  quamvis  invita  recedant 
et  versentur  ad  hue  intra  penetralia  Vestae; 
115    obscurata  diu  populo  bonus  eruet  atque 
proferet  in  lucem  speciosa  vocabula  rerum, 
quae  priscis  memorata  Catonibus  atque  Cethegis 
nunc  situs  informis  premit  et  deserta  vetustas ; 


the  censor,  who  removes  from  the 
senatorial    list    honore    indigiios. 

—  ferentur :    '  are   in   circulation.' 
the  words   being   here   in   mind, 
rather  than  the  censor's  office. 

113.  movere  loco:  the  technical 
expression    for    the    censor's  act 
of  condemnation  is  movere  tribu. 

—  invita :  properly  of  those   who 
were  removed  by  the  censor:  as 
applied  to  words  rejected  by  the 
critical  writer  it  has  only  a  rather 
vague   meaning ;    '  although  such 
common  words  recur  constantly  to 
the  mind  and  it  is  hard  to  avoid 
their  use.' 

114.  The    expression    here    is 
selected  almost  entirely  with  the 
thought  of  the   censor's  work  in 
mind ;  '  although  they   may  have 
been  hitherto  at  home  in  the  most 
sacred  spot  in  Rome,'  '  although 
they  may  have  had  thus  far  a  per- 
fect  reputation.1     With   reference 
to  words  it  means  '  although  they 
have  been  used  in  the  finest  of 
poetry.'    The  identification  of  the 
object  compared   with    the  figure 
results  in  some  lack  of  clearness. 

—  adhuc  :    i.e.,   '  until    you    bring 
them  under  your  critical  scrutiny.' 

115-119.    But  the  office  of  the 


critical  poet  is  not  merely  that 
of  the  censor  who  rejects  ;  he  must 
also  enrich  the  language. 

115.  populo:     with     obscurata, 
,the  two  together  being  the  oppo- 
site    of    ferentur,    versentur.  — 
bonus:    i.e.,    'working    for    good 
results.' 

116.  speciosa:    the  opposite  ot 
quaectimqtte  parum  splendor  is  Jta- 
bebttnt,  words  of  vivid  meaning  and 
elevated  suggestion. 

117.  Catonibus,    Cethegis:    the 
plur.  means  '  men  like  Cato  and 
Cethegus.'     They  are  again  used 
in  A.  P.  50,  56  as  representatives 
of  the  early  Latin  style.     Cato  was 
regarded  by  writers  of  archaizing 
tendencies,     like     Sallust,     as    a 
master  of  vigorous  and  individual 
style,  and  Cethegus   (consul  204) 
is  mentioned  with  praise  by  Cicero 
(Brut.  15,  57)  and  was  called  by 
Ennius  (Ann.  306)  Suadae  medul- 
la.    It  is  not  necessary,  however, 
to  attach  to  Horace's  use  of  these 
names  any  very  specific  meaning; 
they  are  types  of  the  earl}-  orator. 

118.  situs  informis:    as  neglect 
results   in   rust    and    mold,    that 
disfigures  the   object,  it  is   itself 
called    informis.     So    deserta    is 


HOR.  EP.  —  12 


177 


2,2,  119] 


HORATI 


adsciscet  nova,  quae  genitor  produxerit  usus. 
Vemens  et  liquidus  puroque  simillimus  amni 
fundet  opes  Latiumque  beabit  divite  lingua; 
luxuriantia  compescet,  nimis  aspera  sano 
levabit  cultu,  virtute  carentia  toilet, 
ludentis  speciem  dabit  et  torquebitur  ut  qui 


applied  to  -vetustas,  though  it 
properly  describes  the  result  of 
vetustas.  — The  enrichment  of  the 
poetic  vocabulary  by  bringing  back 
into  use  words  which  had  fallen 
out  was  one  of  Vergil's  character- 
istic merits.  Horace,  from  the 
nature  of  his  subjects  and  the 
character  of  his  lyric  poetry,  made 
fewer  contributions  of  this  kind. 

119.  adsciscet :  primarily  a  legal 
word,  used  of  admitting  to  the 
enjoyment  of  legal  rights ;  enroll, 
'admit  to  full  rights.'  —  genitor 
.  .  .  usus :  the  doctrine  that  usage 
makes  language,  brings  forward 
and  maintains  new  words,  was 
fully  accepted  by  Horace  and  is 
expressed  by  him  in  a  classic 
phrase  (A.  P.  72),  usus,  quern 
penes  arbitriiun  est  et  ius  et  nor  ma 
loqnendi.  —  This  is  the  second 
means  of  enriching  the  living 
vocabulary.  In  the  fragmentary 
condition  of  Latin  literature  it  is 
not  always  possible  to  tell  what 
writers  first  adopted  a  new  word 
into  literary  style,  but  Horace 
certainly  made  considerable  use 
of  this  method  of  giving  vividness 
and  novelty  to  his  forms  of  ex- 
pression. 


120.  vemens.     liquidus :     these 
adjectives,  though   they  go   with 
the  subject  of  beabit  (i.e.,  poet  a), 
are  really  a  part  of  the  compar- 
ison.—  puro  .  .  .  amni:  cf.  for  the 
opposite,  cum  flueret  lutulentus, 
of  Lucilius,  in  Sat.  I,  4,  II.      The 
figure    has    been    often    used    in 
English  literature,  e.g.,  Tennyson, 
The  Poet's  Mind :  — 

'Clear  and  bright  it  should  be  ever, 
Flowing  like  a  crystal  river.' 

121.  fundet  opes :  a  rather  gen- 
eral phrase,  which  is  immediately 
explained   more  precisely  in   the 
rest  of  the  line,  in  which  beabit 
and  divite  repeat  opes. 

122-125.  These  lines  go  over 
from  the  choice  of  words  to  the 
larger  aspects  of  composition,  fol- 
lowing the  order  of  rhetorical 
treatises.  There  is  nothing  novel 
in  Horace's  treatment;  what  he 
says  can  be  paralleled  by  passages 
from  Cicero's  rhetorical  works  and 
from  Quint ilian,  and  the  same 
things  are  said  again,  more  fully, 
in  the  Ars  Poetica.  —  luxuriantia : 
the  figure  of  the  husbandman,  trim- 
ming off  the  foliage  of  the  vine  in 
order  to  increase  its  production  of 


I78 


EPISTYLAR 


[2,  2,  128 


125    nunc  Satyrum,  nunc  agrestem  Cyclopa  movetur. 
Praetulerim  scriptor  deiirus  inersque  videri, 
dum  mea  delectent  mala  me  vel  denique  fallant, 
quam  sapere  et  ringi.     Fuit  baud  ignobilis  Argis, 


grapes,  is  frequently  used  of  the 
restraint  of  an  exuberant  style.  — 
aspera  .  .  .  levabit :  rhetoric  paid 
much  attention  to  the  sound  of 
words  and  phrases,  as  was  natural 
when  prose  composition  was  largely 
occupied  with  oratory  and  when 
verse  was  still  closely  allied  to 
song,  aspera  therefore  means 
primarily  '  rough  in  sound,'  but 
with  a  secondary  reference  also  to 
expressions  that  are  too  blunt,  that 
do  not  harmonize  sufficiently  with 
the  general  tone  of  the  writing.  — 
sano :  since  too  great  polish  is 
itself  a  fault,  the  smoothing  off  of 
roughnesses  must  be  done  with 
judgment. — virtute  carentia :  this 
carries  on  the  thought  of  sano; 
words  and  phrases  which  are '  lack- 
ing in  energy  and  vigor'  must  be 
taken  out  altogether,  and  more 
forcible  and  expressive  words  put 
in  their  place.  For  toilet  in  this 
sense  cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  II,  er at  quod 
toll  ere  velles,  and  Sat,  I,  10,  51, 
where  tollenda  and  relinquenda 
define  each  other,  —  ludentis:  'he 
will  look  like  one  who  moves  with 
ease  and  pleasure ;  his  style  will 
seem  to  involve  no  effort.'  This 
general  expression  is  elaborated  in 
the  figure  of  the  trained  dancer; 
'he  will  seem  to  move  with  ease, 
as  a  dancer  turns  this  wav  and 


that  and  plays  now  one  part,  now 
another.'  Cf.  Epist,  2,  i,  210, 
where  the  art  of  the  dramatist  is 
compared  to  the  difficult  art  of  the 
rope  dancer.  —  Satyrum,  Cyclopa : 
this  is  an  allusion  to  the  pantomime 
of  the  rivalry  of  a  faun  (satyr)  and 
the  Cyclops  Polyphemus  for  the 
love  of  the  nymph  Galatea,  in 
which  a  single  actor  expressed 
alternately  in  his  dancing  the  feel- 
ing of  the  graceful  faun  and  of  the 
clumsy  giant.  —  movetur :  the  pas- 
sive is  equivalent  to  saltat  (Sat. 
*>  5>  63)  and  retains  the  cognate 
accusative. 

126-128.  'As  I  think  of  all  that 
is  necessary  to  produce  good 
poetry,  I  could  almost  wish  that 
I  were  one  of  the  self-satisfied 
writers  (vss.  106-108)  who  do 
not  know  how  badly  they  write.' 
—  deiirus :  this  is  one  of  the  syno- 
nyms for  insanus  in  Sat.  2,  3,  107, 
293.  It  is  selected  rather  than 
stnltus  or  ridiculus,  because  the 
story  of  128  ff.  is  already  in 
Horace's  mind.  —  iners  :  z.e..  '  too 
indolent  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  true  poet.'  —  ringi:  'to 
suffer  the  discomforts  and  vexa- 
tions which  necessarily  attend 
upon  the  effort  to  be  a  critical 
writer  (sapere').'' 

128.  baud  ignobilis :  well  known; 


179 


IIORATI 


qui  se  credebat  miros  audire  tragoedos, 
130    in  vacuo  laetus  sessor  plausorque  theatre, 
cetera  qui  vitae  servaret  munia  recto 
more,  bonus  sane  vicinus,  amabilis  hospes, 
comis  in  uxorem,  posset  qui  ignoscere  servis 
et  signo  laeso  non  insanire  lagoenae, 
135    posset  qui  rupem  et  puteum  vitare  patentem. 
Hie  ubi  cognatorum  opibus  curisque  refectus 
expulit  elleboro  morbum  bilemque  meraco, 
•  et  redit  ad  sese :  '  Pol  me  occidistis,  amici, 
non  servastis,'  ait,  '  cui  sic  extorta  voluptas 
140    et  demptus  per  vim  mentis  gratissimus  error.' 
Nimirum  sapere  est  abiectis  utile  nugis 


but  the  adjective  is  meant  to  char- 
acterize the  story,  which  is  told  by 
various  writers,  rather  than  the 
person.  —  Argis:  the  regular  Latin 
form  for  the  dat.  and  abl.  of  this 
word. 

129-131.  The  two  qui  clauses, 
with  credebat  and  servaret,  illus- 
trate well  the  effect  of  the  modes 
in  relative  clauses. 

131.  cetera:  'in  all  other  re- 
spects' he  was  perfectly  sane. 

133.  posset   .   .   .  ignoscere :    a 
little  more  general  than  ignosceret 
would  have  been;   he  'was  capa- 
ble' of  acting  like  a  sensible  man. 

134.  signo  laeso:   /.<?.,  when  he 
found  the  seal  on  a  bottle  of  wine 
broken  and   therefore  knew  that 
some  slave  had  been  stealing  the 
wine.     Cf.  also  Sat.  i,  3,  80-83. 

135.  rupem,  puteum  :  this  same 
test   of  sanity,  evidently  prover- 


bial, is  referred  to  in  Sat.  2,  3, 
55,  flnvios  being  used  instead  of 
puteum.  Cf.  '  1  can  see  a  church 
by  daylight.' 

137.  These  expressions  for  mad- 
ness and  for  the  cure  of  it  by  helle- 
bore are  used  also  in  Sat.  2,  3,  82, 
141.  —  meraco:  /'.*.,  the  strongest 
kind  of  a  dose  was  necessary. 

138.  pol:  cf.  Epist.  i,  7,  92.  in 
a   similar  ejaculation,   expressing 
the  astonishment  of  the  speaker  at 
finding  himself  where  he  is. 

141.  sapere:  this  resumes  the 
thought  of  vs.  109  and,  more  dis- 
tinctly, the  thought  and  expression 
of  vs.  128,  after  the  digression  of 
the  anecdote,  and  gives  it  a  new 
turn,  toward  philosophy.  This  is 
the  underlying  thought  of  the 
Epistles,  that  Horace  has  given 
up  the  writing  of  poetry  and  turned 
to  the  study  of  philosophy.  — 


1 80 


El'ISTYl.AK 


[2,2,  151 


et  tempestivum  pueris  concedere  ludum, 

ac  non  verba  sequi  fidibus  modulanda  Latinis, 

sed  verae  numcrosque  modosquc  ediscere  vitae. 

145    Quocirca  mecum  loquor  haec  tacit  usque  recorder: 
Si  tibi  nulla  sitim  finiret  copia  lymphae, 
narrares  medicis:  quod  quanto  plura  parasti, 
tanto  plura  cupis,  nulline  faterier  audes? 
Si  vulnus  tibi  monstrata  radice  vel  herba 

150    non  fieret  levius,  fugeres  radice  vel  herba 
proficiente  nihil  curarier.     Audieras,  cui 


abiectis  .  .  .  nugis :  i.e.,  lyrical 
composition,  as  in  Sat.  i,  9,  2, 
Catull.  i,  4. 

142.  pueris:  the  word  is  chosen 
with  reference  to  ludum ;  cf. 
ludicra,  Epist.  I,  I,  10. 

143-144.  non  verba :  words,  in 
distinction  from  realities.  —  sequi : 
as  the  writing  of  good  poetry 
requires,  vss.  111-119. — nume- 
rosque  modosque :  these  terms  of 
music  and  rhythmic  art  are  used  to 
point  the  contrast ;  '  I  am  learning 
the  measures  and  rhythms  of  a 
wise  life.' 

145.  Cf.  Sat.  i,  4,  133  f.,  137  ff., 
where    the  same   thought    is  ex- 
pressed in  very  similar  words.  — 
The  rest  of  the  Epistle  is  an  expo- 
sition of  his  philosophy  of  life,  all 
introduced,  as  if  in    direct  quota- 
tion, by  this  line.     It  is  occupied 
chiefly    with    that     false    passion 
which    Horace    always    puts    first 
among  the  sins  of  men,  the  love  of 
money  and  of  many  possessions. 

146.  '  The  love  of  money  is  like 


the  dropsy,  with  an  unsatisfied 
thirst  for  more.'  The  same  figure 
is  used  in  Carm.  2,  2,  13-16, 

147-148.  '  In  the  same  way,  the 
desire  for  money  increases  as  it 
is  gratified.'  —  nulli  faterier:  *>., 
'  you  should  seek  the  advice  of 
those  who  can  cure  your  soul,'  of 
the  philosophers.  —  audes :  sum- 
mon courage  to  overcome  \\\&ptidor 
mains  (Epist.  i,  16,  24)  that  in- 
clines you  to  conceal  your  disease. 

149.  monstrata  -.prescribed.  The 
figure  of  the  physician  and  his 
patient  is  carried  on  further ;  '  find 
the  right  treatment  for  your  dis- 
ease.'—  radice:  abl.  instrumental, 
in  both  lines. 

150-151.  fugeres:  governing  cu- 
rarier; cf.fugequaerere,  Carm.  I, 
9.  13,  and  mitte  sectari,  Carm. 
i,  38,  3.  —  curarier:  to  be  treated, 
and  of  course  '  to  be  cured.1  which 
would  be  inconsistent  with  profi- 
ciente nihil. 

151-154.  audieras:  'you  had 
perhaps  been  told,'  corresponding 


181 


2,  2,  152] 


HORATI 


rem  di  donarent,  illi  decedere  pravarn 
stultitiam,  et  cum  sis  nihilo  sapientior,  ex  quo 
plenior  es,  tamen  uteris  monitoribus  isdem  ? 

155    At  si  divitiae  prudentem  reddere  possent, 

si  cupidum  timidumque  minus  te,  nempe  ruberes, 
viveret  in  terris  te  si  quis  avarior  uno. 
Si  proprium  est,  quod  quis  libra  mercatus  et  acre  est, 
quaedam,  si  credis  consultis,  man ci pat  usus; 

160    qui  te  pascit  ager,  tuus  est,  et  vilicus  Orbi, 
cum  segetes  occat,  tibi  mox  f rumen ta  daturas, 


to  monstrata  radice.  The  advice 
would  be  like  that  in  Epist.  i,  i, 
65,  rem  facias,  rem,  or,  more  pre- 
cisely, in  Sat.  2,  3,  95  f.,  divina 
humanaque  pulchris  divitiis  pa- 
rent.—  nihilo  sapientior :  like  pro- 
ficient'e  nihil;  the  treatment  pro- 
duces no  effect. 

I55-I57-  This  thought  also  is 
found  in  Sat.  2,  3,  91  ff.  Here, 
however,  the  desired  virtues  are 
more  definitely  expressed  in  pru- 
dentem,  cupidum  timidumque  mi- 
nus, since  the  purpose  is  not  cari- 
cature, but  exhortation.  Cf.  also 
Epist.  i,  1 6,  65,  qui  cupiet,  metuet 
quoque ;  desire  and  fear  are  merely 
the  two  sides  of  a  single  passion. 

158 ff.  'Possession  consists  in 
use ;  only  the  man  who  uses  can 
be  said  to  possess.1  —  libra  .  .  .  et 
acre:  this  was  one  of  the  tradi- 
tional ways  of  acquiring  property 
by  purchase.  The  scales  and 
piece  of  brass  were  preserved  as 
symbols  from  the  early  time  when 
brass  was  money  and  when  it  was 


not  coined,  but  was  weighed  out 
for  each  purchase.  This  method 
was  called  mancipatio. 

159.  '  Yet     there     is     another 
method,  according  to  the  jurists, 
by   which    property   may   be   ac- 
quired, namely,  by  usucapio,  that 
is,    by   possession    for   a   certain 
period.'    Horace  intentionally  uses 
mancipat  in  this  clause,  as  if  to 
say  that  usucapio  was  equivalent 
to  mancipatio ;  this  is  the  basis  of 
the  argument  that  follows,  in  which 
usus  is  really  employed  in  a  double 
sense,  as  a  legal  term  and  in  the 
more  general  meaning. 

160.  quite  pascit:  i.e.,  'of  which 
you  enjoy  the  profits,  the  usus.''  - 
tuus :    =  proprius,  '  your  property, 
because  you  enjoy  it.1  —  Orbi:  un- 
known.    The   only  point  is  that 
he  is  the  'owner'  of  the  workman, 
yet  the  person  who  profits  by  the 
labors  of  the  vilicus  is  the  person 
who  finally  eats  the  grain. 

161.  occat:    harrou's ;   to  stand 
for  all  the  processes  of  cultivation. 


182 


El'ISTVLAE 


[2,  2,  171 


te  dominum  sentit;  das  nummos,  accipis  uvam, 
pullos,  ova,  cadum  temeti:  nempe  modo  isto 
paullatim  mercaris  agrum,  fortasse  trecentis 

165    aut  etiam  supra  nummorum  milibus  emptum. 
Quid  refert,  vivas  numerate  nuper  an  olim  ? 
Emptor  Aricini  quondam  Veientis  et  arvi 
emptum  cenat  olus,  quamvis  aliter  putat;  emptis 
sub  noctem  gelidam  lignis  calef actat  aenum. 

170    Sed  vocat  usque  suum,  qua  populus  adsita  certis 
limitibus  vicina  refugit  iurgia,  tamquam 


162.  te  dominum  sentit :  equiva- 
lent  to   tibi  proprium   esf,   158. 
The  meaning  of  sentit  is  not  to  be 
pressed ;    it  means   only  that,  in 
effect,  by  transferring  the  products 
of  his  toil  to  you,  he  acknowledges 
you,  not  Orbius,  to  be  his  master. 

163.  temeti:    this   old  word  is 
apparently  the  farmer's  term,  used 
here  with  other  words  describing 
farm  produce.  —  modo  isto:  by  so 
doing. 

165.  emptum:     with   emphasis, 
recurring  to  the  thought  of  pro- 
prium;   'and  it  is  then  yours.' 

1 66.  numerate:  abl.  as  if  of  the 
noun,  but  a  participle  also,  having 
the  adverbs  nnper,  olim,  with  it. 
—  nuper  an  olim :    the  significant 
words  in  the  sentence ;    '  whether 
the  money  by  which  you  live  was 
paid   out   recently  or  some   time 
ago.1     If  the  field  had  been  bought 
in  the  beginning,  the  money  would 
have  been  paid  olim ;   in  the  daily 
purchase   of  supplies   the   money 
was,  in  part,  paid  nuper. 


167-169.  'The  man  who  buys 
the  produce,  really  buys  the  farm ; 
so,  conversely,  the  man  who  be- 
gins by  buying  the  farm  is  in 
reality  daily  buying  his  supplies 
from  the  farm.1  —  emptor:  'the 
man  who  is  commonly  called  the 
buyer.'  —  quondam :  =  olim,  vs. 
166;  to  be  taken  with  the  verbal 
noun  emptor.  —  et:  connecting 
Aricini  and  Veientis.  The  Latin 
frequently  uses  et  where  English 
usage  would  have  'or.1  These 
towns,  Aricia  and  Veii,  were  near 
Rome  and  the  owner  would  have 
the  vegetables  for  his  table  sent 
in  from  his  country  place.  But 
the  vegetables  and  the  firewood 
would  in  reality  be  'bought,1 
though  he  might  like  to  boast  that 
they  were  not.  Cf.  dapes  inemp- 
tas,  Epod.  2.  48 ;  so  '  boughten ' 
things  used  to  be  spoken  of  with 
apology  in  New  England. 

170.  usque  .  .  .  qua:      'up     to 
where.'  —  populus:  not  popnlus. 

171.  refugit:    the  row  of  pop- 


183 


2,  2,  172] 


HORATI 


sit  proprium  quidquam,  puncto  quod  mobilis  horae 
nunc  prece,  nunc  pretio,  nunc  vi,  nunc  morte  suprema 
permutet  dominos  et  cedat  in  altera  iura. 

175    Sic,  quia  perpetuus  nulli  datur  usus,  et  heres 
heredem  alterius  velut  unda  supervenit  undam, 
quid  vici  prosunt  aut  horrea  ?     Quidve  Calabris 
saltibus  adiecti  Lucani,  si  metit  Orcus 
grandia  cum  parvis,  non  exorabilis  auro  ? 

180    Gemmas,  marmor,  ebur,  Tyrrhena  sigilla,  tabellas, 
argentum,  vestes  Gaetulo  murice  tinctas, 


lars  'avoids'  disputes,  i.e.,  enables 
the  owner  of  the  land  to  avoid 
them. 

172.  proprium:  going  back  to 
the  beginning  of  this  argument, 
vs.  158.  —  puncto  .  .  .  horae:  the 
phrase  is,  like  all  Latin  phrases 
for  a  brief  time,  entirely  vague, 
and  all  attempts  to  interpret  this 
or  horae  momenta  (Sat.  I,  I,  7  f.) 
with  precision  make  the  mistake 
of  reading  into  it  a  modern 
accuracy. 

173-  prece,  pretio:  'by  gift  or 
purchase.'  The  contrast  is  nat- 
ural and  the  alliterative  words 
are  several  times  used  together 
in  this  sense. — morte  suprema: 
'death  which  is  the  end  of  all 
things.1 

175.  perpetuus  .  .  .  usus:    'there 
is  therefore  no  such  thing  as  the 
perpetual     possession     of    which 
lawyers  speak.1 

176.  heredem  alterius  :  i.e.  'one 
heir  succeeds  an  heir  of  still  an- 
other heir1;   the  phrase  expresses, 


perhaps  too  briefly,  the  continuity 
of  the ,  succession.  Of  the  four 
possible  changes  of  ownership  (vs. 
173)  Horace  dwells  only  upon  the 
last. 

1 77.  vici :  estates. 

178.  Lucani:  sc. prosunt.    This 
refers  to  the  driving  of  the  herds 
from  the  lowlands  of  Calabria  to 
the  mountain  pastures  of  Lucania. 

—  metit :  a  very  effective  turn  from 
literal    to    figurative    expression. 
The  thought,  and,  in  general,  the 
phrases  of  this  passage  find  fre- 
quent expression  in  the  Odes. 

180-182.  These  possessions  of 
the  wealthy  stand  for  wealth  itself, 
as  merely  a  different  expression 
from  vici,  horrea,  Calabris  saltibus, 
just  as  in  Carm.  \,  31,  armenta, 
aurum,  ebur,  rura,  aureis,  culnl- 
lis,  are  all  symbolic  of  riches. 

—  sigilla :    small    figures,    appar- 
ently of  earthenware,  which  were 
found  in   Ktruria  and  valued   for 
their  antiquity.  — argentum :  silver 
plate,  not  money.  —  Gaetulo :    the 


184 


El'ISTX  I.AI-; 


[2,  2,  188 


sunt  qui  non  habeant,  est  qui  non  curat  habere. 
Cur  alter  fratrum  cessare  et  ludere  et  ungi 
praeferat  Herodis  palmetis  pinguibus,  alter 
185    dives  et  importunus  ad  umbram  lucis  ab  ortu 
silvestrem  flammis  et  ferro  mitiget  agrum, 
scit  Genius,  natale  comes  qui  temperat  astrum, 
naturae  deus  humanae  mortalis,  in  unum 


African  dye,  one  of  the  better  kind  ; 
ci.  Epist.  -z,  i,  207.  --  sunt  qui: 
the  subjunctive  after  these  words 
is  phraseological,  not  expressive  ; 
it  came  over  from  negative  sen- 
tences and  sentences  with  indefi- 
nite antecedents,  and  there  is,  in 
most  cases,  no  more  essential  dif- 
ference of  meaning  than  there  is 
between  quannris  with  the  sub- 
junctive and  quamvis  with  the  in- 
dicative. In  this  particular  in- 
stance, however,  the  difference 
between  the  many  (sun/)  and  the 
one  (est)  is  strongly  marked  and 
is  further  emphasized  by  the  dif- 
ference in  the  mode.  —  est  qui : 
Horace. 

183-189.  '  Why  there  should  be 
such  differences  between  men, 
even  between  brothers,  only  the 
power  that  made  us  so  can  tell/ 
This  passage  is  parenthetic,  yet 
is  not  far  from  the  main  thought, 
especially  in  vss.  185  f. 

183.  alter  fratrum :  so  in  the 
Adelphoe  of  Terence  and  cf.  Sat. 
2.  r.  26,  on  the  contrast  between 
Castor  and  Pollux.  --  cessare: 
absolutely,  as  in  Epist.  I,  7,  57, 
ft  properare  loco  et  cessare. 


184.  Herodis  palmetis:  Herod 
the  Great,  the  Herod  of  the  New 
Testament,  who  ruled  in  Judea 
from  39  to  4  B.C.  The  palm  groves 
about  Jericho  were  specially  fa- 
mous and  were  a  source  of  great 
revenue  (pinguibus)  by  the  sale 
of  dates. 

186.  silvestrem:  i.e.,  it  was 
wooded  land,  which  was  to  be 
cleared  and  prepared  for  farming. 
—  flammis  et  ferro :  both  methods 
were  in  use.  by  burning  or  by  cut- 
ting the  timber  for  building  mate- 
rial or  for  firewood.  —  mitiget : 
the  clearing  of  land  is  often  treated 
as  a  sort  of  conquest  or  '  breaking 
in,1  like  the  training  of  horses. 
—  While  the  one  brother  prefers  a 
life  of  ease  to  any  kind  of  occupa- 
tion, however  profitable,  the  other 
is  seeking  profit  at  the  cost  of  any 
kind  of  labor. 

187-189.  Genius:  cf.  Epist.  2,  i, 
144,  and  note.  The  individual 
and  contradictory  characteristics 
of  the  Genius  are  dwelt  upon  as 
explaining  the  contradictions  in 
human  nature.  —  natale  .  .  .  as- 
trum: the  constellations  which  by 
their  position  at  the  hour  of  birth 


2,  2,  1 89] 


11ORATI 


quodquc  caput  vultu  mutabilis,  albus  et  ater. 

190    Vtar  et  ex  modico  quantum  res  poscet  acervo 
tollam,  nee  metuam  quid  de  me  iudicet  heres, 
quod  non  plura  datis  invenerit;  et  tamen  idem 
scire  volam,  quantum  simplex  hilarisque  nepoti 
discrepet  et  quantum  discordet  parcus  avaro. 

195    Distat  enim,  spargas  tua  prodigus,  an  neque  sumpturn 
invitus  facias,  neque  plura  parare  labores, 
ac  potius,  puer  ut  festis  quinquatribus  olim, 
exiguo  gratoque  fruaris  tempore  raptim. 
Pauperies  immunda  domus  procul  absit ;  ego  utrum 

200    nave  ferar  magna  an  parva,  ferar  unus  et  idem. 
Non  agimur  tumidis  velis  Aquilone  secundo, 


determined  character  and  fate. 
—  temperat :  the  Genius,  being 
divine,  could  affect  the  constella- 
tions and  planets.  This  passage 
does  not  imply  a  belief  in  astrol- 
ogy;  cf.  Carm.  i,  11 ;  2, 17.  —  in 
unum  .  . .  mutabilis:  i.e.,  'assum- 
ing a  different  form  and  character 
for  each  individual.1  This  is  the 
important  point  of  the  whole  de- 
scription. —  alhus  et  ater  :  pro- 
verbial ;  cf.  Catull.  93,  nee  scire 
utrum  sis  albus  an  ater  homo.  The 
words  merely  amplify  mutabilis. 

190.  utar :  <  I  for  my  part  desire 
only  use,  not  possession.'     This  is 
familiar  doctrine,  beginning  with 
Sat.  I,  I. 

191.  heres :  with  a  general  ref- 
erence only ;  Horace  had  no  nat- 
ural heir,  but  he  alludes  often  to 
the  proverbial  feeling  between  tes- 
tator and  heir. 


193.  scire  volam:  t.e.,  'to  be 
fully  aware  of  the  difference '  and, 
it  is  implied,  to  act  accordingly. 
—  With  the  following  thought, 
which  Horace  expresses  in  many 
places,  cf.,  e.g.,  Sat.  2,  2,  53  f. 

195-198.  neque  .  .  .  invitus:  to 
be  taken  together,  as  equivalent 
to  hilaris.  —  Quinquatribus :  the 
short  spring  vacation,  'Easter  re- 
cess,' March  19-23,  which,  because 
it  is  so  short,  the  schoolboy  enjoys 
most  eagerly  (raptim). 

199.  domus:    gen.     with    pau- 
perics. —  absit:    the  clause  with 
subjv.  is  a  paratactic  condition  or 
clause  of  proviso. 

200.  The    figure    is    changed 
somewhat   abruptly ;    literally  the 
thought  is,  '  if  only  I  am  free  from 
sordid  poverty,  I  care  not  whether 
I  have  much  or  little.' 

201-202.  The  two  clauses  are  in 


186 


EPISTVLAE 


2,  2,  214 


non  tamen  adversis  aetatem  ducimus  Austris, 
viribus,  ingenio,  specie,  virtute,  loco,  re 
extremi  primorum,  extremis  usque  priores. 

205    Non  es  avarus  ;  abi.     Quid,  cetera  iam  simul  isto 
cum  vitio  fugere?     Caret  tibi  pectus  inani 
ambitione  ?     Caret  mortis  f ormidine  et  ira  ? 
Somnia,  terrores  magicos,  miracula,  sagas, 
nocturnes  lemures  portentaque  Thessala  rides  ? 

210    Natales  grate  numeras  ?     Ignoscis  amicis  ? 
Lenior  et  melior  fis  accedente  senecta  ? 
Quid  te  exempta  levat  spinis  de  pluribus  una  ? 
Vivere  si  recte  nescis,  decede  peritis. 
Lusisti  satis,  edisti  satis  atque  bibisti ; 


paratactic  relation ;  '  I  am  not 
borne  on  by  favoring  breezes  of 
prosperity,  yet  I  am  not  struggling 
with  adversity,'  for  '  though  I  am 
not  borne  on.  .  .  .' 

204.  The  figure  again  changes 
to  that  of  the  racecourse ;   cf.  Sat. 
i,  I,  115  f. 

205.  non  es:  paratactic  condi- 
tion.   —  abi:  good.     This  use  is 
colloquial,  e.g.,  Plaut.   Trin.  830, 
abi,   laudo.  —  For  the  thought  of 
the  line  cf.  Sat.  2,  3,  159  f.,  quid, 
si  qiiis  non  sit  avarus,  continuo 
sunns  ?     M 'inline . 

208-209.  '  All  kinds  of  supersti- 
tious fears.'  Freedom  from  these 
meant  much  more  to  the  ancients 
than  it  can  ever  mean  to  modern 
men.  —  sagas  :  fortune  tellers.  — 
lemures :  '  umbras  vagantes  homi- 
num  ante  diem  mortuorum  et  ideo 
metuendas,'  is  the  comment  of  the 
Scholiast. — Thessala:  this  was 


proverbial,  in  Greek  literature  and 
in  Latin. 

210.  natales  grate  :  i.e., '  are  you 
grateful  for  each  added  year  of 
life?' 

211-212.  'Are  you  becoming  a 
better  man  as  you  grow  older  ? 
For  to  get  rid  of  a  fault  or  two  is 
not  enough.'  The  comparison  of 
faults  to  thorns  is  used  also  in 
Epist.  I,  14.  4  f. 

213.  recte:  />.,  as  a  true  philos- 
ophy   teaches.  —  decede    peritis : 
neither    this    phrase   nor  tempus 
abire  (215)  is  a  suggestion  of  sui- 
cide ;  the  meaning  is  simply.  '  you 
are  through  with  life,  since  for  you 
it  has  no  real  meaning ;  leave  it  to 
those  who  truly  understand  how  to 
live.' 

214.  The  emphasis  is  not  upon 
the  frivolity  or  self-indulgence  of 
men :   this  is  merely   an  applica- 
tion  of  decede  peritis  under  the 


187 


2,  2,  215]  HORATI 

215    tempus  abire  tibi  est,  ne  potum  largius  aequo 
rideat  et  pulset  lasciva  decentius  aetas. 

figure  of  the  satisfied  guest  rising  may  with  more  propriety  indulge 

from  the  table,  as  in  Sat.  i,  i,  n8f.,  in  follies  and  may  laugh  at  an  old 

exacto    contentus    lempore,     vita  man  who  has  not  learned  to  cou- 

cedat  uti  conviva  sattir.  trol  himself. 
a  1 6.    lasciva    decentius :     youth 


ARS   POETICA 

/  Of  all  the  writings  of  Horace  none  has  been  more  carefully  studied 
and  more  elaborately  discussed  than  this  Epistle.  Yet  it  must  be  said 
that,  in  consequence  of  the  insufficiency  of  data,  there  is  still  consider- 
able uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  date,  the  persons  addressed,  the  occa- 
sion and  purpose,  and  even  the  title. 

The  internal  evidence  in  regard  to  the  date  of  composition  or  publi- 
cation is  both  scanty  and  indefinite.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the  references 
to  persons,  to  Vergil  and  Varius  (55),  to  Cascellius  (370),  to  Tarpa 
(387),  and  to  Varus  (438).  But  no  one  of  these  is  precise.  The  con- 
text and  the  purpose  of  the  allusion  is  such  as  to  be  suitable  to  a  person 
still  living  or  to  one  who  had  passed  into  literary  tradition.  There  is 
a  like  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  allusions  to  public  works  in  vss.  63  ff. ; 
they  are  too  vague  to  afford  material  for  dating. 

The  only  external  evidence  of  any  weight  is  the  statement  of  Suetonius 
that  Augustus  asked  for  and  received  Epist.  2.  I  post  sermones  quosdam 
lectos  in  which  he  was  not  mentioned  ;  these  sermones  cannot  have  been 
the  First  Book  of  the  Epistles,  where  Augustus  is  frequently  referred  to ; 
they  must  have  been  Epist.  2,  2  —  the  bare  mention  of  Augustus1  name 
in  vs.  48  does  not  stand  in  the  way  of  this  —  and  this  Epistle.  The 
inference  from  the  statement  of  Suetonius  would  therefore  be  that  this 
Epistle  was  written  before  Epist.  2,  I  ;  that  is,  in  the  period  between 
the  publication  of  the  First  Book  and  the  writing  of  the  Carmen  Saecn- 
lare,  between  19  or  20  B.C.  and  17  B.C.  Fortunately  the  character  of 
the  Epistle  is  such  that  a  more  precise  date  is  not  necessary  to  its  in- 
terpretation. 

The  persons  to  whom  the  letter  is  supposed  to  be  sent  are  a  father 

188 


EPISTVIAE  [2, 3 

and  two  sons,  the  Pisones.  From  the  merely  formal  address  in  vs.  6 
and  vs.  235  and  the  words  O  Pompilius  sangitis  in  vss.  291  f.  no  infer- 
ence can  be  drawn  as  to  their  identity.  In  vs.  366  the  elder  son  is 
specially  addressed  in  terms  which  imply,  though  not  very  clearly,  that 
he  was  just  engaging  or  might  soon  engage  in  poetical  composition. 
These  are  but  scanty  indications  of  identity,  and  the  uncertainty  is 
increased  by  the  frequency  of  the  name  Piso;  fourteen  persons  of  that 
name  are  mentioned  in  the  Onomast.  Cic.,  ten  in  Tacitus,  seven  in 
Suetonius.  But  there  was  a  On.  Calpurnius  Piso,  some  years  older 
than  Horace,  who  fought  at  Philippi  and  was  afterward  consul  in  23  B.C. 
His  eldest  son,  consul  in  7  B.C.,  was  born  about  44  and  would  have 
been  about  twenty-five  when  this  Epistle  was  written.  There  was  also 
a  younger  son.  These  may  be  the  Pisones  addressed,  but  it  is  evident 
that  any  identification  is  at  best  a  mere  possibility.  As  nothing  definite 
is  known  of  the  literary  interests  of  these  persons,  the  identification, 
even  if  it  were  certain,  would  contribute  little  to  the  interpretation  of 
the  Epistle. 

The  proper  title  of  this  poem  is  also  uncertain.  It  stands  in  most 
of  the  Mss.  as  a  separate  composition,  just  before  or  just  after  the 
Carmen  Sacctilare,  as  if  it  had  been  published  by  itself  ;  and  it  certainly 
was  put  into  circulation,  with  some  degree  of  publicity,  before  Epist. 
2,  I  was  written.  For  such  publication  its  title  may  have  been  Epist  nla 
ad  Pisones.  But  it  is  referred  to  by  Quintilian,  praef.  2,  in  the  words 
.  .  .  Horati  consilio,  qiti  in  arte  poetica  suadet  .  .  .,  and  again,  8,  3, 
60,  Horatius  in  prima  parte  iibri  de  arte  poetica  fingit,  with  a  quotation 
of  the  first  verse.  This  is  the  title  used  by  most  of  the  grammarians 
and  by  the  scholiasts.  It  is  also  found  in  most  of  the  Mss.,  though  it 
may  well  have  been  introduced  there  from  the  grammatical  tradition. 
In  most  printed  editions,  because  of  the  subject  matter  and  the  date, 
the  poem  is  placed  after  Epist.  2,  2,  as  the  third  Epistle  of  the  Second 
Book,  and  it  is  often  referred  to,  for  convenience,  as  Epist.  2,  3.  If 
Horace  gave  it  a  title,  it  was  probably  Epistula  ad  Pisones,  perhaps 
with  the  addition  of  de  Arte  Poetica  or  Ars  Poetica.  Tradition  has 
fixed  upon  it  the  name  Ars  Poetica. 

The  course  of  thought  from  sentence  to  sentence  and  from  one  para- 
graph to  another  is  easily  followed,  but  it  resists  all  attempts  to  reduce 
it  to  a  scheme.  All  that  can  be  said  is  that  the  Epistle  consists  of  a 
series  of  remarks  upon  poetry,  followed  (from  vs.  309  to  the  end)  by 
similar  remarks  upon  the  training  and  ideals  of  the  poet. 

The  general  course  of  the  thought  is  as  follows :  — 

'A  poem,  like  a  painting,  must  be  well  composed,  not  tricked  out 

189 


2,  3]  HORATI 

with  inharmonious  ornaments  ;  nor  should  the  poet,  avoiding  one  fault, 
fall  into  its  opposite.  Harmony  depends  in  part  upon  a  wise  choice  of 
subject,  which  insures  good  arrangement.  Choice  of  words  also  con- 
tributes to  harmony  of  effect,  for  words  suffer  change,  like  all  human 
things. 

'  The  meters  and  style  of  different  kinds  of  poetry  are  fixed  by  tradi- 
tion, from  which  it  is  not  easy  to  break  away.  Tradition  also  fixes  the 
outlines  of  characters,  and  in  all  these  matters  it  is  best  to  follow  a  good 
model,  in  order  that  your  characters  may  speak  as  befits  their  nature 
and  their  period  of  life. 

'In  the  drama,  too,  one  should  follow  the  best  usage,  with  five  acts 
and  three  speakers.  As  to  the  chorus,  it  should  take  a  sympathetic 
part  in  the  action,  and  the  music  and  the  dress  of  actors  should  not  be 
too  prominent.  The  satyric  drama  presents  peculiar  difficulties,  owing 
to  the  mingling  of  the  heroic  and  the  comic. 

'  In  the  observance  of  metrical  laws  our  Roman  poets  are  too  careless, 
a  fault  for  which,  as  the  history  of  the  Greek  drama  shows,  nothing  will 
atone.  Inspiration  is  not  a  substitute  for  training;  it  is  a  kind  of  mad- 
ness and,  for  myself,  I  prefer  to  avoid  it  and  to  devote  myself  to  laying 
down  laws  for  other  writers. 

'  The  poet  must  enrich  his  mind  by  reading  and  observation  and  train 
himself  to  avoid  faults.  Not  that  all  faults  can  be  avoided  ;  even  Hq»ier 
sometimes  nods.  Yet,  for  a  poet,  mediocrity  is  failure,  and  only  tram- 
ing  can  teach  us  how  to  escape  that.  We  must  listen  to  the  real  critics, 
not  to  flatterers.  Untrained  inspiration  js  mere  madness,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  see  you  a  madman.' 

The  fact  that  the  course  of  thought  is  rambling  is  the  key  to  an 
understanding  of  the  Epistle.  For  this  arrangement  is  not  the  result 
of  carelessness ;  Horace  followed  this  unsystematic  and  yet  closely 
knit  succession  of  topics  from  deliberate  choice.  He  was  not  trying  to 
compose  a  treatise,  but  to  write  an  epistula,  a  sermo.  Like  any  epistle, 
it  is  addressed  to  certain  persons,  and,  like  any  sermo,  it  follows  the 
line  of  easy  transition  by  suggestion  from  one  topic  to  another.  This 
is  in  itself  a  form  of  art,  the  particular  form  to  which  Horace  had  trained 
himself,  and  this  Epistle  is  to  be  interpreted  precisely  as  Epist.  2,  i  and 
2,  2  are  to  be  interpreted.  That  this  intentionally  unsystematic  poem 
should  have  been  taken  for  a  formal  treatise  on  the  art  of  poetry  is 
indeed  surprising;  the  error  was  due  in  part  to  a  too  literal  understand-' 
ing  of  the  traditional  title,  in  part  to  a  general  tendency  among  early 
scholars  to  overvalue  the  content  of  classic  literature.  It  should  be 
valued  rather  as  a  beautifully  finished  sermo,  to  be  studied  for  its  skillful 

190 


EPISTVLAE  [2,  3,  3 

turns  of  thought  and  expression,  its  perfect  phrasing,  its  easy  and  mel- 
low tone. 

On  the  other  side,  the  substance  of  what  is  said  in  the  Ars  Poetica 
comes  from  two  different  sources.  Porphyrion  says  in  his  brief  intro- 
duction that  Horace  has  here  gathered  the  teachings  of  Neoptolemus, 
a  rhetorician  of  the  third  century.  //"//  quidein  omnia,  sed  eminentissinia. 
This  may  very  well  be  correct ;  it  is  at  any  rate  clear  that  Horace  is  in 
part  repeating  and  applying  some  of  the  traditional  doctrines  of  rhetoric, 
in  which,  as  a  lifelong  student  of  the  art  which  he  practiced,  he  was 
certainly  interested.  To  this  source  is  due  the  large  proportion  of 
Greek  literary  history.  Of  all  this  it  is  fair  to  say  that  it  is  interesting 
chiefly  to  students  of  the  history  of  rhetoric.  But  Horace  does  not 
merely  repeat  traditional  doctrine ;  he  also  comments  upon  it,  speaking 
with  the  authority  of  an  older  poet  addressing  a  younger  generation  of 
literary  men.  Our  incomplete  knowledge  of  the  tendencies  of  the 
period  makes  it  difficult  to  understand  fully  the  point  of  some  of  his 
warnings,  but  much  of  it  is  of  universal  application,  even  to  modern 
conditions.  This  is  the  more  valuable  part  of  the  Ars  Poetica,  centering, 
as  it  does,  upon  the  necessity  of  adequate  training  for  the  professional 
man  of  letters.  It  is  at  the  same  time  a  proclamation  of  Horace's  own 
creed  and  thus  a  guide  to  the  interpretation  of  all  his  poetry. 


A 


Humano  capiti  cervicem  pictor  equinam 
iungere  si  velit  et  varias  inducere  plumas 
undique  collatis  membris,  ut  turpiter  atrum 

1-37.   '  Harmony  is  necessary  to  of    creatures.'  —  membris  :     dat. 

a  poem,  as  to  a  picture.'  after  inducere.  —  ut :  the  result  of 

1.  Humano:    the  general  term  the  whole  process,  especially   of 
before    the     specific,    mulier,    as  collatis  membris.      Strictly  taken, 
often.      The  chiastic   order,   adj.-  this  clause  should  be  in  the  form 
noun,  noun-adj.,  is  intentional.  of  another  infinitive;  but  such  a 

2.  velit :  should  clioose,  deliber-  use  of  a  clause  of  result,  to  express 
ately. — varias:    of  many  colors,  some  single  characteristic  of  the 
going  beyond  nature  even  in  this  whole,  is  not  uncommon.  —  turpi- 
detail. — inducere:    lay  on,  as    if  ter  atrum:  to  be  taken  together, 
the   body  were   first    drawn   and  to  balance  formosa  superne\    cf. 
then    the    feathers    were    spread  turpiter  hirtum,  Epist.   i,  3,  22. 
over  it.  This     sense     of    turpis,     '  ugly, 

3.  undique :  i.e.,  ( from  all  kinds  hideous,'  is  frequent. 


2,  3»  4] 


Ho  RAT! 


desinat  in  piscem  mulier  formosa  superne, 
spectatum  admissi  risum  teneatis,  amici  ? 
Credite,  Pisones,  isti  tabulae  fore  librum 
persimilem,  cuius  velut  aegri  somnia  vanae 
fingentur  species,  ut  nee  pes  nee  caput  uni 
reddatur  formae.     '  Pictoribus  atque  poetis 
quidlibet  audendi  semper  fuit  aequa  potestas.' 
Scimus  et  hanc  veniam  petimusque  damusque   vicis- 

sim, 

sed  non  ut  placidis  coeant  immitia,  non  ut 
serpentes  avibus  geminentur,  tigribus  agni. 


4.  mulier :  he  has  in  mind  such 
a  figure  as    Scylla,  in  which    the 
hideousness  of  the  whole  was  in- 
creased by  the  contrast   between 
the  beauty  of  the  face  and  bust 
and  the  ugliness  of  the  body. 

5.  spectatum  admissi :  i.e.,  ad- 
mitted to  a   private  view   in   the 
painter's  studio.  —  amici :  general, 
my  friends,  yet  immediately  made 
definite  by  the  address  in  the  next 
line,  as,  indeed,  the  whole  point 
of  vss.  1-5  is  general,  until   the 
application    is   reached    in    vs.  6. 
Cf.  the  beginning  of  Kpist.  2,  2. 

7.  vanae  :  unreal,  i.e.,  fantastic, 
without  any  corresponding  reality. 

8.  species :      images,     l  concep- 
tions.' —  ut   nee   pes   nee   caput  : 
the  expression  is  not  strictly  logi- 
cal ;  the  common  phrase  nee  pes 
nee  caput  (<  neither  head  nor  tail ') 
would  properly  require  something 
like     'shall     be    distinguishable' 
(adparet,  Plaut.  Asin.  729)  or  it 
should  be  ut  et  pes  et  caput  non. .  .  . 


9.  reddatur :  belong  to, '  be  suit- 
able to.' 

9-10.  The  objection  of  an  imag- 
ined hearer.  —  quidlibet  audendi : 
i.e.,  •  of  using  their  imagination 
freely.'  —  aequa:  'a  like  power,' 
'an  equal  power.'  This  word 
merely  repeats  the  implication  of 
pictoribus  atque  poetis,  '  poets 
as  well  as  painters' ;  the  em- 
phasis is  upon  semper  fnit  potes- 
tas. 

n.  vicissim  :  />.,  'we  poets  ex- 
pect it  from  painters,  and  we  also 
grant  it  to  them.' 

12-13.  coeant :  in  the  general 
sense,  unite,  as  in  Epist.  1, 5, 25  f., 
ttt  coeat  par  iungaturque  pari ; 
but  the  general  sense  is  repeated 
in  clearer  form  in  the  next  verse, 
where  serpentes  corresponds  to 
imnritia,  avibus  to  placidis,  and 
geminentur,  '  pair,'  is  a  more  defi- 
nite expression  for  coeant. — The 
pairing  of  creatures  of  different 
species  is  often  used  to  typify  the 


192 


Kl'ISTYl.A! 


1 2,  3.  24 


Inceptis  gravibus  plcrumque  et  magna  professis 
15      purpureus,  late  qui  splcadcat,  unus  et  alter 

adsuitur  pannus,  cum  lucus  et  ara  Dianae 

et  properantis  aquae  per  amoenos  ambitus  agros 

aut  flumen  Rhenum  aut  pluvius  describitur  arcus. 

Sed  mine  non  erat  his  locus.     Et  fortasse  cupressum 
20      scis  simulare  :  quid  hoc,  si  fractis  enatat  exspes 

navibus  acre  dato  qui  pingitur  ?     Amphora  coepit 

institui,  currente  rota  cur  urceus  exit  ? 

Denique  sit  quod  vis,  simplex  dumtaxat  et  unum. 

Maxima  pars  vatum,  pater  et  iuvenes  patre  digni, 


unnatural  or  the  impossible,  e.g., 
Epod.  1 6,  30-32. 

14.  That  is,  the  poem  begins  as 
an  epic  in  the  grand  style,  dealing 
with  the  heroic. 

15-16.  purpureus  .  .  .  pannus : 
this  is  one  of  the  phrases  that  have 
come  over  from  Horace  into  mod- 
ern thought.  The  allusion  is  not 
to  the  purple  stripe  on  the  tunic, 
which  would  not  suggest  incon- 
gruity to  a  Roman,  but  to  a  patch 
of  bright  color  sewed  on  where  it 
did  not  belong. 

17-18.  These  examples  may 
very  well  have  been  taken  from 
poems  then  in  circulation,  so  that 
the  allusions  would  be  at  once 
identified ;  cf.  defingit  Rheni 
luteitm  capiit  (Sat.  i,  10,  37)  from 
a  poem  of  Furius  Hibaculus. 

19.  sed:  />..' they  are  all  very 
fine.  but.  .  .  .'  —  et :  •  and  in  the 
same  way.' 

20.  scis :     '  the    motive    which 
leads  to  such  incongruities  is  the 

HOR.  Ei1.  —  13  i 


writer's  belief  that  he  has  special 
skill  in  such  descriptions,  or,  to 
return  to  the  painter's  art,  in  the 
painting  of  certain  objects.'  - 
enatat:  /'.<?.,  'if  he  is  to  be  repre- 
sented as  swimming  ashore.'  The 
reference  is  to  the  pictures  which 
were  hung  in  temples  to  express 
gratitude  for  escape  from  peril, 
and  which  represented  the  scene 
of  escape.  Cf.  Cann.  i,  5,  13  ff., 
Sat.  2,  i.  33  and  note. 

21-22.  aere  dato:  'and  he  has 
paid  good  money  for  it.  too.'  — 
amphora  :  the  larger  vessel  corre- 
sponds to  magna  professis,  vs.  1 4, 
and  the  smaller  i/rcer/s,  in  a  less 
definite  way,  to  the  petty  details 
upon  which  the  poet  spends  his 
efforts.  This  shifts  the  thought 
slightly,  from  the  lack  of  harmony 
to  the  lack  of  consistency  and  te- 
nacity in  the  purpose  of  the  writer. 

23.  A  summary  of  the  thought 
up  to  this  point. 

24-30.    'Incongruities  are  often 


,  3,  25] 


HMKATl 


25      decipimur  specie  recti  :  brevis  esse  laboro, 
obscurus  fio ;  sectantem  levia  nervi 
deficiunt  animique  ;  professus  grandia  target ; 
serpit  humi  tutus  nimium  timidusque  procellae; 
qui  variare  cupit  rem  prodigialiter  unam, 

30      delphinum  silvis  appingit,  fluctibus  aprum. 
In  vitium  ducit  culpae  fuga,  si  caret  arte. 
Aemilium  circa  ludum  f aber  imus  et  ungues 
exprimet  et  molles  imitabitur  acre  capillos, 


the  result  of  a  desire  for  variety, 
as  other  faults  are  the  result  of  the 
desire  to  attain  to  some  particular 
virtue  of  style.' 

25.  specie  recti :  i.e.,  'by  a  per- 
ception of  some  excellence  with- 
out due  regard  to  the  fact  that  it 
may  lead  to  a  defect.1     The  char- 
acteristics  mentioned   are   all    in 
themselves  desirable  ;  the  sugges- 
tion that  they  are  misleading  lies 
in    decipimur    and,    slightly,    in 
specie. 

26.  levia :  polish,  as    in   nimis 
aspera  sano  levabit  cultu,  Epist. 
2,  2,  122  f. —  nervi:  cf.  Sat.  2,  I, 
2,  sine  nervis,  of  one  judgment  of 
the  Satires,  opposed  to  nimis  acer. 

27.  The  danger  of  falling  into 
bombast  in  the  attempt  to  write  in 
a  lofty  style  was  constantly  before 
the  mind   of  Horace ;    it   is   the 
fault   which    he    most   sedulously 
avoids.  —  professus :     not   essen- 
tially different  from  sectantem. 

28.  tutus    nimium:     />.,   'one 
who  is  too  anxious  to  be  safe.'  — 
timidus  procellae  :  —  diim  procel- 


las  cautus  horrescis,  Carm.  2,  10, 
2  f.,  where  also  tutus  is  used 
almost  as  it  is  here. 

29-30.  '  So  it  is,  in  seeking  va- 
riety of  ornament,  that  one  falls 
into  the  absurdities  of  which  I  was 
speaking  above.' — cupit:  is  anx- 
ious, as  the  desires  are  expressed 
above  by  strong  words,  laboro, 
sectantem,  professus.  —  prodigia- 
liter :  a  rare  word,  perhaps  coined 
by  Horace  (cf.  Epist.  2,  2,  119)  ; 
to  be  taken  with  variare ;  '  to  in- 
troduce such  variety  as  to  be  like 
a  miracle,'  'to  be  wonderfully 
varied.'  —  unam:  with  emphasis, 
at  the  end  of  the  verse  and  in  con- 
trast to  prodigialiter.  —  The  in- 
stances in  vs.  30  are  merely  vivid 
expressions  of  the  thought  of  vss. 
1 6- 1 8  and  especially  vs.  20  f. 

31.   A  summary,  like  vs.  23. 

32-34.  Aemilium  circa  ludum: 
in  the  irregularity  of  an  ancient 
city,  where  few  streets  were  named 
and  no  buildings  were  numbered, 
localities  could  be  described  only 
by  reference  to  some  known  build- 


194 


EPISTVLAE 


3.  44 


infelix  opcris  summa,  quia  ponere  totum 
35      nesciet.     Hunc  ego  me,  si  quid  com  ponere  curem, 
non  magis  esse  velim,  quam  pravo  vivere  naso, 
spectandum  nigris  oculis  nigroque  capillo. 
Sumite  materiam  vestris,  qui  scribitis,  aequam 
viribus,  et  versate  diu,  quid  ferre  recusent, 
40      quid  valeant  umeri :  cui  lecta  potenter  erit  res, 
nee  facundia  deseret  hunc  nee  lucidus  ordo. 
Ordinis  haec  virtus  erit  et  venus,  aut  ego  fallor, 
ut  iam  nunc  dicat  iam  nunc  debentia  dici, 
pleraque  differat  et  praesens  in  tempus  omittat. 


ing  or  statue  or  arch.  The  Aemi- 
UHS  Indus  was  a  building  used  for 
a  gladiatorial  school,  having  shops 
about  it  opening  on  the  street.  In 
one  of  these  —  at  the  bottom 
(iwus),  away  from  the  Forum  — 
was  a  sculptor,  whom  Horace 
chooses  to  designate  only  by  giv- 
ing the  location  of  his  shop.  He 
was  successful  in  details,  —  even 
in  the  difficult  matter  of  represent- 
ing flowing  hair  in  bronze,  —  but 
unsuccessful  in  the  total  result  of 
his  work.  —  ponere  totum  :  =  com- 
ponere,  '  to  bring  the  whole  into 
unity.1 

37.  The   beauty   of  black   hair 
and  black  eyes  appears  to  be  tra- 
ditional    (cf.    Carm.    i,    32,    n), 
though  they  must  have  been  very 
common  among  the  Romans. 

38-45.   On    the   choice   and  ar- 
rangement of  material  for  a  poem. 

38.  materiam:  literally  building 
material,  and  this  meaning  is  suf- 
ficiently strong  in  Horace's  mind 


to  find  half-expression  in  umeri, 
vs.  40.  —  vestris  :  any  poets,  not 
especially  the  Pisones.  —  aequam : 
suited  to. 

40.  potenter:  'according  to  his 
powers,'  repeating  quid  ferre  .  .  . 
valeant  umeri. 

41.  facundia :  the  technical  term 
is  elocutio;  the  meaning  is  given 
in  46,   in  verbis   serendis,  in  the 
choice  and  use  of  words,  diction. 
—  ordo :  this  is  taken  up  first,  in 
vss.  42-44.  because  the  treatment 
of  it   is  to   be   brief,  while  much 
more  space,  vss.  46-72,  is  given  to 
facundia. 

42-44.  venus :  charm.  —  aut  ego 
fallor:  'if  I  am  not  mistaken.1 
This  conventional  phrase  is  in- 
serted here  because  the  brevity 
and  positiveness  of  the  statement 
seems  to  lack  modesty.  —  differat. 
omittat :  the  expression  is  doubled 
for  emphasis  and  to  correspond  to 
the  emphatic  iam  nunc  .  .  .  iam 
nunc. 


195 


2,  3»  46] 


IIORATI 


46      In  verbis  etiam  tenuis  cautusque  serenclis 
45      hoc  amet,  hoc  spernat  promissi  carminis  auctpr. 
Dixeris  egregie,  notum  si  callida  verbum 
reddiderit  iunctura  novum.     Si  forte  necesse  est 
indiciis  monstrare  recentibus  abdita  rerum, 
50      fingere  cinctutis  non  exaudita  Cethegis 

continget,  dabiturque  licentia  sumpta  pudenter. 
Et  nova  fictaque  nuper  habebunt  verba  fidem,  si 
Graeco  fonte  cadent,  parce  detorta :  quid  autem 


46.  tenuis :  to  be  taken  in  sense 
especially  v/ith^awet,  as  cautus  is 
to    be   taken   with   spernat ;    '  he 
must   be  critical  (fine,  subtle)  in 
accepting  words,  and  equally  cau- 
tious in  rejecting.1 

45.  promissi  carminis  auctore: 
i.e.,  '  in  the  actual  work  of  compo- 
sition, when  he  comes  to  the  car- 
rying out  of  his  intentions.' 

47.  dixeris  egregie;     i.e.,  'your 
diction  will  be  particularly  happy, 
successful.'     This  is  only  a  varia- 
tion  on   the   form  of  vs.    42 ;    it 
might   have  been  facundiae  haec 
I'irtns  erit. 

47-48.  callida  .  .  .  iunctura :  the 
skillful  putting  together  of  common 
words,  so  that  the  meaning  of  each 
is  slightly  shifted,  will  often  pro- 
duce all  the  effect  of  novelty. 
Horace  was  himself  particularly 
successful  in  this,  and  many  such 
combinations  may  be  found  in  the 
poems,  especially  in  the  Odes; 
perhaps  the  best  known  is  splrn- 
dide  wfttdij.r,  though  the  effect  is 
even  better  seen  in  less  daring 
combinations. 


49.  indiciis:  tokens,  signs,   i.e., 
'words,'  used  instead  of  verbis  to 
carry  out  the  figure  of  monstrare 
abdita.  —  abdita  rerum :    a  rather 
frequent  form  of  expression ;  Sat. 
2,  2,  25,  vanis  rerum',  2,   8,  83, 
fictis    rerum.      The    meaning  is 
'  to    express    ideas    hitherto    un- 
expressed,   by    means    of  words 
which  will  necessarily  be  new.' 

50.  fingere :  the  making  of  new 
words  is  most  happily  illustrated 
by  cincttttis,  which  does  not  occur 
before  this  in  the  extant  literature 
and     was     probably     coined     by 
Horace.     It   means  'clad    in   the 
cinctusj   a   kind  of  loin  cloth    or 
kilt   which   was   used    before   the 
tunic  as   an  undergarment.  —  Ce- 
thegis :  cf.  Epist.   2,    2,    117  and 
note. 

51.  continget:    'you   will  have 
occasion    to.  .  .  .'  —  sumpta :     a 
condensed  condition. 

52.  et :  and  aho ;   in    addition 
to  the  new  words  like  cinftiiti*. 

53.  Graeco  fonte:  Horace  rarely 
uses    Latinized    forms    of   Greek 
words  and  cannot  be  here  recom- 


196 


El'IsrVLAE 


Caecilio  Plautoque  dabit  Romanus,  ademptum 
55      Vergilio  Varioque?     Ego  cur,  acquirere  pauca 
•  si  possum,  invideor,  cum  lingua  Catonis  et  Enni 
sermonem  patrium  ditaverit  et  nova  rerum 
nomina  protulerit?     Licuit  semperque  licebit 
signatum  praesente  nota  producere  nomen. 
60      Vt  silvae  foliis  pronos  mutantur  in  annos, 

prima  cadunt,  ita  verborum  vetus  interit  aetas, 


mending  such  additions  to  the 
Roman  vocabulary.  He  does, 
however,  make  large  use  of  words 
suggested  by  Greek  compounds  or 
derivatives  (centimanns,  inandax, 
perhaps  potenter,  vs.  40),  in  which 
a  new  meaning  is  given  to  a 
Latin  stem.  This  slight  shift  of 
meaning  is  expressed  in  parce  de- 
torta.  The  novelty  would  in  such 
words  be  essentially  the  same  as 
that  given  to  Roman  words  by  the 
callida  iunctura. 

54.  dabit,  ademptum :  the  illogi- 
cal structure   (for  datum,  adimet} 
is  intentional  and  points  to  some 
definite  criticism  ;  '  he  has  already 
refused   the  right    to  Vergil.      Is 
he  now  proposing  to  grant  it  to 
Plautus  ? '     Both    during  his  life- 
time  and  after   his  death    Vergil 
was  criticized  on  the  ground  that 
his  style  was  not  pure  Latin,  as  is 
evident,   for    instance,    from    the 
parody  of  Eclog.  3,  i .  cm' ion  pecus, 
anne    Latin  ton  ?      It    is    against 
some  critic  of  this  school  that  this 
question  is  directed.  —  Romanus : 
with  emphasis ;  '  and  he  a  Roman  !' 

55.  pauca:  this  is  the  same  as 


sumpta  pudenter,  vs.  51,  and  the 
opposite  of  ditaverit. 

56.  invideor:  the  usual  passive 
is  invidetur  mi/ti,  preserving  in 
the  passive  the  dative  construction 
of  the  active  voice.  This  dative, 
however,  is  essentially  the  same 
thing  as  an  accus.,  and  the  use  of 
invideor  is  merely  a  sporadic  in- 
stance of  the  process  of  adjusting 
language,  by  analogy,  to  prevailing 
tendencies.  It  has  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  <f>6ovovfJiai.  — 
Catonis  et  Enni:  cf.  Epist.  2,  2, 
117.  Ennius  was  probably  the 
greatest  innovator  in  the  history 
of  Latin  literature. 

58-59  licuit,  licebit :  emphatic, 
with  reference  to  dabit,  adeinptum. 
54 ;  '  on  the  contrary,  neither  to 
writers  of  the  past  nor  to  those  of 
the  future  is  this  right  denied.' 
—  praesente  nota :  =  indiciis  re- 
centibus,  vs.  49,  with  the  added 
suggestion  of  the  figure  of  coinage, 
the  figure  which  has  become  tradi- 
tional in  English. 

60-62.  '  As  in  the  woods,  with 
the  passing  years,  the  leaves 
change,  those  of  one  year  falling 


197 


2,  3.  62] 


HORATI 


et  iuvenurn  ritu  florent  modo  nata  vigentque. 
Debemur  morti  nos  nostraque,  sive  receptus 
terra  Neptunus  classes  Aquilonibus  arcet 
regis  opus,  sterilisve  diu  palus  aptaque  remis 
vicinas  urbes  alit  et  grave  sentit  aratrum  ; 
seu  cursum  mutavit  iniquum  frugibus  amnis, 


and  new  ones  growing  in  their 
place,  so  words  grow  old  and 
perish,  passing  like  the  genera- 
tions of  men  from  birth  to  matur- 
ity and  then  to  death.1 — foliis: 
abl.  with  mutant 'ur ;  it  does  not 
matter  whether  it  is  called  an  abl. 
of  instrument  or  of  limitation 
(respect).  —  pronos:  the  year 
glides  down  toward  its  end ;  cf. 
pronos  volvere  mensts,  Carm.  4, 
6,  39.  —  in  annos :  '  with  each 
year.1  The  distributive  meaning 
is  common,  e.g.,  in  horas,  vs.  160. 
—  prima  cadunt :  this,  in  the  con- 
text, implies  the  converse,  'and 
new  ones  grow,'  the  two  sentences 
being  parenthetical.  —  iuvenum 
ritu :  '  like  the  generations  of  men.1 
Here  also  a  part  of  the  thought  — 
'  and  finally  perish  '  —  is  left  to  be 
supplied  from  the  context. 

63-68.  '  All  things  perish,  even 
the  greatest  works  of  men.'  This 
general  truth  is  illustrated  by  allu- 
sions to  three  great  pieces  of 
engineering  work,  planned  or  un- 
dertaken by  Julius  Caesar  or 
Augustus.  The  course  of  thought 
demands  that  they  should  be  works 
which  were  either  carried  to  com- 
pletion or  at  least  so  far  advanced 


that  Horace  could  think  of  them 
as  practically  completed.  The 
first  is  either  the  cutting  into  the 
Lucrine  Lake  to  make  a  harbor 
(a  work  of  no  great  magnitude, 
carried  out  by  Agrippa)  or  the 
making  of  a  similar  harbor  at 
Ostia  (planned  by  Julius  Caesar 
and  perhaps  carried  on  by  Au- 
gustus). The  second  was  the 
draining  of  the  Pomptine  marshes, 
also  planned  by  Julius  Caesar, 
but  never  completed.  The  third 
was  the  straightening  of  the  Tiber 
to  prevent  floods  and  protect  the 
farm  lands  ;  this  was  another  large 
project  ascribed  to  Caesar,  and 
some  progress  was  made  upon  it 
under  Augustus.  So  far  as  we 
can  judge,  with  our  scanty  knowl- 
edge, Horace  is  alluding  to  great 
works  which  seemed  to  be  so  far 
advanced  that  he  could  regard 
them  as  completed.  Whether  the 
first  was  the  Lucrine  Lake  or  the 
port  at  Ostia  does  not  matter  to 
the  sense.  —  regis  opus:  a  royal 
work.  —  palus :  this  is  a  very  un- 
usual prosody.  —  iniquum  frugi- 
bus :  this  would  imply  that  the 
work  was  clone  on  the  river  either 
above  or  below  the  city. 


198 


El'ISTVLAE 


3.  77 


doctus  iter  melius  :  mortalia  facta  peribunt, 
nedum  sermonum  stet  honos  et  gratia  vivax. 

70      Multa  renascentur,  quae  iam  cecidere,  cadentque 
quae  nunc  sunt  in  honore  vocabula,  si  volet  usus, 
quern  penes  arbitrium  est  et  ius  et  norma  loquendi. 
Res  gestae  regumque  ducumque  et  tristia  bella 
quo  scribi  possent  numero  monstravit  Homerus. 

75      Versibus  impariter  iunctis  querimonia  primum, 
post  etiam  inclusa  est  voti  sententia  compos. 
Quis  tamen  exiguos  elegos  emiserit  auctor, 


68-69.  mortalia  .  .  .  peribunt : 
repeating  debemur  morti  nos  nos- 
traque,  to  summarize  the  thought 
and  prepare  for  the  application. 

—  sermonum :   not  exactly  verbo- 
rum,  but  '  habits  of  speech,' '  ways 
of  speaking/  —  vivax :  to  be  taken 
closely  with  stet;  'maintain  their 
living  force.' 

70-72.  The  thought  here  goes 
back  to  the  positive  statements  of 
vss.  60-62.  —  usus :  usage,  as  in 
Epist.  2,  2,  119,  genitor  .  .  .  usus. 

—  arbitrium,  ius,  norma :   decision, 
rights,    standard.      Horace    uses 
three    words    to    emphasize     the 
thought  that  the  making  and  un- 
making of  forms  of  speech  is  not, 
after  all,  in  spite  of  his  injunctions 
to   the   poet,   determined    by  any 
individual,  but  by  general  usage. 
The  three  nouns   merely  express 
a  single  idea  with  slightly  varying 
shadings. 

73-98.  On  the  forms  that  are 
suitable  to  the  different  kinds  of 
matter.  —  This  goes  bi\ck,  over  the 


intervening  parts,  or  do  unA 
dia,  and  connects  with  sunute 
materiain,  vs.  38.  It  is  to  be  re- 
membered that  in  the  forms  of 
poetry,  and  especially  in  the  meters 
appropriated  to  particular  subjects, 
classical  literature,  both  Greek  and 
Latin,  was  much  more  strongly 
traditional  than  modern  literature. 

73-74.  •  The  hexameter  is  to  be 
used  for  epic  poetry.'  —  res  gestae : 
i.e.,  historical  events  and  actions, 
not  mythological  or  legendary, 
which  belong  to  tragedy  (regnm 
facta,  Sat.  i,  10,  42  f.).  He  is 
thinking  of  the  Roman  historical 
epic,  like  the  Annals  of  Ennius. 

75-78.  Elegiac  verse,  the  coup- 
let made  up  of  a  hexameter  and 
a  pentameter.  —  querimonia :  la- 
ments, like  songs  of  grief  for  the 
dead.  —  voti  sententia  compos :  i.e., 
the  expression  of  thanks  for  the 
granting  of  a  prayer,  which  was 
expressed  in  the  form  of  a  dedica- 
tory epigram.  —  The  rhetoricians 
(grammatici)  made  it  a  part  of 


199 


2,  3,  78] 


1 1C)  R  ATI 


grammatici,certant  et  adhuc  sub  iudice  lis  est. 

Archilochum  proprio  rabies  armavit  iambo ; 
80      hunc  socci  cepere  pedem  grandesque  cothurni, 

alternis  aptum  sermonibus,  et  populares 

vincentem  strepitus  et  natum  rebus  agendis. 

Musa  dedit  fidibus  divos  puerosque  deorum 

ct  pugilem  victorem  et  equum  certamine  primum 
85      et  iuvenum  curas  et  libera  vina  referre. 

Descriptas  servare  vices  operumque  colores 

cur  ego  si  nequeo  ignoroque  poeta  salutor  ? 

Cur  nescire  pudens  prave  quam  discere  malo  ? 

Versibus  exponi  tragicis  res  comica  non  vult. 

Indignatur  item  privatis  ac  prope  socco 


90 

their  doctrine  to  determine  in  the 
case  of  each  kind  of  meter  who  was 
its  •  inventor,'  as  here  Homer  is  re- 
garded as  the  inventor  of  the  hex- 
ameter, and  Archilochus  of  the 
lyric  iambics.  —  exiguos  :  in  con- 
trast to  the  hexameter,  which  was 
used  for  large  subjects  and  long 
poems. 

79.  proprio :     his  own  because 
invented  by  him.     Cf.  also  Epist. 
I,  19,  24 f.,  30  f. 

80.  hunc  .  .  .  pedem :  the  iambus 
passed   over   (in  the  trimeter)   to 
the  drama. — socci,  cothurni :   the 
common   designation    of    comedy 
and  tragedy  by  the  shoes  worn  by 
actors  in  them. 

81-82.  alternis  .  .  .  sermoni- 
bus :  dialogue,  especially  that  in 
which  two  characters  speak  alter- 
nate lines. — rebus  agendis:  i.e., 
for  accompanying  action  on  the 
stage. 


83-85.  fidibus :  the  lyric  meters. 
—  The  proper  subjects  are  hymns 
to  the  gods  and  heroes,  odes  com- 
memorating victories  in  the  games, 
love  poems  and  drinking  songs. 
These  are  all  varieties  of  lyric 
poetry  recognized  in  rhetoric. 

86-87.  descriptas  servare  vices : 
this  connects  immediately  with  the 
preceding,  vss.  73-85  ;  '  these  are 
the  accepted  canons  of  poetic  form. 
If  through  ignorance  I  fail  to  ob- 
serve them,  then  I  am  not  a  poet 
at  all.'  —  descriptas :  '  laid  down  in 
rhetorical  theory  and  here  re- 
peated.' 

88.  pudens . . .  malo  ;  'out  of  false 
shame,'  that  pudor  malus  which 
leads  one  to  conceal  his  defects 
instead  of  seeking  a  cure  for  them. 
Cf.  Epist.  i,  1 6,  24. 

90-91.  privatis:  with  carmini- 
bus;  'poetry  that  deals  with  the 
affairs  of  ordinary  people,'  in  dis- 


200 


EHSTVLAE 


[2,3.99 


dignis  carminibus  narrari  cena  Thycstae. 


Singula  quaeque  locum  teneant  sortita  decentem. 
Interdum  tamen  et  vocem  comoedia  tollit, 
iratusque  Chremes  tumido  delitigat  ore  ; 
95      ct  tragicus  plerumque  dolet  sermone  pedestri 
Telephus  et  Peleus,  cum  pauper  et  exul  uterque 
proicit  ampullas  et  sesqtiipedalia  verba, 
si  curat  cor  spectantis  tetigisse  querela. 
Non  satis  est  pulchra  esse  poemata ;  dulcia  sunto, 


tinction  from  a  tragedy  involving 
a  king  of  heroic  legend.  Atreus 
gave  to  Thyestes  the  flesh  of  his 
own  children  to  eat. 

92.  A  summarizing  statement  at 
the  close  of  the  argument,  followed 
by  an  acknowledgment  that  there 
are  exceptional  cases. —  singula  : 
'  each  form  of  poetry,'  epic,  elegiac, 
lyric. — sortita:  the  meaning  of 
st>rs,  '  lot,'  is  frequently  left  out  of 
the  verb,  which  means  only  '  to 
obtain,  secure,  receive.'  Here  it 
is  'the  place  which  custom JjjL 
assigned  to  them.' — decenfiRn: 
with  emphasis;  'and  to  which 
good  taste  confines  them.'  locum 
teneant  of  course  involves  a  figure, 
the  literal  meaning  being,  '  let 
each  kind  of  writing  use  the  meter 
and  style  which  belongs  to  it.' 

93-94.  The  kind  of  scene  in 
comedy  where  an  angry  father 
(C/trewes)  berates  his  son,  which 
Horace  has  already  used  {Sat.  I, 
4.  48  flf.)  in  his  argument  to  prove 
that  comedy  is  not  poetry,  in  tlie 
full  sense  of  the  word.  The  ex- 


ample is  probably  taken  from  some 
book  on  rhetoric. 

95-98.   '  Tragedy  also  will  occa- 
sionally use    an    ordinary  style.' 

—  tragicus  :      with     Telephus    et 
Peleus ;    'in    tragedy,'  as  in  S<i/. 
2,  5,   91,  Daiws  sfs  coniicus,  'be 
like  Davus  m  a  comedy.' — dolet- 
/'.*.,    'expresses    his    sorrows.'  — 
Telephus  and  Peleus  are  illustra- 
tions of  tragic  characters  in  pov- 
erty   or    exile,    in    circumstances 
which   reduce  them   to   the   level 
and  language  of  common  people. — 
ampullas :  Epist.  i,  3,  14  and  note. 

—  sesquipedalia :     this     word     is 
used  literally  by  various  writers ; 
the  humorous  meaning,  when  it  is 
applied  to  words,  is  strengthened 
by  the   length  of  the  word  itself 
and  it  is  only  in  this  use  and  sense 
that  it  has  come  over  into  English 

—  perhaps  from  this  passage. 
99-111.    'So,    in    general,    the 

effectiveness  of  poetry,  especially 
of  dramatic  poetry,  depends  upon 
the  use  of  a  fitting  style.' 
99-100.   pulchra,  dulcia :  'beau- 


201 


2,  j,  100] 


HOKATI 


loo    et,  quocumque  volent,  animum  auditoris  agunto. 
Vt  ridentibus  arrident,  ita  flentibus  adsunt 
human!  vultus  :  si  vis  me  flere,  dolendum  est 
primum  ipsi  tibi ;  tune  tua  me  infortunia  laedent, 
Telephe  vel  Peleu  ;  male  si  mandata  loqueris, 

105    aut  dormitabo  aut  ridebo.     Tristia  maestum 
vultum  verba  decent,  iratum  plena  minarum, 
ludentem  lasciva,  severum  seria  dictu. 
Format  enim  natura  prius  nos  intus  ad  omnem 
fortunarum  habitum  ;  iuvat  aut  impellit  ad  iram, 

no    aut  ad  humum.  maerore  gravi  deducit  et  angit ; 
post  effert  animi  motus  interprete  lingua. 

tiful   in   themselves,  as  works   of     mandata:  i.e.,  'if  the  words  that 


art1;  'charming  in  their  effect.' 
Catullus,  86,  expresses  the  same 
difference  between  two  women  by 
pulchra  and  formosa.  —  sunto  et 
.  .  .  agunto ;  paratactic  coordina- 
tion; 'but  if  they  are  delightful, 
then  they  will  move  .  .  .  .' 

101-102.  'The  emotions  felt  and 
expressed  by  the  speaker  and 
actor  excite  similar  emotions  in 
the  hearers  and  spectators.'  The 
thought  is  not  clearly  expressed. 
luimani  vultus  means  the  expres- 
sion, and  therefore  the  emotions, 
of  the  audience,  but  the  word  vul- 
tus  is  selected  really  with  reference 
to  the  mobile  face  of  the  actor,  to 
whom  ridentibus  and  flentibus  re- 
fer. Adsunt  is  a  more  general 
term  than  arrident,  used  in  the 
second  part  of  the  comparison ; 
'respond  to,'  'sympathize  with.' 

104.  The  thought  goes  back  for 
a  moment  to  vs.  96.  — male  .  .  . 


the  speaker  utters  sound  merely 
like  things  he  has  been  told  to  say 
(inandata),  and,  still  worse,  are 
ill-adapted  to  his  situation  {male 
mandata').'' 

1 06.  vultum  :  as  above,  both  the 
emotion  and  the  expression  of  face 
which  accompanies  the  emotion. 
In  this  whole  passage  Horace  is 
thinking  of  the  effect  of  a  play 
upon  the  spectators,  and  is  identi- 
fying the  expression  of  the  actor 
with  his  feeling. 

108-111.  'For,  by  a  law  of  na- 
ture, all  emotions  come  from  with- 
in, and  then  find  expression  in 
words.'  This  is  the  reason  why  the 
words  should  correspond  to  the 
looks  and  the  emotions.  —  format: 
this  general  word  is  explained  by 
iuvat,  imftcllif,  an^it,  expressing 
the  various  '  forms '  of  emotion.  — 
prius  :  '  before  we  speak ' ;  the 
sense  is  completed  by  post,  vs. 


203 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,3-  "9 


Si  dicentis  erunt  fortunis  absona  dicta, 
Romani  tollent  equites  peditesque  cachinnum. 
Intererit  multum  divusne  loquatur  an  heros, 
115    maturusne  senex  an  adhuc  florente  iuventa 
fervidus,  an  matrona  potens,  an  sedula  nutrix, 
mercatorne  vagus,  cultorne  virentis  agelli, 
Colchus  an  Assyrius,  Thebis  nutritus  an  Argis. 
Aut  famam  sequere,  aut  sibi  convenientia  finge. 


in.  —  ad  .  .  .  habitum :  '  accord- 
ing to  the  varying  circumstances  of 
our  lives  {fortunarum)?  —  effert : 
the  subject  is  natura  ;  '  expresses,' 
'  brings  out  from  within  (/«//«).' 

112-113.  Line  1 12  summarizes  in 
negative  form  the  thought  which 
has  just  been  expressed  positively, 
and  at  the  same  time  introduces  a 
treatment  of  the  same  theme  from 
a  different  point  of  view.  — absona: 
the  opposite  of  vss.  105-107. — 
equites  peditesque:  Horace  fre- 
quently uses  eqites,  equites,  to  de- 
note the  more  cultivated  part  of 
the  audience  or  of  the  reading 
public.  Here,  desiring  to  refer  to 
the  whole  audience,  he  uses  the 
customary  word,  and  then  humor- 
ously adds  petiites,  playing  upon 
the  literal  meaning  of  equites. 

114. ,  divusne  an  heros  :  i.e.,  be- 
tween a  god  and  a  man,  even  a 
hero  such  as  would  appear  on  the 
stage  with  a  divinity. 

115-118.  Classical  drama  was 
more  limited  and  conventional  in 
its  range  of  characters  than  modern 
fiction,  and  the  persons  represented 
are  easily  classified,  as  here.  Such 


lists  are  given  often  in  rhetorical 
writings.  Horace  is  merely  select- 
ing  a  few  well-known  types,  in 
contrasting  pairs,  the  old  man  and 
the  young  man,  the  mistress  of  the 
household  and  the  old  nurse,  the 
trader  or  sailor  and  the  farmer.  — 
In  vs.  118  the  contrast  is  carried 
out  rather  elaborately ;  the  two 
barbarians  are  contrasted  with  the 
two  Greeks,  and  then  with  each 
other.  This  corresponds  to  reality 
in  the  contrast  of  the  Colchian 
(the  wilder  and  more  savage  type) 
with  the  Assyrian  (the  effeminate 
Oriental),  but  there  is  not,  in  re- 
ality or  in  tradition,  any  such  dis- 
tinct contrast  between  the  Theban 
and  the  Argive.  Horace  is  prob 
ably  thinking  of  the  legends  which 
brought  the  two  cities  into  conflict, 
like  the  Seven  against  Thebes  of 
Aeschylus. 

119.  This  line,  again,  is  both 
summary  and  transition,  carrying 
the  thought  on  from  harmony  be- 
tween the  speaker  and  his  words 
to  harmony  in  the  character  it- 
self. 


203 


2,  3,   120] 


HOKATI 


120    Scriptor  honoratum  si  forte  reponis  Achillem, 
impiger,  iracundus,  inexorabilis,  acer 
iura  neget  sibi  nata,  nihil  non  adroget  armis. 
Sit  Medea  ferox  invictaque,  flebilis  Ino, 
perfidus  Ixion,  lo  vaga,  tristis  Orestes. 

125     Si  quid  inexpertum  scaenae  committis,  et  audes 
personam  formare  novam,  servetur  ad  imura 
qualis  ab  incepto  processerit  et  sibi  constet. 
Difficile  est  proprie  communia  dicere,  tuque 
rectius  Iliacum  carmen  deducis  in  actus, 

130    quam  si  proferres  ignota  indictaque  primus. 
Publica  materies  privati  iuris  erit,  si 


1 20.  scriptor :  closely  with  re- 
ponis,  whicli  is  so  general  in  mean- 
ing that  it  needs  a  definition.  — 
honoratum :  i.e.,  as  the  great  hero 
of  the  Iliad,  with  the  characteristics 
which  belong  to  him  in  tradition. 

122.  The  two  parts  of  the  line 
say  the  same  thing  in  two  different 
ways  ;  '  let  him  refuse  to  acknowl- 
edge laws,  but  instead  appeal  al- 
ways to  arms.'  The  traditional 
contrast  between  laws  and  arms, 
between  peace  and  war,  underlies 
the  form  of  expression. 

123-124.  These  are  typical  ex- 
amples from  Greek  legends,  each 
character  having  its  descriptive 
adjective.  They  illustrate  the  first 
part  of  vs.  119,  the  following  of 
tradition. 

125.  inexpertum:  this  takes  up 
the  possibility  implied  in  the  sec- 
ond half  of  vs.  119. —  scaenae: 
Horace  is  not  here  specifically  dis- 
cussing the  drama,  as  a  particular 


poetic  form  distinct  from  the  epic 
or  the  lyric,  but,  since  the  delinea- 
tion of  heroic  character  was  to  be 
found  chiefly  in  tragedy,  he  uses 
terms  of  the  drama,  without,  how- 
ever, intending  to  exclude  epic 
treatment  of  the  same  material. 

127.  ab  incepto:  logically  with 
servetur  ad  iinitin.  —  processerit : 
of  coming  out  upon  the  stage.  — 
sibi  constet :  this  goes  back  to 
sibi  convenientia  and  closes  the 
brief  discussion  of  that  topic. 

128-135.  proprie  communia : 
these  somewhat  general  words  ex- 
press concisely  and  figuratively 
what  is  explained  more  fully  and 
literally  in  the  rest  of  the  para- 
graph, by  means  of  which  these 
words  must  be  interpreted,  diffi- 
cile is  the  opposite  of  rectius 
('  more  wisely,  more  safely'),  and 
proprie  .  .  .  dicere  is  therefore 
the  opposite  of  dramati/ing  a  well- 
known  story  and  identical  with 


204 


EPISTYLAR 


[2,  3. 


'35 


non  circa  vilem  patulumque  morabcris  orbem, 
nee  verbum  verbo  curabis  reddere  fidus 
interpres  ;  nee  desilies  imitator  in  artum, 
unde  pedem  proferre  pudor  vetet  aut  operis  lex, 
nee  sic  incipies,  ut  scriptor  cyclicus  olim  : 


proferre  ignoia  indictaque.  It 
tlierefore  means  'to  write  about 
things  which  no  other  writer  has 
handled,  things  which  are  not  a 
part  of  literature,  but  which  belong 
to  common  experience,  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  them  your  own 
(proprie)?  The  thought  of  the 
whole  is,  'it  is  hard  to  put  the 
stamp  of  individuality  upon  ordi- 
nary material,  and  you  will  find  it 
easier  to  dramatize  some  story 
from  the  Trojan  cycle  than  to 
strike  out  into  unknown  fields."  — 
tu :  the  poet,  not  one  of  the 
Pisones.  —  Iliacum  carmen:  not 
necessarily  the  whole  Iliad. — 
'  Yet  a  certain  measure  of  original- 
ity in  the  handling  of  old  material 
may  be  attained,  if  you  use  the 
right  method.'  —  publica  :  such  as 
the  Homeric  story.  —  privati  iuris  : 
i.e.,  '  will  become  your  own,  will 
bear  your  stamp.'  This  figure,  of 
acquiring  private  rights  in  what 
had  been  public  property,  was  in 
Horace's  mind  from  the  beginning 
of  the  sentence  and  undoubtedly 
led  to  the  choice  of  the  rather  con- 
fusing phrase  proprie  communia. 
Cf.  also  P~f>ist.  i,  3.  15  ff.,  where 
the  same  figure  is  used  in  a  dif- 
ferent way.  —  patulum  .  .  .  orbem : 
primarily  of  the  monotonous  path 


of  an  animal  turning  a  millstone 
then  of  the  commonplace  path 
which  most  writers  of  little  origi- 
nality follow.  —  interpres,  imitator : 
this  appears  to  have  been  espe- 
cially frequent  in  Roman  tragedy, 
so  far  as  can  be  judged  from  the 
fragments,  though  even  there  it 
is  not  quite  what  we  understand 
by  a  '  word-for-word '  translation ; 
Horace  is  contrasting  it  with  his 
own  freer  following  of  Alcaeus 
and  Sappho.  —  desilies  in  artum: 
the  phrase  seems  to  be  a  reminis- 
cence of  the  fable  of  the  goat  that 
jumped  into  a  well,  but  the  com- 
parison is  not  to  be  carried  over 
into  the  next  line.  —  pudor:  />., 
an  unwillingness  to  acknowledge 
your  error.  —  operis  lex :  no  more 
than  '  the  nature  of  the  work ' ;  a 
close  imitation  will  bind  the  writer 
so  closely  to  the  plot  of  his  model 
that  he  cannot  free  himself  at  all 
without  destroying  the  unity  of 
the  work. 

136.  The  form  of  sentence,  nee 
with  the  future,  goes  on.  though 
the  subject  changes  from  origi- 
nality to  the  treatment  of  the 
beginning  of  a  poem.  This  con- 
tinuation of  grammatical  structure 
is  intended  to  make  the  transition 
easy  and  unperceived,  as  in  all 


205 


2.  3.  137] 


HORATI 


*  Fortunam  Priami  cantabo  et  nobile  bellum.' 
Quid  dignum  tanto  feret  hie  promissor  hiatu  ? 
Parturient  montes,  nascetur  ridiculus  mus. 

140    Quanto  rectius  hie,  qui  nil  molitur  inepte  : 

'  Die  mihi  Musa  virum,  captae  post  tempora  Troiae 
qui  mores  hominum  multorum  vidit  et  urbes.' 
Non  fumum  ex  fulgore,  sed  ex  fumo  dare  lucem 
cogitat,  ut  speciosa  dehinc  miracula  promat, 

145    Antiphaten  Scyllamque  et  cum  Cyclope  Charybdim  ; 
nee  reditum  Diomedis  ab  interitu  Meleagri, 
nee  gemino  bellum  Troianum  orditur  ab  ovo. 
Semper  ad  eventum  festinat  et  in  medias  res, 


his  writings  Horace  avoids  formal 
arrangements  of  thought. — cycli- 
cus :  a  technical  name  given  by 
Alexandrine  critics  to  the  poets 
who  handled  parts  of  the  Trojan 
story  not  included  in  the  Iliad  or 
Odyssey ;  their  poems,  with  the 
Homeric  poems,  form  a  complete 
circle  (cyclus). 

i37-!38.  The  absurdity,  as  Hor- 
ace sees  it,  is  in  the  largeness 
of  the  promise,  and  perhaps  in 
nobile.  But  there  is  much  that 
is  conventional  and  unreal  in  this 
paragraph,  vss.  137-142.  Cf.  the 
noble  opening  sentence  of  Para- 
dise Lost.  —  promissor :  apparently 
coined  to  ridicule  the  cyclic  poet. 
—  hiatu :  also  a  ridiculous  sug- 
gestion, as  if  the  poet  opened 
his  mouth  wide  to  utter  such  a 
line. 

139-  Notice  the  effect  of  the 
monosyllabic  close. 


141-142.  Cf.  Epist.  I,  2,  19-21, 
where  the  first  lines  of  the  Odyssey 
are  freely  rendered.  Horace  has 
simplified  Homer  by  omitting  the 
second  line,  eTrei  Tpoirfi  iepbv  irro- 
XUOpov  eTrepo-e. 

143.  '  Not  like  a  fire  that  begins 
brightly  and  then  dies  down  into 
smoke.'  fulgore  and  lucem  are 
the  same. 

145.  Antiphaten:  Od.  10,  100  ff. 
—  Scyllam,    Charybdim:  Od.    12, 
87    ff.  —  cum    Cyclope:      Od.    9, 
1 60  ff.  ;  the  construction  is  merely 
a  variation  for  et  Cyclopem. 

146.  Homer  does  not  begin  as 
the  writer  did  who,  having  for  his 
subject  the  return  of  Diomed  from 
Troy,  went  back  by  way  of  intro- 
duction and  told  the  other  story 
of  the  tragic  death  of  his  uncle, 
Meleager. 

147.  That  is,  from  the  birth  of 
Helen. 


206 


EP1S1VLAE 


3>  '57 


non  secus  ac  notas,  auditorem  rapit,  et  quae 
150    desperat  tractata  nitescere  posse,  relinquit  ;• 

atque  ita  mentitur,  sic  veris  falsa  remiscet, 

primo  ne  medium,  medio  ne  discrepet  imum. 

Tu,  quid  ego  et  populus  mecum  desideret,  audi. 

Si  plausoris  eges  aulaea  manentis  et  usque 
155    sessuri,  donee  cantor  'Vos  plaudite '  dicat, 

aetatis  cuiusque  notandi  sunt  tibi  mores, 

mobilibusque  decor  naturis  dandus  et  annis. 


149.  notas :   i.e.,  Homer  treats 
his   subject-matter  as   already  in 
part  known  to  his  hearers,  as  in 
fact  it  was. 

150.  tractata  :  handled,  treated. 
The    Latin    construction    here  is 
clumsy  and  should  not  be  used  in 
translating. 

151.  mentitur:  i.e.,  uses  fictions. 
—  veris   falsa :    this    reflects    the 
belief  that  the  Homeric  story  was 
in  the  main  historical. 

I53~I77-  '  The  poet  must  make 
his  characters  consistent  and  life- 
like and,  in  particular,  must  no- 
tice the  characteristics  of  different 
periods  in  life.' 

153.  tu:    the   poet,  as  in   128. 
The  abrupt  line  introduces  a  new 
thought,  in  this  case  wholly  with- 
out transition.     From  this  point 
the   drama,  which   has  been  fre- 
quently alluded  to.  though  not  dis- 
tinctly the  subject  of  discussion, 
becomes  more  prominent. 

154.  plausoris :     to     be    taken 
closely   with    manentis ;    '  if    you 
want  your  audience  to  stay  and  to 
listen  with  pleasure  up  to  the  end.' 


155.  vos  plaudite :  the  formula 
with  which  the  plays  ended  ;  some- 
times vos  valete  et  plaudite.     It  is 
spoken    sometimes   by   the   com- 
pany (grex),  sometimes  by  the  last 
actor,  and  sometimes  (Plaut.  Trin., 
M.G.,  and  all  the  plays  of  Ter- 
ence) there  is  no  indication  of  the 
speaker.     There    is    no    allusion 
elsewhere   to   a    cantor,   nor  can 
anything    be    inferred    from    this 
passage  in  regard  to  the  usage  in 
the  time  of  Terence. 

156.  notandi:    'observed   with 
care.' 

157.  decor :  that  which  is  suited 
(decens,  vs.  92)   to  each    period, 
not  merely  the  good  qualities  ;  cf. 
170  ff. 

The  description  of  the  different 
Ages  of  Man  was  probably  tradi- 
tional. In  Terence  there  are  only 
two,  adulescens  and  senex;  Aris- 
totle (R/iet.  2, 12)  has  three  :  Shak- 
spere  (As  You  Like  It,  2,  7)  has 
seven.  Though  Horace  intro- 
duces this  as  a  part  of  his  advice 
to  the  dramatist,  he  does  not  con- 
fine himself  strictly  to  the  possi- 


207 


«,  3,  IS8] 


I1OKATI 


Reddere  qui  voces  iam  scit  puer  et  pede  certo 
signat  humum,  gestit  paribus  colluclere,  et  iram 

160    colligit  ac  ponit  temere  et  mutatur  in  horas. 
Imberbus  iuvenis,  tandem  custode  remote, 
gaudet  equis  canibusque  et  aprici  gramine  campi, 
cereus  in  vitium  flecti,  monitoribus  asper, 
utilium  tardus  provisor,  prodigus  aeris, 

165    sublimis  cupidusque  et  amata  relinquere  pernix. 
Conversis  studiis  aetas  animusque  virilis 
quaerit  opes  et  amicitias,  inservit  honori, 
commisisse  cavet  quod  mox  mutare  laboret. 
Multa  senem  circumveniunt  incommoda,  vel  quod 


bilities  and  needs  of  the  drama. 
The  first  stage,  vss.  1 58-160,  would 
not  be  represented  in  tragedy  or 
comedy,  characteristics  are  men- 
tioned which,  though  they  can  be 
noticed  by  a  writer  of  novels,  could 
scarcely  be  indicated  within  the 
conventional  limits  of  Greek  or 
Latin  drama  (164,  tardtis  pro- 
visory 165  ;  167,  amicitias;  171), 
and,  in  general,  much  stress  is  laid 
upon  the  quickness  of  change 
(157;  iaittj  158;  160;  166;  175) 
from  one  period  to  another. 
Horace  has  carried  his  descrip- 
tion beyond  his  first  intention. 

159-160.  signat:  i.e.,  leaves 
tracks  (signa)  as  he  walks. — ges; 
tit :  of  the  child's  eagerness  for 
play.  —  temere  :  without  cause. 

161-165.  tandem  :  i.e.,  the  long- 
desired  time  has  come  and  he  is 
his  own  master.  —  custode  :  the 
paedagogus,  as  Horace's  father  was 
to  him,  Sat.  I,  6,  81.  —  equis  cani- 


busque :  this  has  a  Greek  sound ; 
cf.  Ter.  Amir.  56  f.,  ant  equos  ale  re 
ant  canes  advenandnin,  of  a  young 
man's  first  interests,  when  he  is  out 
ot"  his  father's  control.  —  cereus: 
the  figure  which  this  word  suggests 
does  not  extend  to  flecti;  'impres- 
sible as  wax  and  easily  turnecl 
toward  folly.'  —  monitoribus  as- 
per :  cf.  the  scene  in  Plaut.  Bacch. 
109  ff. — provisor:  'slow  to  pro- 
vide .  .  .';  the  corresponding 
phrase  in  Aristotle  (Khet.  2,  12) 
is  4>iXoxpr)[jujLTOi  rjKUrra.. 

166-168.  studiis :  his  interests. 
—  opes  :  in  the  general  sense.  •  in- 
fluence and  power,'  which  connects 
well  with  amicitias,  •  alliances  '  for 
influence,  such  as  Cicero  discusses 
and  condemns ;  cf.  also  Sat.  2,  6, 
75.  —  honori :  office. 

169-174.  This  picture  of  old  age 
is  found  in  various  places,  e.g.,  in 
Cic.  tie  Senect..  and  especially  in 
scenes  in  Terence.  — vel  quod  :  not 


208 


Ki-isrvi.AK 


[2,3. 


175 


quaerit  et  inventis  miser  abstinet  ac  timet  uti, 
vcl  quod  res  omnes  timide  gelideque  ministrat, 
dilator,  spe  longus,  iners,  avidusque  futuri, 
difficilis,  qucrulus,  laudator  temporis  acti 
se  puero,  castigator  censorque  minorum. 
Multa  ferunt  anni  venientes  commoda  secum, 
multa  recedentes  adimun^  r\fe  forte  seniles 
mandentur  iuveni  partes  pueroque  viriles  ; 
semper  in  adiunctis  aevoque  morabimur  aptis. 
Aut  agitur  res  in  scaenis,  aut  acta  refertur. 


causal,  but  explicative  oizncommo- 
da.  —  quaerit :  absolute.  Avarice 
is  traditionally  and  perhaps  actually 
the  vice  of  old  age.  —  timet  uti : 
while  youth  is  prodigus  aeris ; 
perhaps  there  is  a  relation  between 
the  two.  —  gelide :  a  particularly 
well-chosen  word.  —  spe  longus  : 
this  may  be  a  translation  of 
8wreA.7ris,  the  word  which  Aristotle 
uses.  It  would  then  mean  'slow 
to  entertain  hopes.'  It  is,  in  fact, 
not  a  clear  phrase.  —  avidus  futuri : 
i.e.,  anxious  about  what  of  life  is 
left  to  him.  —  minorum :  of  younger 
men. 

Though  much  of  the  substance 
of  this  passage  (158-174)  is  tra- 
ditional, the  admirable  phrasing, 
which  has  made  it  a  classic,  is 
Horace's  own. 

175-178-  Cf.  Epist.  2,  2,  55. 
This  is,  in  reality,  a  comment  upon 
life  and  its  changes  and  not  directly 
connected  with  the  work  of  the 
poet.  Horace  brings  it  into  con- 
nection with  his  main  line  of 


thought  by  ne  .  .  .  mandentur,  but 
somewhat  awkwardly,  since  no 
one  would  propose  to  give  to  a 
invents  the  words  suited  to  a 
senexor  would  confuse  a  vir  and  a 
puer  in  delineating  character.  —  ne 
.  .  .  mandentur :  a  parenthetic  final 
clause  ;  '  and  so  one  must  not.  .  .  .' 
—  semper:  with  morabimur,  not 
with  adiunctis ;  the  sense  is  '  char- 
acter changes,  but  we  poets  must 
always  be  watchful  to  note  the 
qualities  of  each  period.1  —  adiunc- 
tis :  i.e.,  the  qualities  that  accom- 
pany each  time  of  life.  —  aevo : 
with  both  adiunctis  and  aptis, 
which  are  connected  by  -que. 

179-188.  What  scenes  should  be 
put  upon  the  stage.  —  This  is  one 
of  the  traditional  subjects  of  rhe- 
torical discussion. 

179.  The  statement  of  actual 
usage  precedes  the  discussion.  — 
refertur:  ;are  described  by  an 
actor  as  having  occurred  off  the 
stage,'  within  the  palace  or  else- 
where. 


14 


209 


2,  3,  i  to] 


1IORATI 


180    Segnius  irritant  animos  demissa  per  aurem, 

quam  quae  sunt  oculis  subiecta  fidelibus  et  quae 
ipse  sibi  tradit  spectator.     Non  tamen  intus 
digna  geri  promes  in  scaenam,  multaque  tolles 
ex  oculis  quae  mox  narret  facundia  praesens, 

185    ne  pueros  coram  populo  Medea  trucidet, 

aut  humana  palam  coquat  exta  nefarius  Atreus, 
aut  in  avem  Procne  vertatur,  Cadmus  in  anguem. 
Quodcumque  ostendis  mihi  sic,  incredulus  odi. 
Neve  minor  neu  sit  quinto  productior  actu 

190    fabula,  quae  posci  vult  et  spectata  reponi. 
Nee  deus  intersit,  nisi  dignus  vindice  nodus 


180.  Segnius  irritant :  '  produce 
a  less  vivid  impression.'  —  demissa 
per  aurem :  i.e.,  the  matters  which 
are  merely  described. 

182.  sibi  tradit :  the  spectator 
has,  as  it  were,  seen  the  action  him- 
self and  so  tells  it  to  himself,  in- 
stead of  having  it  told  to  him  by 
the  messenger  or  reporter.  —  intus : 
in  the  palace  ;  with  digna  geri. 

184.  facundia  praesens :  '  a  mes- 
senger   (speaker)     appearing     in 
person.1     It  is,  I  think,  quite  im- 
possible that  praesens  should  mean 
'  who  was  present  when  the  action 
occurred.'     The  point  of  praesens 
is  that  it  enforces  the  contrast  be- 
tween that  which  took  place  off  th» 
stage   (ex  ocnl is)  and  that  which 
the  spectator  is  permitted  to  see, 
in   the   person  of  the  actor  who 
comes  on  to  tell  the  tale. 

185.  ne:   nearly  like  ne  of  vs. 
176.    Many  «^-clauses  are  like  this, 
indistinguishable  inform  from  pro- 


hibitions and  not  essentially  differ- 
ent in  sense. —  In  the  Medea  of 
Euripides  the  children  are  killed 
within  the  palace,  but  their  cries 
are  heard  by  the  audience. 

186-187.  These  myths  are  not 
the  subject  of  any  Greek  plays  now 
extant,  but  the  references  are  of 
course  to  definite  plays  known  to 
Horace. 

188.  incredulus  odi :  expressing 
in  one    phrase    the   two   distinct 
emotions  ;  incredulus  refers  to  the 
impossible  metamorphoses  of  vs. 
187,  odi  to  the  horrible  spectacle 
of  vs.  185  or  1 86. 

189.  quinto  .  .  .  actu:  this  rule 
Horace  got  from  some  grammatical 
tradition,  and  it  was  long  current, 
on  his  authority,  in  modern  times. 
It  is,  however,  quite  without  foun- 
dation.   The  act  divisions  in  Latin 
comedy  are  not  in  the  Mss.  or  in 
the  earliest  editions. 

191.    deus   intersit :   i.e..  natural 


210 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3,  200 


incident:  nee  quarta  loqui  persona  laboret. 
Actoris  partes  chorus  officiumque  virile 
defendat,  neu  quid  medios  intercinat  actus, 

195    quod  non  proposito  conducat  et  haereat  apte. 
Ille  bonis  faveatque  et  consilietur  amice, 
et  regat  iratos  et  amet  peccare  timentis; 
ille  dapes  laudet  mensae  brevis,  ille  salubrem 
iustitiam  legesque  et  apertis  otia  portis; 

200    ille  tegat  commissa,  deosque  precetur  et  oret, 


means  should  usually  be  found  for 
working  out  the  plot.  The  rule 
was  laid  down  with  reference  to 
plays  in  which  supernatural  in- 
tervention was  unnecessarily  em- 
ployed. —  vindice  :  defender,  one 
who  protects  the  hero  and  releases 
him  from  the  complications  of  the 
plot.  The  phrase  nisidigttus  vin- 
dice nodus  is  classic. 

192.  loqui   .    .    .   laboret :     the 
rule   was   that   only  three  speak- 
ing characters  should  be  on  the 
stage   at    once ;    a   fourth    would 
not  easily  find  a  place  (laboret} 
in    the    dialogue.      This   rule   is 
not    without    exceptions    and    in 
the  later  comedy  was  not  observed 
at  all. 

193.  actoris    partes:     i.e.,    the 
chorus   should   be   treated   as  an 
actor,  should  have  its  place  in  the 
plot  and  in  the  action,  and  this 
should  be  an  important  part  (offi- 
cium  virile). 

194-195.  '  It  should  not  be  used 
merely  to  sing  interludes,  odes 
which  do  not  contribute  (conducat) 


to  the  plot  or  have  any  real  connec- 
tion with  it.' 

196-201.  The  proper  function  of 
the  chorus. 

196.  bonis   faveat :    this    is    in 
accordance  with  the  practice  of  the 
extant  tragedies,  that  the  chorus 
should  support  the  cause  of  virtue. 
— consilietur:  advise.     This   also 
is  common. 

197.  regat :  i.e., '  try  to  control.' 
—  peccare  timentis :  not  the  same 
as   bonis,  but  the  characters  who 
seem  to  be  shrinking  from  some 
wrong  act  that  is  presenting  itself 
to  them  as  a  possibility.     For  the 
expression  cf.  Epist.  I,  16,  52  ;  2, 
1,23. 

198.  mensae    brevis:    i.e.,    'it 
should  be  on  the  side  of  simplicity, 
against  luxury.'     Cf.  cena  brevis, 

'Epist.  I,  14,  35. 

200.  tegat  commissa  :  '  it  should 
play  the  part  of  the  trustworthy 
confidant  and  not  betray  secrets 
committed  to  its  keeping.'  This 
situation  is  not  infrequent  in  Greek 
tragedy. 


211 


2,  3,  201] 


IloRATI 


ut  redeat  miseris,  abcat  fortuna  superbis. 
Tibia  non,  ut  nunc,  orichalco  vincta,  tubaeque 
aemula,  sed  tenuis  simplexque  foramine  pauco 
adspirare  et  adesse  choris  erat  utilis,  atque 

205    nondum  spissa  nimis  complere  sedilia  flatu, 
quo  sane  populus  numerabilis,  utpote  parvus, 
et  frugi  castusque  verecundusque,  coibat. 
Postquam  coepit  agros  extendere  victor  et  urbes 
latior  amplecti  murus  vinoque  diurno 

210    placari  Genius  festis  impune  diebus, 


201.  redeat,   abeat,    fortuna,    a 
partial  personification;  cf.  Cann. 
I,  35,  23  f.,  tttcumqiie  mutata  PO- 
tcntis  \  i>este  dontos  iiiitnica  linqiiis. 

202  flf.  The  discussion  of  the 
function  of  the  chorus  suggests 
easily  the  music  which  accompa- 
nied the  songs. 

202.  tibia :   properly  a  wooden, 
or  ivory  flute,  with  few  openings, 
which  gave  a  light  and  clear  sound. 
When    bound    with    metal  —  ori- 
chalctun  was  an  amalgam  of  cop- 
per and  other   metals  —  its  note 
was  more  like  that  of  a  brass  horn 
(tuba),  less  clear  and  simple. 

204.  adspirare,  adesse  :  as  an  ac- 
companiment to  the  choral  song, 
without  independent  force. 

205.  nondum:    especially    with 
criit  ntilis  to  be  supplied.  —  nimis  : 
with  spissa.     '  The  flute  was  not 
yet  used,  as  it  is  now,  to  fill  with 
loud  blast  a  crowded  theater,1  i.e., 
u.is  not  independent  of  the  song. 

-jo6.  quo :  the  antecedent  is 
scdilia,  for  the  whole  theater.  — 


sane  :  '  of  course,1  '  you  know.'  — 
utpote  parvus :  parenthetic  and 
explanatory  of  niiincrabilis. 

207.  The  adjectives  describe 
the  ideal  simplicity  and  piety  of 
the  early  time,  which  Horace  here 
regards  as  necessary  to  the  purity 
of  art. 

208-210.  In  the  preceding  dis- 
cussion of  the  drama  there  is 
nothing  to  indicate  that  Horace 
was  thinking  exclusively  of  the 
Greek  tragedy ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  advice  is  of  course  addressed 
to  writers  of  Roman  tragedy.  Yet 
the  tone  is  almost  wholly  Greek. 
As  the  discussion  goes  on,  how- 
ever, to  the  period  of  luxury,  the 
underlying  thought  is  Roman. 
This  appears  in  agros  extender c 
victor,  which  is  not  strictly  appli- 
cable to  Greek  history  after  the 
Persian  Wars,  but  is  accurately  de- 
scriptive of  Roman  history  after 
the  Punic  Wars.  The  plural  iirbes 
would  suggest  Greek  cities  ;  latior 
murus  is  suitable  to  either ;  but 


212 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3, 


2I5 


accessit  numerisque  modisque  licentia  maior. 
Indoctus  quid  enim  saperet  liberque  laborum 
rusticus,  urbano  confusus,  turpis  honesto  ? 
Sic  priscae  motumque  et  luxuriem  addidit  arti 
tibicen  traxitquc  vagus  per  pulpita  vestem  : 
sic  etiam  fidibus  voces  crevere  severis, 
et  tulit  eloquium  insolitum  facundia  praeceps, 
utiliumque  sagax  rerum  et  divina  futuri 


vs.  210  is  wholly  in  Roman  terms. 

—  diurno  :    in  the  daytime.  —  im- 
pune :    i.e.,  without  consideration 
of  the  proper  restraints. 

211.  numerisque  modisque: 
more  complicated  music  and  me- 
ters were  used.  This,  according 
to  the  traditional  doctrine,  was 
regarded  as  licentia,  like  the  in- 
creasing license  of  manners. 

212-213.  quid  enim  saperet: 
i.e.,  i  no  standard  of  taste  could 
be  maintained  in  a  population  so 
mixed  and  so  unrestrained.1  — • 
liber  laborum :  on  festal  days  la- 
bor would  be  suspended. — turpis 
honesto  :  where  there  was  no  such 
distinction  as  that  which  in  Hor- 
ace's time  separated  the  equites  — 
the  cultivated  part  of  the  audience 

—  from  the  lower  classes. 
214-215.    sic  :  as  a  result  of  this 

confusion  and  this  increase  of 
luxury.  —  motum  :  i.e.,  he  moved 
about  the  stage  (vagus),  no  longer 
subordinating  -himself  to  the  cho- 
rus. —  luxuriem :  i.e..  he  trailed 
his  purple  robe  (traxit  vestem) 
about  the  stage. 

216.    voces:    notes.     The  tradi- 


tion was  that  the  lyre  was  at  first 
four-stringed,  and  that  the  number 
of  strings  was  gradually  increased 
to  eleven. 

217.  tulit :  brought  in,  *  brought 
with  it.'  —  eloquium :  style.  —  fa- 
cundia praeceps  :  '  the  eager  desire 
to  speak,  unrestrained  {praeceps) 
by  considerations  of  taste.'  The 
same  licentia  maior  which  had 
affected  music  influenced  also  the 
style  of  the  choral  odes. 

218-219.  sagax  :  w  i  t  h  sententia ; 
the  thought  itself  was  affected  by 
the  same  tendencies  and  came  to 
be  full  of  precepts  and  senten- 
tious maxims  of  wisdom.  —  divina 
futuri :  the  chorus  undertook  to 
prophesy,  and  became  as  obscure 
and  bombastic  as  oracles  The 
precise  point  of  these  criticisms 
is  not  clear,  nor  even  whether 
Horace  has  in  mind  the  later 
Greek  tragedy  or  the  Roman. 
This  whole  passage,  vss.  202-219, 
is  to  be  regarded  as  a  bit  of  the 
traditional  rhetorical  doctrine  and 
not  as  history  or  direct  criticism. 
The  point  of  view  is  wholly  incor- 
rect. 


213 


2,  3.  219] 


HORATI 


225 


sortilegis  non  discrepuit  sententia  Delphis. 
Carmine  qui  tragico  vilem  certavit  ob  hircum, 
mox  etiam  agrestis  Satyros  nudavit,  et  asper 
incolumi  gravitate  iocum  tentavit  eo,  quod 
illecebris  erat  et  grata  novitate  morandus 
spectator,  functusque  sacris  et  potus  et  exlex. 
Verum  ita  risores,  ita  commendare  dicaces 
conveniet  Satyros,  ita  vertere  seria  ludo, 


220-250.  The  Satyric  drama. 
This  section  also  is  in  part  tradi- 
tional, but  it  is  in  part  a  real  criti- 
cism of  forms  of  drama  which  were 
on  the  stage  in  Horace's  time,  like 
mimes  undfabulae  Atellanae,  and 
which  bore  enough  resemblance 
to  the  Satyr  plays  to  justify  Hor- 
ace in  treating  them  all  as  one 
kind  of  drama. 

220-221.  certavit:  this  is  Greek, 
referring  to  the  dramatic  contests 
at  Athens.  —  hircum :  the  com- 
monly accepted  derivation  of 
rpuyaioYu  was  from  rpayos,  a  goat 
offered  as  the  prize  of  victory. — 
mox :  i.e.,  the  Satyr  play  is  sup- 
posed to  be  derived  from  tragedy. 
This  is  the  reverse  of  the  fact ; 
formal  tragedy  was  a  development 
out  of  the  popular  Satyr  play  and 
the  name  comes  from  the  use  of 
rpayos  of  the  chorus  of  the  Satyr 
drama.  —  nudavit :  the  Satyrs  were 
naked  except  for  a  goatskin  about 
the  loins.  —  asper  :  i.e.,  he  was 
still  a  tragic  poet,  with  something 
of  the  severity  of  tragedy.  The 
Satyr  play,  as  a  fourth  play  after 
the  dramatic  trilogy,  was  written 


by  the  same  poet  who  had  written 
the  tragedies. 

222.  incolumi  gravitate  :  'with- 
out loss  of  dignity '  by  presenting 
such  plays. 

223.  morandus :     i.e.,    '  it    was 
necessary  to  provide  some  amuse- 
ment and   novelty  to  detain  the 
spectators.' 

224.  functus    sacris:     'having 
already  performed  the  solemn  rites 
of  sacrifice,    they    were    released 
from  restraint  (e.i'/e.v) .' 

225.  verum:    'but,  though  the 
spectators  were  exlex  and  the  ob- 
ject of  the  play  was  laughter  and 
jesting,  there  were  still  restraints 
imposed  upon  the  characters  and 
the  style  of  the  plays.'  —  risores  : 
in  effect  an  adj.,  merry,  to  balance 
dicaces,      jesting,      commendare : 
i.e.,  '  present  them   to   the   favor 
of  the  audience.1 

226.  vertere    seria    ludo :      the 
Satyr    play,   coming   immediately 
after  the   tragedies;  changed   the 
spirit  from  seriousness  to  lightness. 
The  abl.  (ludo)  is  rare  with  verto, 
but  is  found  occasionally  after  the 
analogy  of  the  abl.  with  mitto. 


214 


EFISTVLAE 


[2,  3,  234 


ne  quicumque  deus,  quicumque  adhibebitur  heros, 
regali  conspectus  in  auro  nuper  et  ostro, 
migret  in  obscuras  humili  sermone  tabernas, 
230    aut,  dum  vitat  humum,  nubes  et  inania  captet 
Eff  utire  levis  indigna  tragoedia  versus, 
ut  festis  matrona  moveri  iussa  diebus, 
intererit  Satyris  paullum  pudibunda  protervis. 
Non  ego  inornata  et  dominantia  nomina  solum 


228.  conspectus  .  .  .  nuper:  the 
characters  of  the  tragedy,  where 
they  had  appeared  in  royal  state, 
might  reappear  in  the  Satyr  play. 
In  that  case  the  contrast  should 
not   be  made   so   startling  as  to 
shock  the  taste  or  to  degrade  the 
heroic  tone  of  tragedy. 

229.  migret   in  ...  tabernas : 
the    king  or  hero  who  has  just 
been  seen  coming  out  of  his  pal- 
ace must  not  now  be  represented 
as  moving  to  a  hovel.     The  word 
tabernas  is  chosen  with  reference 
to  the  Roman  farces  called  fabulae 
tabernariae,  plays  of  low  life,  the 
scene  of  which  was  in  some  poor 
place   of  resort   for  the  common 
people.  —  humili    sermone :     this 
anticipates  what  is  said  at  greater 
length  in  the  next  lines. 

230.  nubes  et  inania  :  the  oppo- 
site fault  of  a  tone  too  lofty  for 
the  general  spirit  of  the  play. 

231.  indigna:  '  not  condescend- 
ing to  .  .  .,'  as  in  Epist.  i,  3,  35, 
indigtii  fraternum  rumpere  foe- 
diis.  —  tragoedia :   i.e.,  the  tragic 
(heroic)    character    in   the    Satyr 
play. 


232.  moveri  iussa :  dancing  was 
ordinarily  considered  quite  unsuit- 
able   for    a    woman    of    dignity^ 
but    at    some    religious     festivals 
the     married    women    took    part 
in  the  dance  as  a  religious  duty 
(tussd).     Cf.  Carin.  2,  12,  i/ff. ;' 
3,  14,  5  f.,  for  references  to  such 
dances. 

233.  intererit    .    .    .    paullum: 
'  will  have  little  to  do  with,' '  will 
be  among  them,  but  will  retain  the 
dignity  proper  to  tragedy.1     The 
contrast  is  emphasized  by  the  jux- 
taposition of  the  two  adjectives, 
'  dignified  herself,  in  spite  of  their 
frolicsome  behavior.1 

234.  non  .  .  .  solum :  the  other 
half  of  the  thought   begins  with 
vs.    240,  without  a  particle   (sed 
etiani)  ;  '  I  should  not  be  satisfied 
with  observing  the  ordinary  laws 
of  colloquial   style  or   even  with 
making  some  finer  distinctions;  I 
should    aim    at     something    still 
higher.1  —  inornata :   plain  words 
which  suggest  no  figurative  mean- 
ings. —  dominantia  :  a  translation 
of  Kvpia,  literal,  as   nomina  ^>er- 
baque  is  a  translation  of  ovd 


215 


2,  3.  235] 


1IOKATI 


235    verbaque,  Pisones,  Satyrorum  scriptor  amabo; 
nee  sic  enitar  tragico  differre  colori, 
ut  nihil  intersit,  Davusne  loquator  et  audax 
Pythias,  emuncto  lucrata  Simone  talentum, 
an  custos  famulusque  dei  Silenus  alumni. 

240    Ex  noto  fictum  carmen  sequar,  ut  sibi  quivis 
speret  idem,  sudet  multum  frustraque  laboret 
ausus  idem  :  tantum  series  iuncturaque  pollet, 
tantum  de  medio  sumptis  accedit  honoris. 


KOI  prHuara,  standing    for  all  lan- 
guage;  cf.  Sat.  i,  3,  103. 

235.  The  address  to  the  Pisones 
at  this  point  is  consistent  with  the 
more  personal  and  direct  tone  of 
the  whole  discussion  of  the  Satyr 
plays,  and  supports  the  view  that 
the  matter  was  one  of  living  inter- 
est at  the  time.  —  scriptor :    this 
also  maintains  the  tone  of  direct 
interest,  but  does  not,  of  course, 
mean  that  Horace  himself  intended 
to  write  for  the  stage. 

236.  nee  sic:  'nor  should  I  be 
satisfied  with  a  mere   distinction 
between  the  tragic  and  the  comic 
style,  without  observing  also  the 
finer  distinctions  between  the  dif- 
ferent characters.' 

237-239-  Davus  :  a  standing 
name  for  a  slave  in  comedy.  — 
Pythias :  this  name  for  the  arguta 
»ieretri.\  (Sat.  I.  10.  40)  happens 
not  to  be  used  in  any  extant 
comedy.  —  emuncto  :  one  of  the 
many  slang  words  used  in  comedy 
for  cheating  :  perhaps  swiped.  — 
Simone  :  an  old  man  ;  Chremes  is 


used  as  the  typical  name  in  the 
corresponding  passage  in  Sat.  i, 
10,  40  ff.  —  The  names  and  the 
situation  all  refer  to  the  comoedia 
palliaia,  like  the  plays  of  Terence, 
the  style  of  which,  it  is  implied,  is 
not  to  be  used  in  a  Satyr  play.  — 
Silenus :  the  old  guardian  and 
attendant  of  the  youthful  Diony- 
sus, fond  of  wine,  but  also  a  kind 
of  philosopher. 

240-243.  This  passage  contains 
a  summary  of  Horace's  own  ideal 
in  style,  of  wider  application  than 
is  given  to  it  here.  —  noto  fictum  : 
the  same  general  contrast  as  that 
expressed  i  n  vs .  151,  sic  veris  falsa 
remiscet. —  speret:  i.e.,  the  style 
shall  seem  easy  enough  to  tempt 
any  one  to  try  it.  —  idem,  idem  : 
intentionally  repeated  in  the  same 
place  in  the  verse.  —  series  iunc- 
turaque :  cf.  callida  iitnctiira, 
47  f. ;  but  here  the  thought  is 
broader,  including  all  the  more 
general  characteristics  of  style, 
not  the  meaning  of  words  only. 
—  de  medio  sumptis :  ordinary 


216 


Erisrvi.AK 


[2,  3.  254 


Silvis  deduct!  caveant,  me  iudice,  Fauni, 
245    ne  velut  innati  triviis  ac  paene  forenses 

aut  nimium  teneris  iuvenentur  versibus  unquam, 
aut  immunda  crepent  ignominiosaque  dicta : 
offenduntur  enim,  quibus  est  equus  et  pater  et  res, 
nee  si  quid  fricti  ciceris  probat  et  nucis  emptor, 
250    aequis  accipiunt  animis  donantve  corona. 
Syllaba  longa  brevi  subiecta  vocatur  iambus, 
pes  citus  :  unde  etiam  trimetris  adcrescere  iussit 
nomen  iambeis  cum  senos  redderet  ictus, 
primus  ad  extremum  similis  sibi :  non  ita  pridem, 


words,  out  of  which  skillful  use  can 
make  a  style  that  has  distinction. 

244.  Fauni :  the  Italian  equiva- 
lent for  the  satyrs. 

245.  innati  triviis,  forenses  :  the 
wild  cceatures  of  the  woods  must 
not  use  the  language  of  street  boys 
or  even  the  more  cultivated  speech 
of  those  who  attend  the  law  courts. 

246.  teneris  .  .  .  versibus:  sen- 
timental   love   songs,  expressions 
alien    to    the    free    spirit    of  the 
Fauns.  —  iuvenentur:  sport,  play 
the     invents  ;     formed    like     the 
Greek  veafituetr&u. 

247.  The     Satyr     plays     were 
coarse,    but    they    should    avoid 
vicious  and  indecent  expressions. 

248-250.  equus :  with  reference 
to  the  providing  of  a  horse  for  the 
eqiiites  in  the  early  time,  when  the 
word  had  a  military  meaning.  — 
et  pater:  the  free-born  citizens. — 
et  res  :  the  persons  of  property  and 
standing  and,  presumably,  of  culti- 
vation.—  fricti:  parched ;  from 


fi'igo.  —  corona :  symbolic,  since 
there  were  no  formal  contests  at 
Rome.  —  It  is  to  be  noticed  that 
from  vs.  231  the  thought  is  almost 
wholly  Roman. 

251-269.  On  meter  and  versifi- 
cation. 

251.  The  fact  that  an  iambus 
consists  of  a  short  followed  by  a 
long  is  stated  rather  formally,  in 
order  to  make  a  proper  starting 
point  for  the  discussion  of  the  use 
of  spondees. 

252-253.  unde :  i.e.,  because  it 
is  a  '  quick  foot.'  —  The  construc- 
tion is  iambeis  nomen  trimetris 
adcrescere  iussit;  iambeis  is  dat. 
after  adcrescere  and  trimetris  is 
attracted  into  the  same  case  ;  '  for 
which  reason  it  bade  the  name 
trimeter  attach  itself  to  iambic 
lines,1  although  there  were  six  feet 
and  one  might  expect  the  name 
hexameter.  Cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  57.  ////' 
tar  do  cognomen  damns. 

254.    similis   sibi :    all  the    feet 


217 


2.  3. 


HORATI 


255     tardior  ut  paullo  graviorque  veniret  ad  aures, 
spondees  stabiles  in  iura  paterna  recepit 
commodus  et  patiens,  non  ut  de  sede  secunda 
cederet  aut  quarta  socialiter.     Hie  et  in  Acci 
nobilibus  trimetris  apparet  rarus,  et  Enni 

260     in  scaenam  missos  magno  cum  pondere  versus 
aut  operae  celeris  nimium  curaque  carentis 
aut  ignoratae  premit  artis  crimine  turpi. 
Non  quivis  videt  immodulata  poemata  iudex, 
et  data  Romanis  venia  est  indigna  poetis. 

265     Idcircone  vager  scribamque  licenter  ?     An  omnes 
visuros  peccata  putem  mea,  tutus  et  intra 
spem  veniae  cautus  ?     Vitavi  denique  culpam, 


being  iambi.  —  non  ita  pridem: 
these  words  are  not  quite  intelli- 
gible, since  spondees  had  been 
used  in  iambic  trimeters  from  the 
earliest  times.  [None  of  the  vari- 
ous explanations  is  really  good. 
Cic.  Brut.  10,  41  is  not  a  parallel.] 

256.  stabiles  :  heavy  in  compar- 
ison with  the  lightly  running  iambi. 
—  in  iura  paterna :  adopted  them 
legally. 

257.  non   ut:    <but   not  to  the 
extent  of  admitting  them  to  the 
second  or  fourth  foot.' 

258.  socialiter:    'like   an   ally,' 
like  one  who  made  a  partnership 
on  absolutely  equal   terms.     The 
personification  of  the  iambus  goes 
through  the  whole  passage,  tussit, 
recefn't,  cotnmodus  et  pattens,  ce- 
deret. 

259-262.    'In  Roman  poets  the 
frequency     of     spondees     makes 


the  verse  too  heavy.'  —  hie  :  the 
iambus.  —  nobilibus  :  well-known, 
without  approval,  which  would  be 
inconsistent  with  the  context.  — 
rarus :  this  supplies,  in  thought, 
the  subject  of  premit ;  '  and  the 
rarity  of  it  in  the  verses  of  Ennius.' 
—  in  scaenam  missos :  his  verses 
in  drama,  as  distinct  from  his  epic 
poetry.  —  operae :  with  crimine,  as 
artis  is,  and  modified  by  nimium 
celeris  and  carentis. 

263-264.  non  quivis  :  the  mean- 
ing of  the  general  phrase  appears 
in  Romanis.  —  indigna  :  unde- 
served ;  strictly,  '  pardon  that  the 
giver  should  think  it  unworthy  of 
himself  to  bestow.' 

265.  idcirco :  i.e.,  'because  I 
know  that  the  judge  is  not  strict.' 

266-267.  tutus  et  .  .  .  cautus : 
'or  shall  I  be  just  careful  enough 
to  keep  within  the  law?' 


218 


EPISTV1.AK 


[2,  3.  276 


non  lauderri  merui.     Vos  exemplaria  Graeca 
nocturna  versate  manu,  versate  diurna. 

270    At  vestri  p'roavi  Plautinos  et  numeros  et 

laudavere  sales,  nimium  patienter  utrumque, 
ne  dicam  stulte,  mirati,  si  modo  ego  et  vos 
scimus  inurbanum  lepido  seponere  dicto, 
legitimumque  sonum  digitis  callemus  et  aure. 

275    Ignotum  tragicae  genus  invenisse  Camenae 
dicitur  et  plaustris  vexisse  poemata  Thespis, 


268.  non  .  .  .  merui:  'there  is 
no  positive  merit  in  that  course.1  — 
vos:  emphatic;  'you,  who  surely 
desire  laudem  merer  e."1 

270-294.  On  the  need  of  study 
and  care  in  the  writing  of  poetry, 
as  shown  in  the  history  of  the 
Greek  drama. 

270.  proavi :  in  a  general  sense, 
maior es.  — Plautinos:  for  Horace's 
judgment  on  Plautus  see  Epist.  2, 
i,  170  ff.  and  note.  —  numeros: 
this  may  be  a  reference  to  the 
verses  which  were  supposed  to  be 
Plautus's  own  epitaph,  in  which 
the  phrase  numeri  innumeri  is 
used.  Plautus  was,  in  fact,  an  ex- 
tremely good  versifier,  but  of  a 
sort  that  Horace  did  not  appre- 
ciate. 

271-272.  patienter:  i.e.,  they 
should  not  have  endured  them, 
much  less  admired  them. 

273.  inurbanum  lepido  :  with  ref- 
erence to  the  sales.  The  word 
lepidiis,  which  Horace  uses  rarely, 
is  one  of  the  commonest  adjectives 
in  Plautus  and  is  chosen  here  for 


that  reason.  The  standard  of  ur- 
banitas  is  better  suited  to  the  Au- 
gustan age  than  to  the  time  of  the 
Second  Punic  War. 

274.  sonum  :  the  numeri.   Hor- 
ace's judgment  on  this  point  also, 
as  on   the  wit  of  Plautus,  is  too 
narrow,   like    the  judgment   of  a 
Queen   Anne   writer    on    a    poet 
of     the     Elizabethan     period.  — 
digitis :     this  seems  to  be  tradi- 
tional ;     Horace    did    not     count 
the    feet   of  his    Alcaics   on    his 
fingers.     But  it  is   true   that   the 
natural  feeling  for  the  free  early 
versification    had,    in    part,    died 
out  under  the  impulse  toward  fin- 
ished accuracy. 

275.  The  order  of  thought  here 
is  more  important  than  the  gram- 
matical structure ;  '  tragedy  was  an 
unknown  kind  of  poetry  before  its 
invention,  according  to  tradition, 
by  Thespis.1 

276.  plaustris :    the   source  of 
this   curious   tradition,  which  ap- 
pears only  here,  is  unknown,  nor  is 
it  possible  to  discover  what  error 


219 


-'.  3,  277] 


HOKATI 


quue  canerent  agerentque  peruncti  faecibus  ora. 
Post  hunc,  personae  pallaeque  repertor  honestae, 
Aeschylus  et  modicis  instravit  pulpita  tlgnis 

280    ct  docuit  magnumque  loqui  nitique  cothurno. 
Successit  vetus  his  comoedia,  non  sine  multa 
laude,  sed  in  vitium  libertas  excidit  et  vim 
dignam  lege  regi  :  lex  est  accepta  chorusque 
turpiter  obticuit  sublato  iure  nocendi. 

285    Nil  intentatum  nostri  liquere  poetae; 


of  interpretation  gave  rise  to  it.  — 
Thespis  :  the  'inventor'  of  trag- 
edy, as  Homer  was  of  the  epic 
and  Archilochus  of  iambics.  But, 
properly  understood,  no  form  of 
art  was  ever  invented. 

277.  canerent,  agerent :  Horace 
uses  the  plural  a  little  carelessly, 
in  speaking  of  a  play  in  which 
there  was  only  one  actor.  —  per- 
uncti faecibus:  this  quite  uncer- 
tain tradition,  if  it  has  any  founda- 
tion in  fact,  has  to  do  with  comedy, 
not  with  tragedy. 

278-280.  The  innovations  here 
attributed  to  Aeschylus  are  the 
mask,  the  special  dress,  the  ele- 
vated wooden  stage,  and  the  thick- 
soled  tragic  boot.  There  are  traces 
of  these  traditions  in  various  au- 
thors, but  the  source  from  which 
Horace  derived  them  is  unknown. 
—  honestae  :  dignified ;  \\\\]\  pallae 
only,  not  with  personae.  —  modi- 
cis :  a  qualification  of  the  tradi- 
tion :  the  first  stage  would  natu- 
rally be  thought  of  as  small.  — 
magnum  loqui:  inserted  into  the 


account  of  the  stage  machinery  to 
go  with  ;////. 

281.  vetus:  dpxttut;  the  techni- 
cal name  for  the  comedy  of  which 
Aristophanes  is  the  only  extant 
representative.  Cf.  Sat.  I,  4,  1-2  ; 
I,  10,  16  f. 

282-283.  libertas:  so  Sat.  I,  4, 
5,  multa  cum  libertate  not  aba  nt. 
'  But  this  freedom  degenerated 
{excidit)  into  a  fault.'  —  vim:  the 
technical  word  for  '  assault,'  '  ille- 
gal violence/  —  lege :  the  accounts 
are  somewhat  confused  and  it  is 
more  probable  that  the  law  against 
extreme  personalities  on  the  stage 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  decline 
of  the  chorus. 

284.  turpiter  :  with  obticuit ;  the 
silence  was  discreditable  because 
it  was,  as  Horace  understood  it, 
the  result  of  the  withdrawal  of  the 
right  to  do  harm.  —  This  reference 
to  the  loss  of  the  chorus  has,  in 
fact,  nothing  to  do  with  the  main 
thought,  and  comedy  is  mentioned 
only  to  lead  up  to  the  general 
statement  nil  intentatian. 


220 


EPISTVLAE 


[2.  3.  295 


nec  minimum  meruere  decus  vestigia  Graeca 
ausi  deserere  et  celebrare  domestica  facta, 
vel  qui  praetextas  vel  qui  docuere  togatas. 
Nec  virtute  foret  clarisve  potentius  armis 

290    quam  lingua  Latium  si  non  offenderet  unum- 

quemque  poetarum  limae  labor  et  mora.     Vos,  O 
Pompilius  sanguis,  carmen  reprehendite,  quod  non 
multa  dies  et  multa  litura  coercuit  atque 
praesectum  decies  non  castigavit  ad  unguem. 

295    Ingenium  misera  quia  fortunatius  arte 


286.  nec   minimum:    i.f..   'and. 
not  the  least  of  their  merits  is  the 
fact  that  they   have  shown  inde- 
pendence.' 

287.  domestica  facta  : /.  c.,  '  that 
they    have   used   native    material, 
Roman  legends.' 

288.  praetextas :    sc.  fabulas ; 
tragedies  on  themes  from  Roman 
history,  like  the  Brutus  of  Accius. 
The   name  came    from    the    toga 
praetexta    worn    by   the    Roman 
generals   and    heroes    who    were 
represented  in  the  plays.  — toga- 
tas :    comedies   in  which    Roman 
citizens  appeared,  wearing  the  or- 
dinary toga.  —  docuere  :  the  tech- 
nical word  for  the  poet's  part  in 
preparing  the  play  for  presentation 
by  'teaching'  it  to  the  actors. 

289-290.  virtute  .  .  .  armis :  a 
double  expression  for  a  single 
idea.  —  lingua :  for  literature  in 
general. 

291.  This  thought  is  often  ex- 
pressed by  Horace  ;  Sat.  i.  4, 12  f. ; 
I,  10,  68-72;  Epist.  2,  I,  167. 


292.  Pompilius  sanguis :  the 
claim  of  the  Calpurnii  (Pisoncs) 
was  that  they  were  descended  from 
Numa  Pompilius  through  a  son 
Calpits.  This  form  of  address  is 
hardly  more  than  a  variation  on 
Pisones. 

294.  praesectum  ...  ad  unguem : 
cf.  Sat.  i,  5,  32,  ad  ungnem  fact  us 
homo ;  the  figure  is  taken  from  the 
testing  of  the  smoothness  of  a  sur- 
face   by   passing   the    thumb  nail 
over  it ;  the  closely  cut  nail  (prae- 
sectnui)   would  be  especially  sen- 
sitive. —  castigavit :     general    in 
meaning    (corrected,  restrained), 
not  continuing  the  figure  of  prun- 
ing, which  is  faintly  suggested  by 
coercuit. 

295.  misera,    fortunatius :    the 
words  are  quoted,  as  it  were,  from 
the  poets,  who  were  expressing  in 
vivid  language  their  acceptance  of 
the  dictum  of  Democritus ;  labor 
seemed  to  them  wretched  and  they 
trusted    to    their    talent  for  suc- 


221 


2.  3,  296] 


HORATI 


credit  et  excludit  sanos  Helicone  poetas 
Democritus,  bona  pars  non  unguis  ponere  curat, 
non  barbam  ;  secreta  petit  loca,  balnea  vitat. 
Nanciscetur  enim  pretium  nomenque  poetae, 

300     si  tribus  Anticyris  caput  insanabilc  nunquam 
tonsori  Licino  commiserit.     O  ego  laevus, 
qui  purgor  bilem  sub  verni  temporis  horam ! 
Non  alius  faceret  meliora  poemata.     Verum 
nil  tanti  est :  ergo  fungar  vice  cotis,  acutum 

305     reddere  quae  ferrum  valet,  exsors  ipsa  secandi: 
munus  et  officium  nil  scribens  ipse  docebo, 
unde  parentur  opes,  quid  alat  formetque  poetam, 


297.  Democritus :  Cicero  (de 
Dh>  i,  37,  80)  records  it  in  this 
form ;  '  negat  sine  furore  De- 
mocritus quemquam  poetam  mag- 
num esse  posse.1  —  bona  pars  : 
'  most  poets.'  —  non  .  .  .  curat : '  do 
not  take  the  trouble.'  The  neglect 
of  personal  appearance  seems  to 
them  evidence  of  inspiration.  It  is 
most  curious  that  this  tradition 
should  still  persist  among  mu- 
sicians and  painters. 

299.  nanciscetur :  i.e.,    '  he  be- 
lieves that  he  will  obtain  .  .   .' 

300.  tribus  Anticyris :    cf.   Sat. 
2.  3,  83,  where  it  is  said  that  all 
Anticyra  must  be  reserved  for  the 
avari. 

301.  Licino :  there  is  doubtless 
some  point  in  the  use  of  a  proper 
name    here,   but    the   man  is  un- 
known and  the   point   is   lost. — 
laevus  :  « fool  that  I  am  ! ' 

302.  verni:  the    time    of   year 
when    it    was    held    (Celsus,    2, 


13)    that    purgatives    should    be 
used. 

303.  faceret :  i.e.,  '  if  I  were  not 
so  foolish  as  to  use  purgatives.1 

304.  nil    tanti    est :     '  it    isn't 
worth    while,1    '  I    don't    care    so 
much  as  all   that   about  it1;   an 
expression  of  indifference  ;  cf.  Cic. 
Alt.  2,  13,  2  ;  5,  8,  3.  —  cotis :  this 
is  the  reply  of  Isocrates  when  he 
was  asked  why  he  taught  others 
the  art  of  oratory. 

306.  This  is  the  literal  state- 
ment, explaining  and  applying  the 
anecdote.  —  munus  et  officium: 
function  and  duty  of  the  poet; 
the  two  words  express  merely  two 
slightly  different  sides  of  one  idea. 
—  nil  scribens  :  referring  to  his  re- 
peatedly expressed  determination 
to  write  no  more  lyric  poetry ; 
such  a  sermo  as  this  is  not  poetry. 

307-308.  These  clauses  are  not 
a  table  of  contents  of  the  rest 
of  the  Epistle,  nor  are  they  a 


222 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3,  316 


quid  deceat,  quid  non,  quo  virtus,  quo  ferat  error. 

Scribendi  recte  sapere  est  et  principium  et  fons. 
310  Rem  tibi  Socraticae  poterunt  ostendere  chartae, 

verbaque  provisam  rem  non  invita  sequentur. 

Qui  didicit,  patriae  quid  debeat  et  quid  amicis ; 

quo  sit  amore  parens,  quo  f rater  amandus  et  hospes; 

quod  sit  conscripti,  quod  iudicis  officium ;  quae 
315  partes  in  bellum  missi  ducis :  ille  profecto 

reddere  personae  scit  convenientia  cuique. 


formal  and  complete  outline  of  an 
Art  of  Poetry.  They  are  merely 
amplifications  of  inituns  et  ojfi- 
cium,  specifying  certain  aspects 
of  poetic  art  and  corresponding 
only  by  accident  and  in  the  most 
general  way  with  the  discussions 
that  follow.  —  opes :  power s ;  i.e., 
'what  will  best  furnish  him  with 
material  and  prepare  him  to  write.1 
—  quid  deceat :  '  standards  of 
taste.'  —  virtus,  error:  in  a  very 
general  sense,  'the  right  path  and 
the  wrong,'  '  a  true  understanding 
of  poetry  and  a  mistaken  judgment 
about  it.' 

309.  scribendi  recte  :  as  in  Sat. 
1,4,  13,  with  emphasis  upon  a  high 
standard.  — sapere  :   wisdom,  with 
secondary  reference  to  philosophy 
and   in   contrast  to   the    thought 
of  295  ff. 

310.  rem:     the    material,     the 
things  to  write  about ;  not  exactly 
'  subject-matter,'  but  the  ideas  to 
be   expressed.  —  Socraticae  .  .  . 
chartae:      these    are    named   for 
illustration  only,  not  as  exclusive 
sources.    The  important '  Socratic ' 


writers  are  Plato  and  Xenophon.  — 
poterunt :  '  they  will,  for  example, 
contain  such  suggestion  as  you 
need.' 

311.  rem . . .  sequentur :  this  rule 
appears  in  various  forms,  most 
concisely  in  Cato's  rem  tene,  verba 
sequentur,  and  humorously  in  the 
saying  of  Asinius  Pollio,  male 
hercle  eveniat  verbis,  nisi  rem  se- 
qnantur. 

314.  conscripti:  councilor-,  the 
word  is  familiar  in  the  formula 
patres  conscripti,  but  is  here  used 
in  a  more  general  sense,  as  in ' 
inscriptions  (neve  ibi  senator  neve 
decurio  neve  conscriptus  esto, 
C.I.L.,  I,  206,  96).  This  is  the 
only  passage  except  in  inscriptions 
where  the  word  is  used  alone  with- 
out pater.  —  iudicis :  such  an 
official  combined  some  of  the 
functions  now  divided  between 
the  judge  and  the  jury;  cf.  Sat. 

1.4.  23- 

316.  personae:  dramatic  poetry 
is  here,  as  in  so  much  of  this 
Epistle,  uppermost  in  Horace's 
mind.  —  convenientia:  i.e.y  to 


223 


2.  3,  3  '7] 


IIORATI 


Respicere  exemplar  vitae  morumque  iubebo 
cloctum  imitatorem  et  vivas  hinc  ducere  voces. 
Interdum  speciosa  locis  morataque  recte 

320    fabula  nullius  veneris  sine  pondere  et  arte 
valdius  oblectat  populum  meliusque  moratur, 
quam  versus  inopes  rerum  nugaeque  canorae. 
Graiis  ingenium,  Graiis  dedit  ore  rotundo 
Musa  loqui,  praeter  laudem  nullius  avaris. 

325    Romani  pueri  longis  rationibus  assem 

discunt  in  partes  centum  diducere.     '  Dicat 
filius  Albini:  Si  de  quincunce  remota  est 


make  the  speech  of  each  character 
suitable  to  the  part  he  plays  in  life. 

317-318.  '  The  poet  who  desires 
that  his  work  should  be  a  reflec- 
tion of  life  (imitatorem)  and  who 
has  learned  the  principles  of  life 
and  art  from  study  (doctum  =  gut 
didicit)  will  then  turn  to  life  itself, 
to  the  observation  of  character 
(morum),  and  from  this,  as  from  a 
model,  will  learn  to  give  vividness 
to  the  speeches  (vivas  voces)  of 
the  persons  of  his  drama.' 

319-322.  'For  a  vivid  and  life- 
like portrayal  of  character  is  often 
more  effective  than  a  merely  artis- 
tic finish.1 — speciosa  locis:  t'.e., 
'  which  contains  vivid  and  at- 
tractive passages  (vivas  voces), 
speeches  that  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  hearer1  ;  cf.  Kpist. 
2,  i,  223.  —  morataque  recte: 
'  in  which  the  speeches  conform 
properly  to  the  characters  that 
utter  them.'  as  is  suggested  in 
exemplar  inonim.  —  nullius  ve- 


neris .-  '  without  the  attractiveness 
of  lofty  words  (sine  pondere)  or 
artistic  polish.'  The  thought  is 
again  expressed  by  contrast  in 
inopes  rerum  nugaeque  canorae. 
323-332.  '  It  is  to  the  Greeks 
that  philosophy  and  art  have  given 
the  power  to  realize  these  ideals.' 

324.  avaris :  the  word  is  selected 
in  anticipation  of  the  thought  that 
follows  ;  '  for  the  Greeks  are  eager 
only  for  glory,  while  we  Romans 
are  avari  in  a  worse  sense.' 

325.  longis   rationibus:    'long 
calculations '  like  the  '  examples  ' 
in  arithmetic. 

326.  centum:    the  as  was   di- 
vided into   twelfths,   unciae,   and 
the  Roman  reckonings  were  based 
in  part  on  a  duodecimal  system. 
But  they  also  used  a  decimal  sys- 
tem and  in  paries  centum  diducere 
means,  in  effect,   '  to  reduce  the 
duodecimal  system  to  decimals.' 

327-330.    A  school  recitation  in 
arithmetic;  filius    Albini   is    the 


224 


KI'ISTVLAE 


C2>  3.  341 


uncia,  quid  superat  ?    Poteras  dixisse.'    '  Triens.'    '  Eu! 
rem  poteris  servare  tuam  !     Redit  uncia,  quid  fit  ? ' 

330    '  Semis.'     An,  haec  animos  aerugo  et  cura  peculi 
cum  semel  imbuerit,  speramus  carmina  fingi 
posse  linenda  cedro  et  levi  servanda  cupresso  f 
Aut  prodesse  volunt,  aut  delectare  poetae, 
aut  simul  et  iucunda  et  idonea  dicere  vitae. 

335    Quicquid  praecipies,  esto  brevis,  ut  cito  dicta 
percipiant  animi  dociles  teneantque  fideles. 
Omne  supervacuum  pleno  de  pectore  manat. 
Ficta  voluptatis  causa  sint  proxima  veris, 
ne,  quodcumque  volet,  poscat  sibi  fabula  credi, 

340    neu  pransae  Lamiae  vivum  puerum  extrahat  alvo. 
Centuriae  seniorum  agitant  expertia  frugis; 


pupil  who  is  called  upon  to  recite  ; 
the  problem  is  in  the  addition  and 
subtraction  of  simple  fractions. 
—  quincunce :  quinque  unciae, 
five-twelfths.  —  triens:  i.e.,  it 
is  not  enough  to  answer  four 
twelfths ;  the  boy  must  also  be 
able  to  reduce  the  fraction  to  its 
lowest  terms,  one  third.  —  redit : 
not  the  putting  back  of  the  uncia 
taken  away,  but  a  new  problem ; 
is  added. 

330.  aerugo :  canker,  rust,  as 
consuming  the  metal ;  cf.  Sat. 
I,  4,  101.  —  peculi:  with  cura 
Duly ;  the  word  has  here  some 
slighting  force,  since  it  is  used 
chiefly  of  the  small  property  of  a 
child  or  slave. 

332.  linenda  .  .  .:  i.e.,  'deserv- 
ing of  immortality.1  Oil  of  cedar 
was  used  to  preserve  the  papyrus 


from  bookworms.  —  levi  .  .  .  cu- 
presso: the  cypress  wood  took  a 
high  polish,  and  cases  made  of  it 
would  be  especially  fine. 

334.  iucunda,  idonea  .  .  .  vitae: 
these  repeat  prodesse  and  delectare 
in  reversed  order. 

335-  quicquid  praecipies:  i.e., 
'if  you  choose  prodesse,  idonea 
vitae,  to  write  a  didactic  poem.' 
—  cito :  with  dicta ;  =  brmia. 

336.   dociles,  fideles:   predicate. 

338.  ficta :  the  other  alterna- 
tives ;  '  if  you  choose  iucunda,  de- 
lectare, to  write  poems  to  give  pleas- 
ure only.'  —  proxima  veris :  i.e., 
not  at  variance  with  probabilities. 

340.  Lamiae  :  a  monstrous  crea- 
ture that  devoured  children  alive. 

341.  centuriae :  this  word  sug- 
gests the  figure  of  an  election. — 
seniorum :  the  citizens  above  forty- 


HOR.  EP.  — 15 


225 


2,  3»  342] 


HOKATI 


celsi  praetereunt  austera  poemata  Ramnes: 
omne  tulit  pimctum  qui  miscuit  utile  dulci 
lectorem  delectando  pariterque  monendo. 

345    Hie  meret  aera  liber  Sosiis,  hie  et  mare  transit 
et  longum  noto  scriptori  prorogat  aevum. 
Sunt  delicta  tamen,  quibus  ignovisse  velimus: 
nam  neque  chorda  sonum  reddit,  quem  vult  manus  et 

mens, 
poscentique  gravem  persaepe  remittit  acutum, 

350    nee  semper  feriet  quodcumque  minabitur  arcus. 
Verum  ubi  plura  nitent  in  carmine,  non  ego  panels 
offendar  maculis,  quas  aut  incuria  fudit, 
aut  humana  parum  cavit  natura.     Quid  ergo  est? 
Vt  scriptor  si  peccat  idem  librarius  usque, 


five.  —  expertia  frugis :  poems 
that  are  not  didactic,  but  iucunda. 

342.  celsi. . .  Ramnes:  the  knights 
were  the  younger  citizens,  proud 
of  their  position  and  their  old 
name. — austera:  poems  that  are 
merely  didactic,  not  iucunda. 

343-344-  omne . . .  punctum  :  />., 
both  old  and  young;  cf.  Epist. 
2,  2,  99,  note.  —  Vs.  341  corre- 
sponds to  the  first  half  of  vs.  333, 
vs.  342  to  the  second  half,  and  vss. 
343-344  to  vs.  334. 

345.  Sosiis  :  the  booksellers,  al- 
ready mentioned  in  Epist.  I,  20,2. 

346.  This  verse  returns,  as   a 
kind  of  summary,  to  the  thought 
of  vs.  332. 

347.  tamen:    i.e.,  'though    I 
thus  hold  up  the  ideal,  I  recognize 
the  fact  that  it  is  difficult  of  attain- 
ment.' 


348-350.  The  comparison,  as  so 
often  in  Horace,  is  merely  implied  ; 
'such  failings  of  a  poet  are  like  the 
mistakes  of  the  musician  or  the 
archer.'  —  gravem :  low.  —  per- 
saepe :  there  is  an  apologetic  tone 
in  this  word ;  very  often,  so  weak 
is  human  skill.  —  feriet;  the  future 
tense,  instead  of  the  present  reddit, 
remittit,  represents  the  archer  as 
already  excusing  his  possible  miss, 
before  he  shoots. 

352.  offendar  maculis:  this  is 
the  doctrine  of  Sat.  I,  3,  68  ff.  and 
almost  the  same  form  of  expression 
as  that  in  Sat.  i,  6,  65-67.  The 
use  of  maculis  anticipates  the  com- 
parison of  vs.  354. — fudit:  as  if 
by  the  spilling  of  ink. 

354.  scriptor  .  .  .  librarius  :  a 
slave  who  copied  books,  in  the 
Roman  way. 


226 


EFISTVLAE 


[2.  3.  363 


355    quamvis  est  monitus,  venia  caret,  et  citharoedus 
ridetur,  chorda  qui  semper  oberrat  eadem  : 
sic  mihi,  qui  multum  cessat,  fit  Choerilus  ille, 
quem  bis  terve  bonum  cum  risu  miror;  et  idem 
indignor  quandoque  bonus  dormitat  Homerus; 

360    verum  operi  longo  fas  est  obrepere  somnum. 
Vt  pictura,  poesis;  erit  quae,  si  propius  stes, 
te  capiat  magis,  et  quaedam,  si  longius  abstes; 
haec  amat  obscurum ;  volet  haec  sub  luce  videri, 


355.  venia  caret: 'can  no  longer 
be  pardoned.' 

357.  qui  multum  cessat  :  this 
corresponds  to  peccat  idem  and 
semper  oberrat.  —  Choerilus  ille  : 
Epist.  2,  I,  233. 

358-360.  cum  risu  miror :  *>., '  he 
is  generally  so  poor  that,  when 
once  or  twice  he  says  a  good  thing, 
it  only  makes  me  laugh  and  won- 
der how  he  came  to  do  it.'  —  idem : 
with  adversative  implication,  as 
often  ;  '  and,  on  the  other  hand.' 

—  indignor :  not  '  I  am  angry,1  but 
in  its   proper  sense,  '  I   count   it 
unworthy   of  him.1  —  quandoque: 

—  quandocumque  •     the    different 
lorms  of  the  indefinite  relative  were 
never  as  clearly  differentiated  in 
usage  as  they  are  in  the  grammars. 

—  bonus:    a   standing   epithet. — 
dormitat :  cf.  dor  mire,  Sat.  2,  1,7, 
in  a  figurative  sense   not  unlike 
this.  —  Vs.  360  is  a  humorous  ex- 
cuse playing  upon  the  literal  sense 
of  dormitat.  —  The  thought  here  is 
only  apparently  contradictory    to 
vs.  347  and  vss.  351  f. ;    non  ego 


Panels  offendar  maculis  means  '  I 
will  not  condemn  a  whole  poem 
for  a  few  faults ' ;  indignor  .  .  . 
Homerus  does  not  mean  '  I  am 
angry  with  Homer  for  his  few 
faults,'  but  rather  '  I  so  admire 
Homer  that,  when  he  makes  an 
occasional  slip,  my  only  feeling  is 
that  it  is  unworthy  of  so  great  a 
poet.'  The  word  indignor  is  not 
the  same  as  offendar ;  it  is  selected 
for  the  contrast  with  cum  risu 
miror  and  means  scarcely  more 
than  '  I  wonder  at  it,1  '  I  am  sur- 
prised.' 

361-365.  ut  pictura,  poesis :  the 
comparison  is  not  original ;  cf. 
Auct.  ad  Herenn.  4,  28,  39.  poema 
loquens  pictura,  pictura  taciturn 
poema  debet  esse.  It  should  be 
noticed  that  the  comparison,  which 
is  suggested  by  the  thought  of  vss. 
347-360,  concerns  only  the  proper 
attitude  of  the  critic  toward  works 
of  art.  either  pictures  or  poems,  not 
their  essential  characteristics.  —  In 
carrying  a  comparison  out  into 
details,  as  is  done  here,  there  is 


227 


2.  3. 


IIORATI 


iudicis  argutum  quae  non  formidat  acumen  : 
365    haec  placuit  semel,  haec  decies  repetita  placebit. 
O  maior  iuvenum,  quamvis  et  voce  paterna 
fingeris  ad  rectum  et  per  te  sapis,  hoc  tibi  dictum 
tolle  memor,  certis  medium  et  tolerabile  rebus 
recte  concedi :  consultus  iuris  et  actor 
370    causarum  mediocris  abest  virtute  diserti 

Messallae,  nee  scit  quantum  Cascellius  Aulus, 
sed  tamen  in  pretio  est;  mediocribus  esse  poetis 
non  homines,  non  di,  non  concessere  columnae. 


always  a  tendency  to  let  the  mind 
rest  upon  one  side,  sometimes  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  other  side. 
The  contrast  in  propiiis,  longiiis 
is  primarily  pictorial,  not  poetic, 
though  it  doubtless  means,  secon- 
darily, to  contrast  poetry  highly 
finished  in  details  with  poetry  on 
a  larger  scale,  like  an  epic.  But 
haec  amat  obscurum,  which  is  a 
very  just  remark  about  some  paint- 
ings, is  almost  meaningless  when 
used  of  a  poem .  The  last  line,  vs. 
365,  is  written  with  poetry  prima- 
rily in  mind  (repetifa),  though  it 
applies  equally  well  to  a  picture. 

366.  maior    iuvenum:     this    is 
almost  the  only  personal  touch  in 
the  epistle,  and  it  is   not   certain 
that    this  address    to    the    elder 
brother  means  anything  more  than 
that  he  is  now  old  enough  to  be 
making  his  choice  of  a  career. 

367.  ad  rectum :    in   matters  of 
taste:  cf.  recte,  vs.   309.  —  perte 
sapis  :  a  polite  phrase  to  take  off 
the    edge   of    the    rather   earnest 

228 


advice,  as  in  the  first  lines  of  Epist, 
1,17,  satis  per  te  tibi  consults,  and 
Epist.  I,  1 8,  si  bene  te  novi.  — hoc 
dictum  :  in  vss.  372  f. 

368.  tolle  memor:    i.e.,   'carry 
away  with  you  and  store  in  your 
memory,'   as    if  the   epistle   were 
really  a  sermo.  —  medium  :  not  as 
Horace  often  uses   the  word,  but 
'  mediocre,1  '  moderately  good.' 

369.  consultus,  actor:    the  two 
branches  of  the  legal  profession, 
the  jurist  and  the  pleader. 

370.  mediocris:    the    emphatic 
word;  'of  only  moderate  ability.' 
—  abest:  i.e.,  'fails  to  attain  to.' 

371.  Messallae:   cf.  Sat.   \.  10, 
29,  note.     He  was  a  man  of  much 
distinction    in    several    fields.  — 
Cascellius:    distinguished    in    the 
Ciceronian  period  as  a  jurist  and 
an  orator.     He  was  probably  not 
living  at  this  time. 

372-373.  in  pretio:  of  value-, 
a  term  of  moderate  praise.  —  medi- 
ocribus :  dative  in  the  predicate ; 
cf.  Sat.  i,  i,  19,  licet  esse  be  at  is.  — 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3,  3»3 


Vt  gratas  inter  mensas  symphonia  discors 
375    et  crassum  unguentum  et  Sardo  cum  melle  papaver 

offendunt,  poterat  duel  quia  cena  sine  istis : 

sic  animis  natum  inventumque  poema  iuvandis, 

si  paullum  summo  decessit,  vergit  ad  imum. 

Ludere  qui  nescit,  campestribus  abstinet  armis, 
380    indoctusque  pilae  discive  trochive  quiescit, 

ne  spissae  risum  tollant  impune  coronae; 

qui  nescit  versus,  tamen  audet  fingere.     Quidni? 

Liber  et  ingenuus,  praesertim  census  equestrem 


This   is   the   dictum   of  vs.    367. 

—  columnae  :  an  intentionally  lofty 
word  for  the  pilae  (Sat.  i,  4,  71), 
posts  in  front  of  the  shop  where 
announcements  of  books  or  copies 
of  the  books  themselves  were  hung 
to  attract  buyers.     There  is  also 
an  intentional  anticlimax  in  homi- 
nes, di,  columnae. 

374-376.  *  This  is  true  of  any 
luxury ;  only  the  best  is  really 
good.'  —  symphonia  discors  :  to 
the  educated  Roman  leader,  ac- 
quainted with  Greek,  the  contra- 
diction in  these  words  would  be 
as  obvious  as  in  the  phrase  con- 
f.ordia  discors,  Epist.  i,  12,  19. 
Music  was  often  played  during  a 
dinner. — crassum:  thick ',  coarse. 

—  Sardo :    of    inferior    quality.  — 
papaver :    the   seeds  of  the  white 
poppy.  —  duel :  carried  on. 

377.  natum :  so  of  a  wall.  Sat. 
2,  3.  8.  — The  distinction  between 
the  arts  which  have  to  do  only 
with  pleasure  and  cultivation  and 
those  which  serve  also  a  practical 


end  is  made  by  Cicero,  in  compar- 
ing the  actor  and  the  orator. 

379.  ludere :   the  general  sense 
which  this  word  has  when  stand- 
ing   alone    is    immediately    made 
definite    by    the    next    words.  — 
campestribus  .    .    .  armis :    those 
which  are  mentioned  in  the  next 
verse. 

380.  pilae:     Sat.    I,    5.   49. — 
disci:    Sat.    2,    2,    13,  where  (in 
vs.  n)  these  two  forms  of  Greek 
athletics  are  contrasted  with  hunt- 
ing and  riding. 

381.  impune:   i.e.,  there  would 
lie  no  ground  on  which  the  player 
who  was  laughed  at  could  resent 
the  ridicule ;  justly,  properly. 

382.  qui    nescit:     this    is    the 
opinion  expressed  in   F.pist.  2,  i, 
114-117,  under  a  slightly  different 
figure. 

382.  quidni:  -why  not ^  of  course  f 
In  this  phrase  ni  has  no  condi- 
tional force. 

383-384.  -  He's  a  perfectly  re- 
spectable citizen.  Why  shouldn't 


229 


2,  3.  3»4j 


HORAT1 


summam  nummorum,  vitioque  remotus  ab  omni. 

385    Tu  nihil  invita  dices  faciesve  Minerva; 

id  tibi  iudicium  esto,  ea  mens :  si  quid  tamen  olim 
scripseris,  in  Maeci  descendat  iudicis  aures, 
et  patris  et  nostras,  nonumque  prematur  in  annum, 
membranis  intus  positis.     Delere  licebit 

390    quod  non  edideris ;  nescit  vox  missa  reverti. 
Silvestris  homines  sacer  interpresque  deorum 


he  write  poetry  ? '  —  census  :  the 
participle,  retaining  in  the  passive 
the  cognate  accus.  of  the  active. 
The  construction  is  rare.  —  vitio 
remotus :  so  sine  cr imine  in  a 
similar  description,  Epist.  i,  7, 
56. 

385.  tu:    referring  back  to  vs. 
366,  and  returning,  after  the  gen- 
eral remarks  of  vs.  374  ff.,  to  the 
personal  application.  —  nihil  .  .   . 
dices :     concessive    in    force    (cf. 
tameri),  like  quannris  .  .  .  per  tf. 
sapis,   vs.    366    f.,    and   with   the 
same  courteous  intention. — invita 
.  .  .  Minerva :    this    phrase    was 
proverbial    and    is    explained    by 
Cicero  (de  Off.  i,  31,  no),  invita 
Minerva,  ut  aiunt,  id  est,  adver- 
sante  et  repugnant e  natura.     Mi- 
nerva is  here  the  goddess  of  the 
intellectual  powers. 

386.  id,  ea:     such.     The    con- 
struction  is   paratactic  for   'such 
is   your  judgment   that   you   will 
say  nothing.  .  .  .' 

387.  Haeci :  Sp.  Maecius  Tarpa, 
named  in  Sat.  I,  10,  38  as  a  critic 
of  authority.     He  is  named  here 
merely  as  a  representative  of  the 


severe  criticism  to  which  the  writ- 
ings of  a  young  man  should  be 
submitted. 

388.  et  patris  et  nostras :  as 
critics  also,  though  perhaps  more 
friendly  critics.  —  nonum  ...  in  an- 
num :  this  famous  precept  is  not 
to  be  understood  literally  or  defi- 
nitely. The  meaning  is  that  a 
young  writer  should  hold  back 
his  work  for  mature  consideration 
and  revision.  The  number  (tio- 
iiuni)  was  perhaps  chosen  because 
the  poet  Helvius  Cinna  spent  nine 
years  in  the  writing  and  correcting 
of  his  epic  Smyrna  (Catull.  95, 
1-2).  But  this  case  was  by  no 
means  unique ;  Vergil  spent  seven 
years  upon  the  Georgics  and  left 
the  Aeneid  unfinished  after  ten 
years  of  work  upon  it. 

390.  vox  missa  :  the  expression 
is  figurative ;  literally,  it  refers  to 
the  spoken  word,  as  in  Epist.  I, 
18,71,  semel  emissum  volat  irrevo- 
cabile  verbunt. 

391-407.  'But,  on  the  other 
hand,  do  not  think  that  poetry  is 
too  light  an  occupation  for  a  seri- 
ous Roman,  for  it  has  contributed 


230 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3.  400 


caedibus  et  victu  foedo  deterruit  Orpheus, 
dictus  ob  hoc  lenire  tigres  rabidosque  leones; 
dictus  et  Amphion  Thebanae  conditor  urbis 

395    saxa  movere  sono  testudinis  et  prece  blanda 

ducere  quo  vellet.     Fuit  haec  sapientia  quondam, 
publica  privatis  secernere,  sacra  profanis, 
concubitu  prohibere  vago,  dare  iura  maritis, 
oppida  moliri,  leges  incidere  ligno. 

400    Sic  honor  et  nomen  divinis  vatibus  atque 


largely  to  the  movement  of  civili- 
zation.1 This  thought  is  repeated 
in  substance  in  Epist.  2.  I,  118- 
138.  But  the  tone  there  is  less 
historical  and  more  abstract,  and 
there  is  consequently  little  repe- 
tition of  phrases  or  illustrations. 

391.  silvestris :  i.e.,  men  in  their 
primitive  state,  still  living  in  the 
woods.  —  sacer:  the  poet  is  vates, 
inspired  singer,  interpreter  of  the 
divine  will. 

392.  victu  foedo  :  i.e.,  the  acorns 
and  nuts  which  they  lived  upon  as 
the  animals  did.     The  adj.  foedo 
is  used  in   a  general  way  of  the 
kind  of  life,  rather  than  of  any- 
thing unpleasant  in  the  food  itself. 

393.  dictus  ob  hoc  :  '  this  is  the 
origin  of  the  legend  of  his  taming 
tigers.1 

394.  dictus:  the  repetition  of  the 
word  at  the  beginning  of  the  line  is 
meant  to  suggest  that  the  story  of 
Amphion  is  also  a  legend,  the  real 
purpose  of  which  is  to  express  in 
vivid  form  the  power  of  the  singer. 

395.  prece :     his    song    moved 


rocks  as  it  moved  the  gods,  when 
it  was  addressed  to  them ;  cf. 
Epist.  2,  I,  135,  docta  prece 
blandtis,  of  the  chorus. 

396.  haec :  referring  back  to  the 
work  of  Orpheus  and  Amphion, 
and  then  analyzed  and  explained 
in  the  following  infinitive  phrases. 

397-399.  Cf.  the  similar  account 
of  the  evolution  of  society  in  Sat. 
i,  3,  99-110,  where,  however,  it 
is  used  to  support  the  Epicurean 
doctrine  that  all  moral  ideas  are 
derived  from  ntilitas.  —  concubitu 
.  .  .  vago :  venerem  incertam  rapi- 
yitis  more  ferarum,  Sat.  I,  3,  109. 
—  mantis:  'to  husband  and  wife.' 
The  regulation  of  marriage  was 
one  of  the  most  important  matters 
of  Roman  law.  —  ligno :  perhaps  a 
reference  to  the  tradition  that  the 
laws  of  Solon  were  made  public 
on  wooden  tablets.  But  ther;  is 
a  similar  tradition  in  regard  to  the 
Twelve  Tables. 

400.  sic :  because  poets  were 
leaders  in  all  these  civilizing 
movements. 


231 


2,  3.  40i] 


HOKATI 


carminibus  venit.     Post  hos  insignis  Homerus 
Tyrtaeusque  mares  animos  in  Martia  bella 
versibus  exacuit ;  dictae  per  carmina  sortes, 
et  vitae  monstrata  via  est ;  et  gratia  regum 

405     Pieriis  tentata  modis,  ludusque  repertus, 
et  longorum  operum  finis:  ne  forte  pudori 
sit  tibi  M lisa  lyrae  sollers  et  cantor  Apollo. 
Natura  fieret  laudabile  carmen,  an  arte, 
quaesitum  est :  ego  nee  studium  sine  divite  vena, 

410    nee  rude  quid  prosit  video  ingenium  ;  alterius  sic 
altera  poscit  opem  res  et  coniurat  amice. 
Qui  studet  optatam  cursu  contingere  metam, 


401.  hos:    the  dhnnis  vatibns, 
of  whom  Orpheus  and  Amphion 
were  the  earliest  examples. 

402.  Tyrtaeus :     the   poet    who 
wrote    war  songs   and   marching 
songs    for    the    Spartans,   in    the 
seventh  century  B.C.  —  mares  :  as 
in  Epist.  I,  I,  64,  maribns  Curiis. 

403.  exacuit :     the    subject    is 
Homerus,    as   well    as    Tyrtaeus. 
Horace  frequently  uses  a  singular 
verb   with    several    singular  sub- 
jects.    The  thought  of  the  sen.- 
tence  is,  'poets  inspired  men  to 
deeds  of  valor,'  taking  up  again 
the   enumeration   of  the   services 
of  poetry   to   mankind.  —  sortes  : 
in  the  more  general  sense,  oracles, 
which  were  uttered  in  hexameters. 

404.  vitae  ...  via :    in   didactic 
poetry,  like  that  of  Hesiod.  —  gra- 
tia  regum  :    Pindar,   Bacchylides, 
Simonides  were  all  in  some  sense 
court  poets. 

405-406.    ludus  .  .  .  finis :  dra- 


matic poetry.  The  thought  is 
more  fully  expressed  in  Epist.  2, 
I,  139-142.  —  ne  forte:  a  -paren- 
thetic1 clause  of  purpose,  summa- 
rizing the  argument  of  vss.  391- 
406. 

408-415.  '  Both  nature  and  art 
must  contribute  to  make  a  good 
poet  —  though  I  know  that  this  is 
not  the  accepted  doctrine." 

408.  natura  ...  an  arte :  this 
was  an  old  question,  usually  an- 
swered as  here  by  saying  that 
both  are  necessary.  Cf..  e.g.,  Cic. 
Pro  Arch.  7,  15. 

409  studium  :  =  ars.  —  vena  : 
of  precious  metals,  as  in  modern 
usage. 

410.  rude  .  .  .  ingenium:   =  na- 
tura sine  arte. 

411.  amice:  i.e., '  it  is  a  mistake 
to  oppose  nature  and  skill,  as  if 
they  were  enemies  ;  they  are  really 
close  friends." 

412-415.    The  error  of  attempt- 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3.  423 


multa  tulit  fecitque  puer,  sudavit  et  alsit, 
abstinuit  venere  et  vino.     Qui  Pythia  cantat 

415    tibicen,  didicit  prius  extimuitque  magistrum. 

Nunc  satis  est  dixisse  :  '  Ego  mira  poemata  pango ; 
occupet  extremum  scabies ;  mihi  turpe  relinqui  est, 
et  quod  non  didici  sane  nescire  fateri.' 
Vt  praeco,  ad  merces  turbam  qui  cogit  emendas, 

420    adsentatores  iubet  ad  lucrum  ire  poeta 

dives  agris,  dives  positis  in  faenore  nummis. 
Si  vero  est,  unctum  qui  recte  ponere  possit, 
et  spondere  levi  pro  paupere,  et  eripere  artis 


ing  to  write  without  sufficient 
training  is  illustrated  in  Epist.  2, 
I,  114  ff.  by  a  comparison  with 
trades  and  professions,  in  vss. 
379  ff.  by  a  comparison  with  the 
players  in  games  of  skill,  and 
here  by  a  reference  to  the  practice 
needed  for  success  in  the  Pythian 
games.  — cursu:  in  the  foot  race, 
from  which  so  many  figures  have 
been  drawn.  —  tulit  fecitque  :  i.e.. 
both  passive  and  active  prepara- 
tion. —  puer :  '  from  boyhood.' . — 
Pythia  cantat :  cf.  coronari  Olym- 
pia,  Epist,  I,  I,  50.  Musical  con- 
tests were  a  regular  part  of  the 
games.  —  extimuit :  i-.e-.,  '  has  en- 
dured discipline  from  which,  at 
the  time,  he  shrank.' 

416.  nunc  satis  est :  '  but  now- 
adays poets  are  satisfied  with  their 
own  approval  and  think  courage 
is  the  only  quality   necessary   to 
\\riting.' 

417.  occupet  .  .  .  scabies:  'the 
devil    take    the   hindmost.'     The 


Scholiast  says  that  this  is  part  of 
a  phrase  used  by  children  in  a 
game  and  gives  the  whole  chant, 
hdbcat  scabicm  quisquis  ad  me 
v&nerit  novissimus  (arranged  in 
metrical  order).  Cf.  Epist.  I,  I, 
59,  note. 
418.  sane:  at  all,  with  nescire. 

420.  ad  lucrum:    <as   the  auc- 
tioneer   summons    a,   crowd    who 
hope  to  make  something  by  buy- 
ing cheap,  so  the  rich  author  in- 
vites flattery.' 

421.  This  verse  occurs  also  in 
Sat.   i,  2,  13,  where,  however,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  the  sense,  as 
it  is  here. 

422.  unctum  :  a  rich  morsel.  — 
ponere  :  as  a  host  places  a  good 
dinner  before  his  guests. 

423.  levi :  i.e.,  a  poor  man  who 
is  so  lacking  in  self-respect  as  to 
be  willing  to  profit  by  such  help.  — 
The  object  of  eripere  is  to  be  sup- 
plied from  pro  paupere.  —  artis  : 
•lawsuits    that    bind    him    tight.' 


233 


2,  3.  424] 


HORATI 


litibus  implicitum  ;  mirabor,  si  sciet  inter- 
425     noscere  mendacem  verumque  beatus  amicum. 
Tu  seu  donaris,  seu  quid  donare  voles  cui, 
nolito  ad  versus  tibi  factos  ducere  plenum 
laetitiae  ;  clamabit  enim  '  pulchre  !  bene  !  recte ! ' 
pallescet  super  his ;  etiam  stillabit  amicis 
430    ex  oculis  rorem,  saliet,  tundet  pede  terram. 
Vt  qui  conduct!  plorant  in  funere,  dicunt 
et  faciunt  prope  plura  dolentibus  ex  animo,  sic 
derisor  vero  plus  laudatore  movetur. 
Reges  dicuntur  multis  urgere  culullis 


[This  is  Bentley's  conjecture.  The 
reading  of  the  Mss.,  atr/'s,  cannot 
be  justified  by  atra  cura.~\ 

424.  inter  .  .  .  noscere :  cf.  Sat. 
2,  3,    117   f.,   unde  .  .  .  octoginta; 
Epist.  2,  2,93.     It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  to  the  Roman  feeling  the 
difference  between  the  juxtaposi- 
tion of  two  words  and  their  compo- 
sition into  a  single  word  was  much 
less  distinct  than  it  is  in  English. 
The  habit   of  reading  from  print 
prevents  us  from  perceiving  actual 
composition  in  such  a  phrase,  for 
example,  as  not  at  all. 

425.  beatus:  'in   his  self-satis- 
faction.' 

426.  donaris:  =  donaveris;    'if 
you  already  have  some  person  who 
is  under  obligation  to  you.' 

427.  tibi  factos :  '  the  verses  that 
you,  his  host  and  benefactor,  have 
made.' 

429.  super  his :  '  at  this  or  that 
passage,'  which  is  intended  to  ex- 
cite terror. 


430.  saliet :  as  an  expression  of 
joy,  when  that  is  the  proper  emo- 
tion. —  tundet. . .  terram  :  when  he 
hears  of  the  wickedness  of  the  vil- 
lain of  the  drama.  —  All  this  is,  of 
course,  a  humorous  exaggeration 
of   natural    expressions    of    emo- 
tion. 

431.  conduct! :  for  hire.    There 
are  various  allusions  to  the  custom 
of  hiring   women   (praeficae)    to 
accompany   a   funeral    procession 
with  cries  of  grief.     The  masculine 
is  used  in  order  that  the  phrase 
may  be  more  directly  applicable  to 
the  flattering  friend. 

432.  ex  animo :  with  dolentibus, 
contrasting  with  conducti. 

433.  derisor:  i.e.,  '  the  man  who 
is  pretending  to  admire,  but  is  in 
his  heart  laughing  at  the  poet  for 
being  so  easily  fooled.' —  movetur : 
'  makes  a  greater  show  of  emotion,' 
as  already  described. 

434.  reges :  this  is  like  the  allu- 
sion in  Sat.  i,  2,  86,  regibus  hie 


234 


EPISTVLAE 


3.  442 


435    et  torquere  mero  quern  perspexisse  laborant, 
an  sit  amicitia  dignus :  si  carmina  condes, 
nunquam  te  fallent  animi  sub  vulpe  latentes. 
Quintilio  si  quid  recitares,  '  corrige  sodes 
hoc,'  aiebat,  '  et  hoc ' :  melius  te  posse  negares 

440    bis  terque  expertum  frustra,  delere  iubebat 
et  male  tornatos  incudi  reddere  versus. 
Si  defendere  delictum  quam  vertere  malles, 


mos  est,  but  neither  custom  is  else- 
where mentioned. 

435-  torquere  mero:  cf.  Epist. 
I,  1 8,  38,  note.  This  is  the  gen- 
eral idea  which  is  expressed  in 
the  saying  in  vino  veritas.  — 
laborant :  are  anxious,  are  striv- 
ing. 

437.  fallent :  i.e.,  '  you  need  not 
use    such    means    as    these,    for 
your  flatterer  will  reveal    himself 
surely  enough.'  —  sub  vulpe:  the 
allusion  is  to  the  fox  who  flattered 
the  raven  in  order  to  get  the  bit  of 
cheese   (Phaedr.    I,   ^3),  keeping 
his    real  purpose  (animi)  out  of 
sight  (latentes).     The  phrase  sub 
vulpe  is  therefore  a  concise  expres- 
sion for  '  as  the  fox  hid  his  purpose 
in  his  heart.' 

438.  Quintilio :    the  abruptness 
of  the  transition  gives  a  strong 
adversative  force  ;  '  Quintilius,  on 
the   other   hand,   will    speak    his 
mind  plainly.1     This  is  the  Quin- 
tilius Varus  whose  death  Horace 
mourned  in  the  noble  ode,  Carm. 
I,  24,   attributing   to   him   incor- 
rupta   Fides  nudaque  Veritas.  — 
recitares:    of  the   past,   as  aiebat, 


iubebat  show,  not  an  ordinary  un- 
fulfilled condition. 

439-  negares  :  a  condition  with- 
out si  expressed,  but  dependent 
upon  si  of  vs.  438,  which  is  again 
expressed  in  vs.  442. 

441.  'If,  on  a  second  or  third 
attempt,  the  verses  prove  incapable 
of  improvement,  then  they  must 
be  stricken  out  and  the  thought 
must  be   expressed   in  some  en- 
tirely new  form,  as  a  metal  worker 
puts  a  piece  of  work  that  cannot 
be  properly  finished  back  upon  the 
anvil  and  begins  all  over  again.' 
The  finishing  of  the  metal   work 
was  sometimes  done  on  the  lathe, 
and  male  tornatos  means  'which 
come  out  badly  in  the   finishing 
process.'     Such   work   would   be 
taken  back  to  the  anvil  (incudi), 
to  be  forged  over  again. 

442.  vertere :     to     change,    to 
amend.     In    this    general    sense 
vertere  needs  some  additional  de- 
fining phrase,  usually  in  with  the 
accus. ;   here  the  definition  is  al- 
ready given  by  defendere  delictum. 
[  It  is  quite  impossible  that  there 
should  be  any    connection   with 


235 


,  3,  443] 


HORATI 


nullum  ultra  verbum  aut  operam  insumebat  inanem, 
quin  sine  rival!  teque  et  tua  solus  amares. 

445    Vir  bonus  et  prudens  versus  reprehendet  inertes, 
culpabit  duros,  incomptis  adlinet  atrum 
transverse  calamo  signum,  ambitiosa  recidet 
ornamenta,  parum  claris  lucem  dare  coget, 
arguet  ambigue  dictum,  mutanda  notabit, 

450    net  Aristarchus,  nee  dicet,  '  cur  ego  amicum 
offendam  in  nugis  ? '     Hae  nugae  seria  ducent 
in  mala  derisum  semel  exceptumque  sinistre. 


•vertere    stiliim,    as    many    good 
editions  say.] 

443.  inanem:  predicate;  to  no 
effect. 

444.  sine  rivali :  with  solus ;  the 
phrase  is  used  by  Cic.  (ad  Q.  Fr. 
3,  8,  4)  as  if  it  were  proverbial. 

445-449.  The  attitude  of  the 
frank  and  competent  critic,  which 
has  been  outlined  in  the  reminis- 
cence of  Quintilius  Varus,  is  here 
defined  in  more  general  terms, 
with  the  i'ir  bonus  et  prudens  sub- 
stituted for  Quintilius  and  with 
future  tenses  instead  of  imperfects. 
The  process  of  revision  is  illus- 
trated in  details  which  are  un- 
doubtedly drawn  from  Horace's 
own  experience  and  practice  and 
which  therefore  reveal  to  us  some- 
thing of  his  method  of  work. 
The  faults  selected  for  illustration 
are  those  which  Horace  has  es- 
pecially endeavored  to  avoid; 
versus  inertes  (flat,  lacking  in 
vigor  of  expression ).  duros  (harsh 
in  sound  and  rhythm),  incomptis 


(ill-arranged  in  order  of  thought), 
ambitiosa  (aiming  too  directly  at 
effect),  parum  claris  (words  which 
do  not  sufficiently  express  the 
thought),  ambigue  dictum  (phrases 
which  are  capable  of  more  than 
one  interpretation).  Some  of 
these  have  parallels  in  Epist.  2,  2, 
122  f.  There  is  a  careful  varia- 
tion in  the  verbs  also ;  reprehen- 
det, culpabit,  arguet  are  general, 
adlinet  atrum  signum,  recidet, 
lucem  dare  coget  are  more  spe- 
cific. 

450.  Aristarchus :  the  famous 
Homeric  critic,  who  lived  in  Alex- 
andria in  the  second  century  B.C. 
His  name  had  become  typical  of 
the  severe  critic. 

451-452.  hae  nugae:  'these 
things  which  you  call  trifles.'  - 
derisum  semel :  the  poet  who  has 
once  been  ridiculed  in  public  for 
faults  which  may  be  in  themselves 
trifling  has  suffered  a  loss  of  repu- 
tation from  which  he  can  scarcely 


236 


EPISTVLAE 


[2,  3,  460 


Vt  mala  quem  scabies  aut  morbus  rcgius  urget, 
aut  fanaticus  error  et  iracunda  Diana, 

455    vesanum  titigisse  timent  fugiuntque  poetam 

qui  sapiunt :  agitant  pueri  incautique  sequuntur. 
Hie,  dum  sublimis  versus  ructatur  et  errat, 
si  veluti  merulis  intentus  decidit  auceps 
in  puteum  foveamve,  licet  '  succurrite  '  longum 

460    clamet  '  io  cives,'  non  sit  qui  tollere  curet. 


453-476.  '  Allow  me,  in  conclu- 
sion, to  hold  up  to  you  the  picture 
of  the  kind  of  poet  you  should  try 
not  to  be  —  the  crazy  fool,  who 
thinks  himself  inspired.' 

453.  morbus  regius :  this  phrase 
embalms  two  popular  errors,  that 
jaundice  was  a  contagious  disease 
and   that   it   was    somehow  espe- 
cially connected  with  kings  or  with 
the  rich  ;    to  account  for  the  latter 
various  fanciful  explanations  were 
given. 

454.  fanaticus  error:  the    fran- 
tic dancing  of  the  priests  of  Bel- 
lona    (Sat.    2,    3,    223,    gamiens 
cruentis),   who    went    about    the 
streets  cutting  themselves  in  frenzy 
and  begging  from  the  passers-by. 
The  \\orAfatialicus  (from  faniini) 
was  used  especially  of  the  priests 
and  worship  of  Bellona  and  Cy- 
bele.    —    Diana :   as   moon  god- 
dess, whose  beams  were  supposed 
to  cause  lunacy  (luna) . 

455-    vesanum :  =  insamim. 

456.  qui  sapiunt:  =  sapient 'es; 
subject  of  timent  fugiuntque  and 
contrasted  with  incauti.  -  -  agi- 
tant :  at  the  beginning  of  the 


clause  with  adversative  effect.  The 
picture  of  the  poet  in  the  role  of 
the  madman,  tormented  by  street 
boys  (cf.  Sat.  I,  3,  133  ff. ),  while 
the  more  reckless  of  the  people 
follow  behind  to  look  on,  and  the 
cautious  and  respectable  citizens 
cross  to  the  other  side  of  the 
street,  is  highly  effective  in  its 
ridicule. 

457.  sublimis:   'with  his  head 
in  the  air.' 

458.  merulis  intentus  :  this  reads 
like    an    allusion    to   some  well- 
known   story,   but  no  such  story 
has  come  down  to  us. 

459-460.  longum :  *  so  as  to  be 
heard  afar.'  —  non  sit :  the  gram- 
matical construction  is  si  .  .  .  de- 
cidit,  licet  .  .  .  damet,  non  sit; 
the  indicative  of  the  condition 
would  naturally  be  followed  by  an 
indicative  non  est  in  the  conclu- 
sion, but  the  concessive  clause  licet 
.  .  .  clamet  comes  in  and  forms  a 
new  protasis,  under  the  influence 
of  which  the  apodosis  takes  a  sub- 
junctive ;  if  '  he  falls  into  a  well, 
even  though  he  should  cry  out,  no 
one  would  help  him.' 


237 


IIORATI 


Si  curet  quis  opem  ferre  et  demittere  funem, 
'  qui  scis  an  prudens  hue  se  proiecerit  atque 
servari  nolit  ? '  -dicam,  Siculique  poetae 
narrabo  interitum.     Deus  immortalis  haberi 

465    dum  cupit  Empedocles,  ardentem  frigidus  Aetnam 
insiluit.     Sit  ius  liceatque  perire  poetis. 
Invitum  qui  servat,  idem  facit  occidenti. 
Nee  semel  hoc  fecit,  nee,  si  retractus  erit,  iam 
net  homo  et  ponet  famosae  mortis  amorem. 

470    Nee  satis  apparet,  cur  versus  f  actitet ;  utrum 
minxerit  in  patrios  cineres,  an  triste  bidental 


461-463.  '  For,  as  I  should  point 
out  to  any  zealous  rescuer,  most 
probably  he  doesn't  want  to  be 
rescued.'  —  dicam:  apodosis  to 
siqnis  curet.  —  Siculi  poetae  :  Em- 
pedocles of  Agrigentum,  philoso- 
pher, poet,  and  statesman  of  the 
fifth  century  B.C.  About  his  life 
and  death  various  legends  grew 
up,  the  one  of  widest  currency 
being  this,  that  he  threw  himself 
into  the  crater  of  Aetna.  The  best 
thing  to  be  said  of  this  story  is  that 
it  furnished  the  theme  for  Matthew 
Arnold's  '  Empedocles  on  Etna.' 

464.  deus  immortalis :  this  was 
one  of  the  motives  ascribed  to  him 
for  the  deed. 

465.  frigidus  :   it  is  possible  that 
this  is  an  allusion  to  teachings  of 
Empedocles  (who  was  a  physicist), 
in   which   he    identified   life  with 
heat.     But  the  allusion  would  be 
rather  obscure.     It  is  more  likely 
to  be  '  in  cold  blood,'  for  the  con- 
trast with  ardentem. 


467.  idem  . .  .  occidenti :  '  does 
the  same  thing  as  killing  him ' ;  i.e.t 
it  is  just  as  bad  to  prevent  him 
from  dying  when  he  wants  to  die, 
as  to  kill  him  when  he  wants  to 
live.  The  construction  with  the 
dative  is  rare,  but  is  found  in  Lu- 
cret. ;  cf.  also  the  abl.  after  alins. 
This  is  the  only  spondaic  hexame- 
ter in  Horace. 

468-469.  '  And  it  will  do  no 
good  to  save  him  ;  he  has  tried  it 
before,  and  he  likes  the  notoriety.' 

470.  nee  satis  apparet :  i.e.,  *  we 
don't  know  the  cause  of  his  poetic 
madness,  but  the  fact  is  plain.' 
—  cur  versus  factitet :  this  is  ex- 
pressed as  if  it  were  identical  with 
madness. 

471-472.  triste  bidental :  a  spot 
struck  by  lightning,  which  was 
therefore  considered  sacred  (tris- 
te) and  was  consecrated  by  a  sac- 
rifice of  bidentes  (esp.  sheep).  It 
was  also  surrounded  by  a  wall,  and 
any  one  who  should  remove  this 


EPISTVLAE  [2,  3,  476 

moverit  incestus  :  certe  furit,  ac  velut  ursus 
obiectos  caveae  valuit  si  frangere  clathros, 
indoctum  doctumque  f ugat  recitajtor  acerbus ; 
475    quern  vero  arripuit,  tenet  occiditque  legendo, 
non  missura  cutem,  nisi  plena  cruoris,  hirudo. 

would   be  unclean  (incestus).  —  to  education,  if  only  he  can  find  a 

certe  :  '  at  any  rate,  whatever  the  hearer.   -  -   fugat :  cf.  the  story  of 

cause,  he  is  certainly  mad.'  Ruso,  Sat.  i,  3,  86  ff. 

474.  indoctum  doctumque :  a  hu-  476.    The     two     objects,     that 

morous  variation  on  pueri  puellae,  which  is  compared  and  that  with 

et  pueros  et  anus ;  the  mad  poet  which  it  is  compared,  are,  as  often, 

will  make  no  distinction  according  identified  in  the  expression. 


239 


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